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Bio

Johan van Overtveldt

Dr. Johan Van Overtveldt (born 1955, Belgium) has a Ph.D in Applied Economics.  He studied Economics at the University of Antwerp and Business Administration at the Catholic University of Leuven.

He started his career as a journalist and a Chief Economist, and became Editor in Chief for leading Belgian financial- and economic magazines. In the early years of his career he was an economic- and financial advisor for several national and international companies.

In November 2013 Van Overtveldt switched over to politics, becoming a member of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA).  As main N-VA candidate for the 2014 European Parliament elections, he was elected as a member of the European Parliament.

Following the formation of the Belgian Government in October 2014, Van Overtveldt became Minister of Finance. 

As Minister of Finance he had a seat in the Eurogroup, the meeting of the finance ministers of the euro zone which played an important role in addrerssing the Greek crisis.

In his capacity as Minister he also was an Ex-Officio member of the Board of Governors for the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Joint World Bank-IMF Development Committee, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the World Bank.

 

Since the 2019 elections, Van Overtveldt has been a member of the European Parliament, where he has been chairing the Parliament's Committee on Budgets and leading the parliament’s delegation in negotiations on the EU-budget. In addition, he is a member and Coördinator of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and a member of the Committee on Transport and Tourism.

Work history

Currently
Member of the European Parliament (N-VA)
  • Chair of the Budget Committee
  • Member of the ECON Committee
  • Member of the TRAN Committee
Currently
Professor in Economics, University of Hasselt
  • Course: The History of Economic Thoughts
  • Course: Macroeconomic Policy
Jan 2014 - Jan 2018
Minister of Finance, Federal Government of Belgium
Jul 2014 - Oct 2014
Member of the European Parliament (N-VA) and Vice-chairman of the ECON Commission, European Parliament
Jan 2013 - Jan 2014
Policy Advisor, N-VA
Jan 2010 - Jan 2013
Editor in Chief, Trends
Jan 2011 - Jan 2012
Editor in Chief, Knack
Jan 2007 - Jan 2010
Managing Director, VKW
Jan 1993 - Jan 2008
Advisor, Groep VCR
Jan 2004 - Jan 2007
Managing Director, VKW Metena
Jan 1992 - Jan 2004
Chief Economist, Trends
Jan 1991 - Jan 1992
Advisor, BTR
Jan 1987 - Jan 1991
Managing Director, Shoekonfex
Jan 1982 - Jan 1987
Credit Officer, Bank Brussel Lambert
Jan 1978 - Jan 1982
Journalist, Trends Magazine

Education

Ph D in Applied Economics
University of Antwerp (UA)
Master of Business Administration
Catholic University of Leuven (KUL)
Master Applied Economics
Master Applied Economics

Publications

In English

  • The Mystic Hand - How Central Banks Shaped the 21st Century Global Economy (2022), Agate
  • The End of the Euro - The Uneasy Future of the European Union (2021), Agate
  • A Giant Reborn - Why the US Will Dominate the 21st Century (2015), Agate
  • Bernanke's Test - Ben Bernanke, Alan Greenspan, and the Drama of the Central Banker (2010), Agate
  • The Chicago School - How the University of Chicago Assembled the Thinkers Who Revolutionized Economics and Business (2009), Agate