Who am i ?

I was born in Ixelles on 15 January 1975. I spent my childhood in Grez-Doiceau (Wallonia) and my adolescence and student days in Brussels, before settling down in Sint-Genesius-Rode.

Following my degree in Applied Communication – Advertising at the Institute for Higher Social Communication Studies (IHECS), I became a financial officer at the European Commission and obtained a further degree, this time in Financial Management, through night classes at the Institut Supérieur de Commerce Saint-Louis. I then joined a law firm as a financial and economic advisor.

After being elected an alderwoman on Sint-Genesius-Rhode Municipal Council for the first time, I decided to focus completely on my work for the municipality. Pursuing my political activities, I was subsequently elected to the Flemish Brabant Provincial Council and then to the Chamber of Representatives (the lower house of the Belgian Federal Parliament) and the chair of the French-speaking liberal Reformist Movement party (MR) in the municipalities surrounding Brussels.

I joined the Federal Government on 21 September 2015, holding the role of Minister of the Budget and Civil Service, in charge of the National Lottery and Science Policy.

I have been the Prime Minister of Belgium from October 2019 to october 2020.

On 1 October 2020 I was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Federal Cultural Institutions.

In July 2022 I became once again deputy mayor of Rhode-Saint-Genèse and in September I became a Member of Parliament.

I am now member and Vice-president of the European Parliament.

My political and career choices have always been inspired by a desire to work for the benefit of the community. Day in, day out, I dynamically, diligently and transparently endeavour to improve everyone’s day-to-day lives. My political actions are guided by the liberal values that have always been upheld by MR.

Beyond my keen interest in financial and economic matters, I continue to pay close attention to societal issues in the broadest sense: family life, the work-life balance, gender equality, education, sport, and assistance and support for those in ill health and older people.

Alongside my commitment to the unity of my country and to its various communities, I am a passionate advocate of a free society in which everyone’s rights are respected. As someone whose husband is Australian and whose children are being educated in Dutch, I very much cherish linguistic and cultural diversity as one of Belgium’s great assets.

More generally, I am committed to playing an active role in building a civic, responsible and sustainable society where everyone feels safe and can freely realise their full potential.

Achieving this goal is no quick fix. However, I firmly believe that expanding the number of both public and private initiatives to this end will ultimately make the difference, ensuring that Belgium can hold its head high as a country with a robust economy and an ever improving quality of life for all.