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
MEP
Arena in 2018
Member of the European Parliament
Assumed office
1 July 2014
ConstituencyBelgium
Minister-President of the French Community
In office
19 July 2004 – 20 March 2008
Preceded byHervé Hasquin
Succeeded byRudy Demotte
Personal details
Born (1966-12-17) 17 December 1966
Mons, Belgium
Political party Belgian
Socialist Party
 EU
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. In 2020, she also joined the Special Committee on Beating Cancer.[2]

From 2019 to 2023, Arena chaired the Subcommittee on Human Rights.[3] In this capacity, she was part of the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG), which oversees the Parliament's election observation missions.[4]

In addition to her committee assignments, Arena was a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Cancer,[5] the European Parliament Intergroup on Children's Rights,[6] the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights[7] and the Responsible Business Conduct Working Group.[8]

Controversy

Amid the Qatars suspected corruption of the European Parliament, Arena's offices were searched in December 2022.[9] She resigned her post as chair of the subcommittee on human rights on 11 January 2023, following allegations that she failed to declare a trip in May 2022 which had been paid for by the Qatari government.[10][11][12]

Honours

References
  1. "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.
  2. Members of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer European Parliament, press release of 9 July 2020.
  3. Eddy Wax (11 January 2023), Qatargate: Maria Arena quits as EU Parliament human rights chief Politico Europe.
  4. Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG) European Parliament
  5. Intergroup European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC).
  6. Members of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights European Parliament.
  7. Members Archived 27 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine European Parliament Intergroup on LGBTI Rights.
  8. "Members – RBC". responsiblebusinessconduct.eu. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  9. Gutschker, Thomas. "Vizepräsidentin verhaftet: Was kommt im EU-Korruptionsskandal noch heraus?". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  10. "Qatargate: Maria Arena quits as EU Parliament human rights chief". POLITICO. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  11. "Free flights, a secret deal and a corruption storm: Inside the EU's 'Qatargate' committee". POLITICO. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  12. Brussels, Bruno Waterfield. "Belgian MEP Maria Arena quits human rights post after failing to declare Qatari hospitality". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  13. Belgian Senate, Biography

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