Jean Luc Joseph Marie "Jean-Luc" Dehaene (Flemish: [ʑɑ̃ːˈlyɡ dəˈɦaːnə] ⓘ; 7 August 1940 – 15 May 2014) was a Belgian politician who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 1992 until 1999.

Dehaene's first government (1992–1995) included both Christian and Social Democrats and presided over the creation of a new constitution, effectively transforming Belgium into a federal state.

[2] Dehaene's long-time wife Celie Verbeke is a native of Illinois in the United States but both her paternal and maternal grandparents were Belgian immigrants.

Since she was raised by her parents in Dutch and speaks without a foreign accent, the Belgian public remained unaware of her American background for a long time.

He was the leading candidate to replace Jacques Delors as President of the European Commission, but British Prime Minister John Major vetoed the appointment.

Despite the fact that the government was marked by a number of political crises and scandals, most notably the Dutroux affair, it managed to serve the entire legislature.

[3] With the bank in difficulty owing to the financial crisis, he was asked to lead the company through the difficult period which he described as "mission impossible".

[2] Owing to his extensive political background, it was thought that he could cope with the negative public perception Dexia had acquired through the financial crisis.

His political connections helped Dexia's bad bank to secure funding guarantees of up to €90 billion, provided primarily by the Belgian government.

In the aftermath of his death, he received tributes from the incumbent Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo who described him as an "exceptional statesman".