AH
Alexander Hoefmans
Belgium
Deputy Director of the Office of the State Secretary for Digitalization
Description
Alexander Hoefmans holds a law degree from Ghent University (Belgium) and holds both a postgraduate degree in international relations and conflict management (Catholic University of Leuven) and in Eastern European and Russian studies (Ghent University and Catholic University of Leuven). In 2004 he joined the Belgian Ministry of Justice as a Human Rights Advisor and in that capacity he primarily dealt with the negotiation of international human rights treaties or instruments, their implementation at national level as well as the reporting procedures before the UN and Council of Europe committees. He was national liaison officer to the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance of the Council of Europe as well as to the Fundamental Rights Agency of the European Union. He was also Co-Agent of the Belgian government to the European Court of Human Rights and dealt in this capacity with the Belgian case law before the European Court. He also has extensive experience in setting up national independent committees in the field of human rights (children’s rights, prevention of torture, national human rights commission). In 2010 he presided over the Working group on Fundamental Rights of the Council of Ministers during the Belgian EU Presidency preparing, among others, the EU's position in the negotiations on the EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights. He was also part of the Presidency team that concluded the negotiations on the ratification of the UN CRPD by the EU. From 2012 to mid-2013 he was an advisor to the Belgian Minister of Justice, among others on human rights, trafficking, privacy, hate crime and non-discrimination issues. Between September 2013 and December 2014 he was seconded as national expert to DG JUST of the European Commission where he took up responsibilities as a legal and policy officer in the Unit responsible for Fundamental Rights and Rights of the Child. Between 2015 and 2020 he took up the post of Head of the Unit Data Protection and Equal Opportunities back in the Belgian Ministry of Justice. Since October 2020 he is Deputy Director of the Cabinet of the Belgian State Secretary for Digitalization, Privacy and Administration Simplification.
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