| Birth Date: | 21 February 1980 |
| Birth Place: | Borgerhout, Belgium |
| Party: | Groen |
| Occupation: | Politician |
| Alma Mater: | Vrije Universiteit Brussel |
| Predecessor: | Pascal Smet, Bianca Debaets |
| Office: | Brussels Minister of Mobility and Public Works |
| Term Start: | July 18, 2019 |
| Website: | elkevandenbrandt.be |
Elke Van den Brandt (born on February 21, 1980, in Borgerhout, Belgium) is a Belgian green politician and a member of Groen (the Green party). She has been the Minister of Mobility, Public Works, and Road Safety within the Brussels-Capital Region government since July 18, 2019.[1]
Elke Van den Brandt was born on February 21, 1980, in Borgerhout.[2]
She graduated in Information and Communication Sciences from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 2002. Since 2004, she has been a scientific collaborator at the same university, focusing on studying the obstacles that both men and women may encounter during their academic careers.[3]
From September 2009 to July 2014, she chaired the non-governmental organization UCOS, specializing in development cooperation.[4]
A militant of Agalev, which later became Groen, she entered the Brussels Parliament in 2009, following Bruno De Lille, who became a minister in the Brussels government. She was re-elected in 2014.
Within the Brussels Parliament, she specialized in issues related to housing, employment, education, and poverty.
Between 2014 and 2019, she chose to relinquish her position in the Brussels Parliament and became a member of the Flemish Parliament.[5] During the regional elections on May 26, 2019, she led the Groen list in the Brussels Region.[6] The list secured four seats, becoming the leading Dutch-speaking party in the capital. Elected with 4,320 votes,[7] Elke Van den Brandt became the regional negotiator tasked with forming a majority within the Dutch-speaking community.[8]
In 2014, she ran for the presidency of Groen alongside Wouter De Vriendt. They received 40% of the votes, yet Meyrem Almaci was ultimately elected.[9]
On July 18, 2019, she assumed the role of Minister of Mobility, Public Works, and Road Safety in the Brussels government led by Rudi Vervoort.