Ecolo Heavyweights Reinvent After Leaving Politics

Two years after Ecolo suffered a devastating electoral defeat in the June 2024 Belgian general elections, the party’s most prominent figures have scattered across Europe and into entirely new sectors — from academia and corporate leadership to French politics and consulting. Their career transitions offer a revealing look at how seasoned Green politicians are rebuilding their professional lives after losing power.

The Great Reset: Ecolo’s 2024 Collapse

In June 2024, Ecolo was pushed into opposition at every level of government — federal, Walloon region, Wallonia-Brussels Federation, and Brussels region — losing all its ministerial portfolios. The Flemish sister party Groen also lost its place in the federal government with the formation of the De Wever administration. The defeat triggered a period of internal turmoil that culminated in the implosion of the Ecolo co-presidency duo of Samuel Cogolati and Marie Lecocq at the end of 2025, as La Libre Belgique reported.

New leadership was installed in March 2026, with Gilles Vanden Burre — who had briefly moved to the private sector — returning as co-president alongside Marie-Coline Leroy. But for the party’s former heavyweights, the question was no longer about political survival: it was about reinvention.

From Brussels to Paris: Jean-Marc Nollet

Perhaps the most surprising transition belongs to Jean-Marc Nollet, who spent 30 years with Ecolo and served as co-president until 2024. Since February 2025, Nollet has been working in France as Délégué général of Les Écologistes (formerly Europe Écologie Les Verts), serving under party leader Marine Tondelier — a candidate in the 2027 French presidential election. His move to Paris, where he supervises the internal organization of the French Green party, caught many in Belgian politics off guard.

From Minister to Mutualité: Georges Gilkinet

Georges Gilkinet, who served as Vice-Premier Minister and Minister of Mobility in the Vivaldi government from 2020 to 2025, took an entirely different path. In January 2026, he became Director General of the Mutualité Chrétienne (Christian Mutual Insurance) for French-speaking and German-speaking Belgium. The 54-year-old former journalist — a graduate of Ihecs — began his integration in September 2025 alongside outgoing director Alexandre Verhamme. Though he lost his federal seat in the 2024 elections, Gilkinet remains an Ecolo municipal councillor in Assesse.

From Government to Ghent University: Petra De Sutter

Petra De Sutter, who made history as the EU’s first transgender minister when she served as Vice-Premier Minister in the De Croo government, was elected rector of Ghent University in April 2025 with a commanding 71% of the vote. She took office in September 2025, returning to her academic roots as a former professor of gynaecology at UGent. De Sutter had previously been elected to the European Parliament in 2019 with more than 143,000 preferential votes.

From Energy Minister to WindEurope CEO: Tinne Van der Straeten

Tinne Van der Straeten, Belgium’s Energy Minister from 2020 to 2025, made the leap to the private sector as Chief Executive Officer of WindEurope, effective 2 February 2026. According to the WindEurope announcement, she brings extensive experience from her tenure overseeing Belgium’s wind energy expansion and her leadership role in the 2022 energy crisis response. Van der Straeten chaired the North Sea Energy Cooperation in 2020, the European Energy Council in 2024, and played a central role in the nuclear reactor extension negotiations for Doel 4 and Tihange 3 with Engie.

Other Notable Transitions

Philippe Henry, the former Walloon Minister and Vice-President of the Di Rupo III regional government, has reinvented himself as an independent consultant for private companies in energy, environmental transition, and circular economy. An engineer by training, he also teaches environmental management at HEC Liège.

Kristof Calvo, the former parliamentary group leader for Ecolo-Groen and key negotiator for the Vivaldi coalition, has taken on the role of full-time first alderman in Mechelen. Known for his opposition work against the Michel government from 2014 to 2018, Calvo was passed over for the vice-premier role in 2019 in favor of Petra De Sutter.

Jean-Michel Javaux, who led Ecolo as president from 2003 to 2012 — a period when the Greens achieved major electoral victories — now works as a consultant at the Gosselin & de Walque communications firm. The former mayor of Amay had run in 2024 hoping to become Foreign Minister.

Analysis: A Brain Drain or Natural Evolution?

The dispersion of Ecolo’s top talent raises questions about the party’s institutional memory and future capacity. While the Greens have installed new leadership, the loss of experienced figures like Nollet, Gilkinet, and Van der Straeten — who collectively represent decades of political expertise — leaves a significant gap. However, their moves into influential positions across French politics, Belgium’s mutual insurance sector, renewable energy advocacy, and academia mean that Green perspectives continue to shape decision-making in key institutions, just from outside the parliamentary arena.

What to Watch

With new co-presidents Vanden Burre and Leroy at the helm, Ecolo faces the challenge of rebuilding its electoral base ahead of the next cycle. Meanwhile, the success of these former heavyweights in their new roles may set a precedent for how Green politicians transition when electoral fortunes shift. For now, the story of Ecolo’s class of 2024 is less one of defeat than of remarkable reinvention.