Philippe Close

Philippe Close was born on 18 March 1971.

As a graduate in Law at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, he began his career as a parliamentary employee in charge of institutional affairs with Senator Roger Lallemand.

In 1999, he was hired by Elio Di Rupo, at the Institut Emile Vandervelde, the study centre of the Parti Socialiste (PS). In 2000, he became his spokesperson and in 2001 he joined the team of Freddy Thielemans, Mayor of the City of Brussels, as Head of Cabinet.

In 2006, Philippe Close participated for the first time in the municipal elections and was elected. He became Alderman of Staff and Tourism. Since the 2012 elections, he has also been in charge of the finances of the City.

In 2009, Philippe Close was elected member of Parliament of the Brussels Capital Region, where he was chairman of the Social Affairs Committee. In 2013, he was appointed group leader of the PS.

In June 2017, he became Mayor of the City of Brussels. In order to fully devote himself to his task, he resigned as a member and group leader of the Brussels Parliament. At the end of the legislature, on 14 October 2018, he was re-elected as Mayor for the next 6 years.

In his private life Philippe Close loves rugby and music. He also has two children.

Carole Poncin
Press officer
Brucity Administrative Centre
Rue des Halles 4
1000 Brussels
​Mobile: 0488 04 38 24
E-mail: carole.poncin@brucity.be

Press releases are only available in Dutch and French.