Bernard "Berni" Collas (27 April 1954, Waimes

Waimes

Waimes is a Walloon municipality located in the province of Liège, in Belgium. On January 1, 2006 Waimes had a total population of 6,728. The total area is 96.93 km² which gives a population density of 69 inhabitants per km²....

 – 16 September 2010, Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

) was a Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 German-speaking

German-speaking Community of Belgium

The German-speaking Community of Belgium is one of the three federal communities of Belgium. Covering an area of 854 km² within the province of Liège in Wallonia, it includes nine of the eleven municipalities of the so-called East Cantons...

 politician and member of the liberal

Liberalism

Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...

 Party for Freedom and Progress

Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt

The Party for Freedom and Progress is a regional liberal party in Belgium, only active in the tiny German-speaking Community of Belgium....

 . He was married and had three children.

Berni Collas was a member of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community

Parliament of the German-speaking Community

The Parliament of the German-speaking Community is the legislative assembly of the German-speaking Community of Belgium based in Eupen.The most important tasks of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community include the election and the supervision of the Government of the German-speaking...

 from 1990 to 2003, and from 22 January 2004 till his death he was the Community Senator appointed by the Parliament of the German-speaking Community. In the Senate

Belgian Senate

The Belgian Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament.-History and future:...

 he served as a member of the MR

Reformist Movement

The Reformist Movement is a French-speaking liberal political party in Belgium. The party was in coalition as part of the Leterme II Government, and was also part of the governing coalition in the Walloon Region and Brussels-Capital Region until the 2004 regional elections...

 fraction because the PFF

Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt

The Party for Freedom and Progress is a regional liberal party in Belgium, only active in the tiny German-speaking Community of Belgium....

 is a constituent part of the MR. He was re-appointed as the German-speaking Community Senator following the 2007 federal election

Belgian general election, 2007

The 2007 Belgian general election took place on Sunday 10 June 2007. Voters went to the polls in order to elect new members for the Chamber of Representatives and Senate.Eligible voters were Belgian citizens 18 years and older...

.

He headed the local chapter of the PFF in Büllingen

Büllingen

Büllingen is a largely German language-speaking municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006 Büllingen had a total population of 5,385. The total area is 150.49 km² which gives a population density of 36 inhabitants per km²....

 from 1985 to 1990 and was the floor leader

Floor Leader

Floor Leaders are leaders of their political parties in each of the houses of the legislature.- Senate :In the United States Senate, they are elected by their respective party conferences to serve as the chief Senate spokesmen for their parties and to manage and schedule the legislative and...

 of the PFF fraction

Fraction (politics)

A parliamentary group, parliamentary party, or parliamentary caucus is a group consisting of members of the same political party or electoral fusion of parties in a legislative assembly such as a parliament or a city council. Parliamentary groups correspond to party caucuses and conferences in the...

 in the Parliament of the German-speaking Community from 1990 to 1999. He worked as an advisor in the cabinet of the Belgian Minister of the Foreign Affairs, Louis Michel

Louis Michel

Louis H. O. Ch. Michel is a Belgian politician. He served in the government of Belgium as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1999 to 2004 and was European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid from 2004 to 2009. Since 2009, he has been a Member of the European Parliament...

 from August 1999 to September 2003, and from September 2003 to January 2004, of the Belgian Minister of Finances, Didier Reynders

Didier Reynders

Didier J.L. Reynders is a Belgian politician and a member of the Mouvement Réformateur . He is Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance and Institutional Reforms in the Van Rompuy I Government, which took office on 30 December 2008.He was born in Liège as the youngest in a family of...

. He was in addition also the chairman of Ost Belgien Invest (OBI) and a municipal councillor in Büllingen

Büllingen

Büllingen is a largely German language-speaking municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006 Büllingen had a total population of 5,385. The total area is 150.49 km² which gives a population density of 36 inhabitants per km²....

from 2001 until his demise.