Education and Move Into Politics
Freya Van den Bossche followed her secondary education at the Royal Atheneum Voskenslaan in Ghent. She studied law from 1993 to 1995 at the University of Ghent, but did not obtain a degree, and ultimately graduated from the University of Ghent with a Masters degree in Communication Sciences in 1999. From 1996 to 1997, she studied at the University of Amsterdam as part of an exchange programme.
In 2006, while she was vice-premier in the federal government, Knack, a prominent Flemish magazine in Belgium alleged that she had not written the obligatory thesis for her Masters degree herself. Rather, due to the complexity of the thesis she submitted, Knack journalist Koen Meulenaere alleged that the thesis had actually been written by Frank De Moor, also a former Knack journalist and a friend of Freya Van den Bossche's father, the prominent socialist politician, Luc Van den Bossche. Knack posted a version of her thesis online, but offered no other proof. Freya Van den Bossche subsequently submitted a criminal complaint against Koen Meulenaere for slander and defamation. In response to a question posed by the Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws on whether she did in fact write her thesis, Ms. Van den Bossche replied: "Would that make a difference? I can show you my notes because I have nothing to hide". Knack ultimately removed the thesis from its website and ceased coverage of the matter.
From 1999 to 2000, she found employment as an Attachée, responsible for communication and drug-related problems, of the Mayer of Ghent Frank Beke.
Freya first came to national attention in Belgium in a televised debating competition between candidates in a municipal election who were the children of well-known politicians. She performed strongly in the debate and was considered by many to be very attractive and articulate. In addition, during the campaign her election advertising included a postcard of a black and white photograph that included her long bare legs that was quite revealing, showing a black slip. Partly as a result of these profile building exercises, Freya polled well and was elected in that municipal poll in 2000.
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