The Coudenberg group 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...

 federalist

Federalist

The term federalist describes several political beliefs around the world. Also, it may refer to the concept of federalism or the type of government called a federation...

 think-tank, it was named after the place where the members met, the Coudenberg

Coudenberg

Coudenberg or Koudenberg is a small hill in Brussels where the Palace of Coudenberg was built.For nearly 700 years, the Castle and then the Palace of Coudenberg were the seat of government of the counts, dukes, archdukes, kings, emperors and governors who from the 11th century until its...

, one of the seven hillocks on which the centre of 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...

 has been built. President of the organization was the lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 Jean-Pierre De Bandt

Jean-Pierre De Bandt

Knight Jean-Pierre de Bandt is a Belgian lawyer and was the President of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist think tank.-Education:From 1951 until 1953, he studied at the Facultés universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix after which he graduated in law at the Catholic University of Leuven in...

.

Organisation

The Coudenberg group was established on 6 June 1984 as a non-profit organization and was dissolved on 11 February 1999. The think-tank united leading people from the university

University

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

, administration

Public administration

Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....

, venture

Venture

Venture may refer to:* VENTURE NOTC, the Canadian Naval Officer Training Centre based in CFB Esquimalt, British ColumbiaIn automobiles:* Chevrolet Venture, a General Motors Corporation minivan.* VentureOne, a concept car by Venture Vehicles...

s, trade union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

s and the free professions.
The Coudenberg group presented itself as an independent think-tank which unites, on the basis of a linguistic and ideological pluralism, people who understand that Belgium is itself on a cross point and who want to contribute to the political renewal of this country. The Coudenberg group thought about issues concerning the organization of federal

Federation

A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...

 Belgium and published several studies about this topic. Its goal was to defend the federal state against the demands of Flemish nationalists.

Members

Among the approximately 70 members were people such as Antoine Bekaert, André Belmans, Philippe Bodson

Philippe Bodson

-Education:He graduated as civil engineer at the University of Liège and obtained a Master of Business Administration at INSEAD -Career:...

, Bart De Schutter

Bart De Schutter

Prof. Dr. Em. Bart De Schutter is a Belgian scientist and was a member of the Coudenberg group a federalist think tank.-Education:He graduated as Doctor in Law from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 1959. In addition he obtained a MA in Political and Diplomatic Sciences from the Universite Libre...

, Jacques De Staercke

Jacques De Staercke

Baron Jacques De Staercke is a Belgian businessman and politician. He was a member of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist think tank....

, Hubert Detremmerie

Hubert Detremmerie

Hubert Detremmerie is a Belgian businessman and banker. From 1955 until he retired in March 1995, he worked at BACOB Bank , the bank of the Belgian Catholic labor organisation, finally as chairman of its managing board. From 1995 until 2001, he served as a director of Lernout & Hauspie...

, Mark Dubrulle

Mark Dubrulle

Mark Dubrulle is a Belgian consultant and environmentalist.-Biography:Dubrulle was trained at the Naval School in Ostend and spent two years at sea. His academic background is in psychology and sociology at the Social Academy of his hometown Ghent.He has been involved in environmental activism...

, Jan Huyghebaert

Jan Huyghebaert

Jan Huyghebaert is a Belgian businessman. He was a member of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist think tank.-Education:He obtained a degree in Philosophy, Language and Literature from the University of Antwerp and a doctorate in Law from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven .-Career:During...

, Koen Lenaerts

Koen Lenaerts

Koen Lenaerts is a Belgian Professor of European Law at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and a Judge of the European Court of Justice. He was a member of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist think tank.-Education:...

, Jacques Moulaert, Sylvain Plasschaert

Sylvain Plasschaert

Sylvain Plasschaert is a former Belgian professor in law. He was a member of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist think tank.-Career:He worked as fiscal economist at the World Bank from 1961 until 1965 and was Submanager at the Banque de Bruxelles from 1965 until 1971...

, Carlos Van Rafelghem, Paul Van Remoortere, Els Witte

Els Witte

Els Witte is a Belgian historian. She was professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and honorary rector of the university. Els Witte was the first female rector of a Belgian university. She was a member of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist think tank....

, Kris Deschouwer

Kris Deschouwer

Kris Deschouwer is a Belgian politicologist and professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He was a member of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist think tank...

, Mieke Offeciers

Mieke Offeciers

Mieke Offeciers-Van De Wiele is a Belgian businesswoman and former Belgian minister. She is married to Erwin Offeciers....

-Vandewiele, Patrick van Ypersele de Strihou

Patrick van Ypersele de Strihou

Patrick van Ypersele de Strihou is a Belgian politician. He was a member of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist think tank. He was born in Leuven and is a relative of Jacques van Ypersele de Strihou, private secretary of the Belgian king.-Source:*...

 (family of Jacques van Ypersele de Strihou

Jacques van Ypersele de Strihou

Jacques van Ypersele de Strihou , is the Principal Private Secretary to the King of Belgium. When Albert II of Belgium succeeded his brother Baudouin I of Belgium, he kept his private secretary, so Jacques van Ypersele de Strihou has served two kings...

).
The most active members were Frans Vanistendael

Frans Vanistendael

Franciscus Vanistendael is a Belgian expert on tax law and former professor at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven . Until 2005 he was dean of the law school of the KUL. He was a member of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist think tank...

 (former professor fiscal law at the Catholic University of Leuven

Catholic University of Leuven

The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...

), Bavo Cool, Alain Deneef

Alain Deneef

Alain Deneef is a Belgian businessman and urban expert.As an expert in urban issues and civil society, he is the founder and secretary general of Aula Magna a Brussels based think-tank created in 2005. Within Aula Magna he organized the first Brussels Citizens University...

 (later president of the NMBS), Roland Charlier (civil servant ), Charles van der Straeten Waillet, Jacques Groothaert

Jacques Groothaert

Baron Jacques Groothaert was a Belgian diplomat and entrepreneur. He was honorary chairman of the company SA Belge de Constructions Aeronautiques , former Ambassador for Belgium to Mexico and China, and chairman of the Generale de Banque. He was a member of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian...

, Michel van den Abeele, Guy Schrans

Guy Schrans

Guy Schrans is emeritus Professor at Ghent University , liberal politician and lawyer at the Brussels bar. He is assessor in the department legislation of the Council of State. In addition he is a member of Committee of Directors of the Belgian Protection fund of deposits and financial instruments...

, Felix Standaert

Felix Standaert

Felix Standaert is a Belgian diplomat and former Belgian ambassador 1962 to Ruanda and 1977 - 1980 to the Holy See. He was a member of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist think tank.-Source:*...

 and Jan Hinnekens

Jan Hinnekens

Jan Hinnekens was from 1992 until 1995 President of the Belgian Catholic Farmers organisation . In 1995, he was succeeded by Noël Devisch. He was a member of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist think tank and of the Trilateral Commission...

. Vincent Van Quickenborne

Vincent Van Quickenborne

Vincent Paul Marie Van Quickenborne is a Belgian politician, as a member of the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats party....

was a junior member.