Marie Arena
Marie Arena (born 17 December 1966) is a Belgian politician who has been serving as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2014. She is a member of the Socialist Party, part of the Party of European Socialists.
Marie Arena | |
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Member of the European Parliament | |
Assumed office 1 July 2014 | |
Constituency | Belgium |
Minister-President of the French Community | |
In office 19 July 2004 – 20 March 2008 | |
Preceded by | Hervé Hasquin |
Succeeded by | Rudy Demotte |
Personal details | |
Born | Mons, Belgium | 17 December 1966
Political party | Socialist Party Party of European Socialists |
Career in national politics
From 2000 to 2009, Arena held several ministerial functions in various regional and federal governments. From 2000 to 2003, she was Walloon Minister of Employment and Training. She then was Federal Minister of the Civil Service, Social Integration, Cities and Equal Opportunities in the second government of Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt from 12 July 2003 to 20 July 2004. She was the Minister-President of the French Community of Belgium from July 2004 until March 2008. She then became Federal Minister for Social Integration, Pensions and Large Cities in the Leterme I Government, which took office on 20 March 2008.[1] She held that office until 17 July 2009.
Member of the European Parliament
Since the 2014 European elections, Arena has been Member of the European Parliament. During her first term, she served on the Committee on International Trade (INTA), the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), the delegation to the ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean. Since the 2019 elections, she has been a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the chairwoman of its Subcommittee on Human Rights. In this capacity, she has also been part of the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG), which oversees the Parliament's election observation missions.[2] In 2020, she also joined the Special Committee on Beating Cancer.[3]
In addition to her committee assignments, Arena is a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children's Rights,[4] the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights[5] and the Responsible Business Conduct Working Group.[6]
Honours
Belgium : Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold (2010) [7]
References
- "20 March 2008 – Royal Orders. Government – Dismissals – Appointments" (PDF) (in Dutch and French). The Belgian Official Journal. 21 March 2008. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 30 March 2008.
- Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG) European Parliament
- Members of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer European Parliament, press release of July 9, 2020.
- Members of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights European Parliament.
- Members Archived 27 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine European Parliament Intergroup on LGBTI Rights.
- Members Responsible Business Conduct Working Group.
- Belgian Senate, Biography
External links
- (in French) Website
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Hervé Hasquin |
Minister-President of the French Community 2004–2008 |
Succeeded by Rudy Demotte |