Vrijdaggroep

The Vrijdaggroep (French: Groupe du Vendredi) is a Belgian think tank composed of young Belgian talents aged 25 to 35 who work on innovative answers to societal challenges. It was founded in April 2013 with the support of the King Baudouin Foundation. In its first report, seventeen young experts examined ways to defend Belgian interests in the world. Among the initiators was political scientist Jonathan Holslag (VUB). The first chairman was Brieuc Van Damme, a cabinet staffer for Open Vld; in April 2018 he was succeeded as chairman by Audrey Hanard. The group publishes reports and opinion pieces. Its website lists reports including "Bouwstenen voor betaalbare huisvesting" (Building blocks for affordable housing), "Tien beleidsinzichten voor een veerkrachtig België" (Ten policy insights for a resilient Belgium), "10 Jaar Vrijdaggroep - 10 Jaar Engagement" (10 years of Vrijdaggroep - 10 years of engagement), "Kampioen onderwijs-gelijkheid binnen 10 jaar" (Champion of education equality within 10 years), "Ambtenaar, droomjob" (Civil servant, dream job), and "Klimaatlijn" (Climate line). It also runs an opinion summer series; the 2026 series included pieces on studying shorter and working sooner, less government as a condition for more growth, whether babies or AI will pay for pensions, Belgium's energy dependence, and reform of Belgian climate governance. Well-known former members include PS politician and state secretary Thomas Dermine, CD&V politician and state secretary Sammy Mahdi, VUB professor and political scientist Jonathan Holslag, and bpost chair Audrey Hanard. The organization operates in Belgium and communicates in Dutch and French.

The Vrijdaggroep (French: Groupe du Vendredi) is a Belgian think tank of young Belgian talents aged 25 to 35 who advocate innovative answers to societal challenges. It was founded in April 2013 with the support of the King Baudouin Foundation. In its first report, seventeen young experts examined a way to defend Belgian interests in the world. Among the initiators of the think tank was political scientist Jonathan Holslag (VUB). The first chairman was Brieuc Van Damme, a cabinet staffer for Open Vld. In April 2018, he was succeeded as chairman by Audrey Hanard. Well-known former members of the Vrijdaggroep include PS politician and state secretary Thomas Dermine, CD&V politician and state secretary Sammy Mahdi, VUB professor and political scientist Jonathan Holslag, and bpost chair Audrey Hanard. The group continues to publish reports and opinions. Its website lists reports such as "Bouwstenen voor betaalbare huisvesting", "Tien beleidsinzichten voor een veerkrachtig België", "10 Jaar Vrijdaggroep - 10 Jaar Engagement", "Kampioen onderwijs-gelijkheid binnen 10 jaar", "Ambtenaar, droomjob", and "Klimaatlijn". It also runs an opinion summer series; the 2026 series included pieces on studying shorter and working sooner, less government as a condition for more growth, whether babies or AI will pay for pensions, Belgium's energy dependence, and reform of Belgian climate governance.

• 2018

  Audrey Hanard succeeds Brieuc Van Damme as chairman in April.

• 2013

  Vrijdaggroep founded in April with support from the King Baudouin Foundation.

• 2013

  First report published, with seventeen young experts examining how to defend Belgian interests in the world.

A non-partisan think tank of young Belgian talents producing policy reports and opinions on societal challenges.

• Bouwstenen voor betaalbare huisvesting

• Tien beleidsinzichten voor een veerkrachtig België

• 10 Jaar Vrijdaggroep - 10 Jaar Engagement

• Kampioen onderwijs-gelijkheid binnen 10 jaar

• Ambtenaar, droomjob

• Klimaatlijn

1. 1Vrijdaggroep — Inspiring policy through diversityv-g-v.be
2. 2Vrijdaggroepnl.wikipedia.org
3. 3Vrijdaggroepwikidata.org