Melchior Wathelet Jr.
{{short description|Belgian politician}}
{{about|Melchior Wathelet Jr|Melchior Wathelet Sr|Melchior Wathelet}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Melchior Wathelet
|image = Melchior Wathelet junior.png
|caption = Melchior Wathelet (January 2014)
|office = Minister of the Interior
|primeminister = Elio Di Rupo
|term_start = 22 July 2014
|term_end = 11 October 2014
|predecessor = Joëlle Milquet
|successor = Jan Jambon
|office1 = Secretary of State of Environment, Energy, Mobility and Institutional Reforms
|primeminister1 = Elio Di Rupo
|term_start1 = 6 December 2010
|term_end1 = 22 July 2014
|predecessor1 = Paul Magnette {{small|(Environment and Energy)}}
Didier Reynders {{small|(Institutional Reforms)}}
|successor1 = Catherine Fonck
|birth_date = {{nowrap|{{birth date and age|1977|9|30|df=y}}}}
|birth_place = Verviers, Belgium
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Humanist Democratic Centre
|alma_mater = Catholic University of Louvain
University of Southampton
|website = [http://www.pasquestion.be Official website]
}}
Melchior Wathelet (born 30 September 1977 in Verviers) is a Belgian politician, Secretary of State of Environment, Energy, Mobility and Institutional Reforms, and member of the Centre démocrate humaniste (cdH).{{cite web|title=Melchior Wathelet|url=http://www.lachambre.be/kvvcr/showpage.cfm?section=/depute&language=fr&rightmenu=right_depute&cfm=cvview53.cfm?key=01079&lactivity=53|work=Lachambre.be|publisher=Belgian government|accessdate=10 December 2011|language=French}} His father is Melchior Wathelet. He followed part of his secondary education in Dutch at a school in Bilzen, Limburg. After a degree in law from the Catholic University of Louvain and a Master of European Law from the University of Southampton, he became lawyer at the Bar association of Liège in 2002.
He started his political career in 2003, when he was elected as member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives where he quickly became group member for his party and second vice-president of the cdH.
He became secretary of state in charge of the budget in the Leterme II Government, and kept this charge in the Van Rompuy I Government and the Leterme II Government.
He became secretary of state in charge of Environment, Energy and Mobility in the Di Rupo I Government in 2010. After the 2014 elections on 22 July 2014 Joelle Milquet resigned to become minister of Lower education and Culture in the Government of the French Community. She was replaced as Deputy-Prime Minister and Minister of the interior by Wathelet.{{Cite web |title=Eahm2019 {{!}} Melchior Wathelet - A roadmap towards a data driven… |url=https://eahm2019.eu/speakers/melchior-wathelet-a-roadmap-towards-a-data-driven-decision-making |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=eahm2019.eu}}
Plan Wathelet
On 6 February 2014 Melchior Wathelet - in his function as secretary of state in charge of Environment, Energy and Mobility - implemented a plan that reorganizes the departure routes from Brussels National Airport in Zaventem. One of the goals of the plan was to spread airplane traffic over a wider area.{{cite news|title=Brussels city council calls for change in Zaventem flight paths |last=Blyth | first=Derek |newspaper=Flanders Today |url=http://www.flanderstoday.eu/politics/brussels-city-council-calls-change-zaventem-flight-paths|date=30 April 2014|accessdate=6 July 2014}} As a result of this plan, the majority of departing aircraft are routed over densely populated areas of Brussels.{{cite news|title=Survol de Bruxelles: aucune commune n'est épargnée par les décollages (cartes)|url=http://www.lesoir.be/481019/article/actualite/regions/bruxelles/2014-02-27/survol-bruxelles-aucune-commune-n-est-epargnee-par-decollages-cartes|accessdate=29 April 2014|newspaper=Le Soir|date=28 February 2014}} This plan – referred to by campaigners as the Plan Wathelet – soon became the object of controversy and led to a wave of complaints by residents affected by aircraft noise. A revision of the plan was blocked by the government of Flanders in early May.{{cite news|date=8 May 2014|newspaper=La Libre|title=Survol de Bruxelles: le nouveau plan Wathelet ne décollera pas ce vendredi|accessdate=9 June 2014|language=French|url=http://www.lalibre.be/actu/politique-belge/survol-de-bruxelles-le-nouveau-plan-wathelet-ne-decollera-pas-ce-vendredi-536b72cd3570484df5aff5b0}}
The question of how to route the airline traffic from Zaventem airport, which is located near to the urban area of Brussels has been a contentious political issue for many years.{{cite news|title=Brussels flightpath politics cause public furore |last=de Wilde | first=Dirk |newspaper=EUObserver.com |url=http://euobserver.com/news/124681|date=24 June 2014|accessdate=6 July 2014}} The jurisdictional complexity of the region, and the multitude of intersecting political priorities makes an agreement hard to find with the different Belgian regions, communes and political parties each pushing different agendas. The plan played a role in the federal and regional elections of May 2014, leading to poor results for Wathelet's party, and a solution is not likely until after the formation of a federal government.
The main criticisms centered on the following facts:
- Plan Wathelet was introduced without any prior consultation with local residents.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}} In other European Countries, such a consultation process is a regulatory requirement before any change to aircraft routes (standard terminal arrival routes, STARs, and standard instrument departures, (SIDs) can be published.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}} Furthermore no impact assessment had been carried out prior to the publication of the new departure routes.{{cite web|last=Persoons|first=Caroline|title=Réunion du Mardi 25 Février 2014|url=http://weblex.irisnet.be/data/crb/biq/2013-14/00055/images.pdf|publisher=Commission de l'Environnement, de la Conservation de la Nature, de la Politique de l'Eau et de l’Énergie|accessdate=29 April 2014}}
Wathelet’s problem management also came under discussion.{{cite news|title=Survol de Bruxelles: Reynders veut que Wathelet agisse|url=http://www.lesoir.be/531682/article/actualite/belgique/elections-2014/2014-04-29/survol-bruxelles-reynders-veut-que-wathelet-agisse|accessdate=1 May 2014|newspaper=Le Soir|date=29 April 2014}}
- Melchior accused residents’ groups of pursuing an ulterior political agenda against him.{{cite news|title=Wathelet: "En période électorale, le MR et le FDF sont frappés d'une amnésie ahurissante"|url=http://www.lecho.be/actualite/entreprises_transport/Wathelet_En_periode_electorale_le_MR_et_le_FDF_sont_frappes_d_une_amnesie_ahurissante.9494898-3017.art?ckc=1|accessdate=1 May 2014|newspaper=L'Echo|date=28 April 2014}}
- After the implementation of the plan, the Brussels minister for Environment Evelyne Huytebroeck claimed that the number of residents affected by aircraft noise was much larger than originally announced by Wathelet.{{cite news|title=Huytebroeck vraagt stopzetting spreidingsplan|url=http://www.brusselnieuws.be/nl/nieuws/huytebroeck-vraagt-stopzetting-spreidingsplan-radarkaarten|accessdate=1 May 2014|newspaper=Brusselnieuws|date=27 February 2014}} Wathelet initially dismissed this claim and other criticisms as unsubstantiated.{{cite news|title=Brussel wil vroeger spreidingsplan terug|url=http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20140228_01004334|accessdate=1 May 2014|newspaper=Nieuwsblad|date=1 March 2014}} In May 2014, a study by the Free University of Brussels confirmed that the number of residents subjected to aircraft noise has tripled in comparison to the previously used departure routes.{{cite web|last1=Dobruzkes|first1=F.|last2=Decroly|first2=J.-M.|last3=Sotiaux|first3=A.|title=Analyse ex post des nouvelles procédures aériennes mise en service le 6 février 2014 dans la région métropolitaine bruxelloise.|date=10 May 2014 |url=http://www.slideshare.net/redacsel/rapport-final-spf|publisher=Université Libre de Bruxelles|accessdate=22 June 2014}}
Notes
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category-inline|Melchior Wathelet Jr.}}
- {{official website|http://www.melchiorwathelet.be/ }}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Joëlle Milquet}}
{{s-ttl|title=Minister of the Interior|years=2014}}
{{s-aft|after=Jan Jambon}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wathelet, Melchior Jr.}}
Category:Deputy prime ministers of Belgium
Category:Humanist Democratic Centre politicians
Category:Ministers of the interior of Belgium
Category:Members of the 51st Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)
Category:Members of the 52nd Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)
Category:Members of the 53rd Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)
Category:Members of the 54th Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)