Jos Chabert facts for kids
Jozef P. A. "Jos" Chabert (born March 16, 1933 – died April 9, 2014) was an important Belgian politician. He was born in Etterbeek and lived most of his life in Meise, Belgium. Chabert passed away in Brussels.
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Jos Chabert's Political Journey
Jos Chabert spent 24 years working as a Minister in the Belgian government. A Minister is like a leader in charge of a specific part of the government, like culture or transport.
Early Steps in Politics
Chabert started his political career in 1965. He became an alderman in Meise. An alderman is a local leader who helps run a town or city. In 1968, he was chosen to be a Member of Parliament. This means he was elected to help make laws for the whole country.
Becoming a National Minister
In 1973, Jos Chabert became the Minister of Dutch and Flemish Cultural Affairs. This role meant he was in charge of supporting arts and culture in the Dutch-speaking parts of Belgium.
Just one year later, in 1974, he took on an even bigger role. He became the Minister of Transport, Communications, and Energy. He held this important job for six years.
Big Changes in Transport
During his time as Minister of Transport, Jos Chabert made some very important changes that affect people even today:
- He introduced the speed limit of 120 kilometers per hour on highways.
- He set a limit on how much alcohol drivers could have in their blood.
- He made wearing a seat belt mandatory for everyone in a car.
After these roles, he also served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Works. A Deputy Prime Minister is a very senior leader, second only to the Prime Minister. As Minister of Public Works, he was in charge of big building projects like roads and bridges.
The "Route Chabert"
From 1974, Jos Chabert is also known for something called "Route Chabert." This was a special flight path for planes leaving Brussels National Airport. It was designed to make planes avoid flying over the area of Meise, where he lived. This flight path still exists today.
New Challenges and Return to Politics
In early 1982, Chabert left the federal government for a new adventure. He became Belgium's representative at the United Nations General Assembly. This meant he spoke for Belgium at big international meetings with leaders from all over the world. Later, he was Belgium's Commissioner General for the World Expo in Tsukuba, Japan. A World Expo is a huge international fair where countries show off their achievements.
In the late 1980s, Chabert returned to politics in Belgium. He played a key role when the Brussels-Capital Region was created. He then served for a long time as the Minister for Budget, Economy, and Finance for Brussels. This meant he managed the money for the region.
In 1999, he became the Minister of Public Works and Transport again. At that time, his political party, the Christian Democrats (CD&V), was not part of the main Belgian government. This was because of a big issue called the "dioxin crisis." Because of this, Jos Chabert was the only CD&V Minister in Belgium for five years, which was very unusual!
Honours and Awards
Jos Chabert received many special awards and titles for his long service and contributions:
- He was given the title of Minister of State by the King. This is a very high honour.
- He received the Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Crown.
- He was made a Grand Officer in the Order of Leopold.
- He also received high honours from other countries, including the Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and the Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
- He was awarded the Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Sacred Treasure from Japan.
