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47-506: Since October 2014, the party has provided two prime ministers: Charles Michel and Sophie Wilmès . It has been a member of every federal government since the 2000s. At the federated entities level, the MR was in charge of Wallonia from 2017 to 2019 with Willy Borsus as Minister-President of Wallonia . It is currently in charge of the French community with Pierre-Yves Jeholet as Minister-President of

94-984: A Member of the European Parliament since 2019. After finishing his studies at the Athénée Royal in Charleroi in 1982, Chastel graduated in Pharmacy at the Université Libre de Bruxelles in 1987. For some years, he subsequently worked as a research assistant at the Analytical Chemistry Department at the Pharmacy Institute (ULB). He was a scientific collaborator of the Analysis Laboratory Quality Assistance in Thuin , where he once

141-554: A caretaker capacity . At the 2019 federal election shortly afterwards, MR lost a number of seats, although Michel remained in office as interim prime minister during coalition negotiations. Weeks after the federal election, on 2 July 2019, the European Council voted to appoint Michel as its new president. He took over from Donald Tusk at a ceremony on 29 November 2019, formally beginning his term on 1 December 2019. In January 2024, he announced he would step down as president of

188-669: A majority on the French-speaking side of the Federal parliament , they joined forces to work on the formation of a new Belgian governement. The MR is an alliance between three French-speaking and one German-speaking liberal parties. The Liberal Reformist Party (PRL) and the Francophone Democratic Federalists (FDF) started the alliance in 1993, and were joined in 1998 by the Citizens' Movement for Change (MCC). The alliance

235-645: A peaceful resolution. After French-U.S. and French-Australia relations suffered a period of tension in September 2021 due to fallout from the AUKUS defense pact between the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Australia. The security pact is directed at countering Chinese power in the Indo-Pacific region. As part of the agreement, the U.S. agreed to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. After entering into AUKUS,

282-460: A prime minister and diplomats from different EU countries to Michel's administration. The EU summits, for which he is responsible as president, were criticized for being not well organized. During his tenure, he ignored the decisions of the European Commission instead of remaining solution-oriented like his predecessors in office. A diplomatic fauxpas known as the " Sofagate " was described as

329-690: A seat in the European Parliament . In the 2010 elections , Chastel was confirmed as a representative in the Chamber of Representatives. After a successful Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union , he was appointed by Prime Minister Yves Leterme as Minister of Development Cooperation, charged with European Affairs, in February 2011. He succeeded Charles Michel who was elected as President of

376-494: A symbol of the strained working relationship between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Michel. Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , sanctions against Russia also included asset freezes on the Russian Central Bank , which holds $ 630 billion in foreign-exchange reserves , to prevent it from offsetting the impact of sanctions. On 5 May, Charles Michel said: "I am absolutely convinced that this

423-671: Is extremely important not only to freeze assets but also to make possible to confiscate it, to make it available for the rebuilding" of Ukraine . In September 2022, Michel met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at his palace in Jeddah to discuss strengthening cooperation between the EU and Saudi Arabia . In February 2023, Michel met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa to normalize EU-Ethiopia relations that had been damaged by

470-450: Is €80 net for an employee earning €1,500; €70 for those earning €2,100; and €60 for those earning €2,800. Finance Minister Johan Van Overtveldt says "the tax shift will be a tax cut", although the value-added tax on electricity will rise from 6% to the standard rate of 21% and excise duties on alcohol, diesel, tobacco and soft drinks will increase. A liberal orientation was also adopted in the area of pensions (Bacquelaine law, which reduced

517-533: The 2006 local elections . In the 2007 Belgian federal election , Chastel also headed the list for the Chamber of Representatives for the canton of Hainaut . At this occasion, the MR obtained 199,859 votes in the canton of Hainaut, which was a gain of 40,000 votes compared to 2003. The votes increased by 5% and 27%, which is the largest score the MR had ever reached in the Hainaut. But these exceptional results also allowed

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564-782: The Russian invasion in 2022. In 2024, the MR was the only party from De Croo Government to be opposed to Belgium recognizing the State of Palestine . In the European Parliament , Mouvement Réformateur sits in the Renew Europe group with three MEPs: Sophie Wilmès , Olivier Chastel and Benoit Cassart. In the European Committee of the Regions , Mouvement Réformateur sits in the Renew Europe CoR group, with one full and one alternate member for

611-700: The Russian invasion of Ukraine Michel wrote an op-ed in La Libre in which he advocated for a war-time economy and consequent re-balancing of expenditures. Michel and his wife Amélie Derbaudrenghien Michel (née Derbaudrenghien) have two children. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic , the couple postponed their wedding, which was supposed to take place in France in August 2020, to avoid quarantine upon return to Belgium. In October 2021, Derbaudrenghien Michel and Michel's spokesman confirmed that

658-578: The Tigray War . In September 2023, Michel condemned Azerbaijan 's offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh and urged the country to immediately stop its military activities and return to dialogue. In October 2023, he said that Russia "betrayed the Armenian people" after Azerbaijan regained control of the disputed zone from Armenian separatists. In January 2024, Michel announced he would step down as president of

705-482: The prime minister of Belgium between 2014 and 2019. Michel became the minister of development cooperation in 2007 at age thirty-one, and remained in this position until elected the leader of the Francophone liberal Reformist Movement (MR) in February 2011. He led MR to the 2014 federal election , where they emerged as the third-largest party in the Chamber of Representatives . After coalition negotiations , Michel

752-578: The 2020-2025 mandate. Willy Borsus is second vice-president of the Renew Europe CoR Group. [REDACTED] Media related to Mouvement Réformateur at Wikimedia Commons National groups: * observer *associate member **observer Charles Michel Charles Michel ( French: [ʃaʁl miʃɛl] ; born 21 December 1975) is a Belgian politician serving as the president of the European Council since 2019. He previously served as

799-591: The Australian government canceled an agreement that it had made with France for the provision of French conventionally powered submarines . Von der Leyen called the way France was treated "unacceptable" and demanded an explanation. The EU called the way France was treated "unacceptable" and demanded an explanation. Michel denounced a "lack of transparency and loyalty" by the United States. During his tenure, there were internal expressions of discontent, including from

846-563: The EU's High Representative Josep Borrell appointed Swedish diplomat Christian Danielsson as the EU envoy to mediate political crisis talks in the country. Michel also met Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in Brussels later that month, and met political leaders in Tbilisi in April 2021, after an agreement was signed after several weeks of mediation brokered by Michel and the EU. The agreement

893-448: The European Council to run in the 2024 European Parliament election , before reversing his decision within the same month and declaring he would finish his current mandate. Charles Michel was born in Namur , Wallonia , on 21 December 1975. He is the son of Louis Michel , a former European Commissioner , and Martine Pierre. Michel began his political career at the age of 16 when he joined

940-440: The European Council to run in the 2024 European Parliament election , before reversing his decision within the same month and declaring he would finish his current mandate. Following the 2020 Georgian parliamentary election , Georgia experienced a political crisis. The ruling Georgian Dream party was deemed the winner, but the opposition parties said that the election was marred by irregularities and violations, they boycotted

987-750: The European Union for 2022 and on a controversial 2023 proposal to rent 15,000 square meters of office space for the European Parliament in Strasbourg from the French government. He is also a member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs . In addition to his committee assignments, Chastel is part of the Parliament’s delegations for relations with the Maghreb countries and the Arab Maghreb Union as well as to

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1034-586: The FDF decided to leave the coalition. They did not agree with the manner in which president Charles Michel defended the rights of the French-speaking people in the agreement concerning the splitting of the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde district, during the 2010–11 Belgian government formation . Over the years, the MR has always oscillated between ideological markers closer to conservative liberalism or social liberalism . Its fundamental principles remain however

1081-484: The French community . The MR emerged victorious from the 2024 elections, becoming the leading French-speaking party. In Wallonia , the party came out on top with 29.6% of the vote. In Brussels , the MR also placed first, with 25.9% of the vote. Just a few days after the elections, the MR announced it would work closely with Les Engagés to quickly form governments in the Walloon Region and the French community. Having

1128-484: The MR to win a sixth seat in the Chamber of Representatives. Chastel, for his part, tripled his score of 2003. With his 67,180 preferential votes, he obtained the second best score for the MR in the Chamber. On 20 March 2008, Chastel was appointed State Secretary for European Affairs in the government of Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy . In the 2009 European elections , he was the 3rd on the list led by Louis Michel ; he obtained 74,616 preferential votes but did not get

1175-533: The Mouvement Réformateur. From 2011 until 2014 , Chastel served as minister for budget and administrative simplification in the government of Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo . Since the 2019 European Parliament election , Chastel has been one of the vice-chairs of the Parliament’s Committee on Budgets . In this capacity, he served as his parliamentary group’s lead negotiator on the budget of

1222-751: The Young Liberal Reformers of Jodoigne ( Jeunes Réformateurs Libéraux de Jodoigne ), affiliated to the MR. In 1994, at the age of 18, he was elected provincial councilor in Walloon Brabant . He graduated in law at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the University of Amsterdam in 1998, after which he became lawyer at the Brussels Bar. He is fluent in Dutch and English in addition to his native French. Shortly after finishing university, while his father

1269-511: The couple discreetly married over the summer of 2021 with a small celebration. Michel also has a son from a previous relationship. [REDACTED] Media related to Charles Michel at Wikimedia Commons Olivier Chastel Olivier Chastel (born 22 November 1964, in Liège ) is a Belgian pharmacist and politician of the Liberal Party " Mouvement Réformateur " (MR) who has been serving as

1316-411: The departments concerned with international crime (especially computer and financial crime) are being decentralized. In defence, while the budget for investment in equipment has been increased at the request of NATO , the number of personnel is to be reduced by 19.5 per cent. Federal cultural and scientific institutions have been hit by budget cuts of 20 per cent. The budget allocated to the functioning of

1363-448: The formation of a minority government , with CD&V, MR and OVLD backing the compact. On 18 December, he presented his government's resignation to the King. The King accepted Michel's resignation on 21 December after consulting party leaders. He remained in office as caretaker prime minister during the 2019 federal election , and the ensuing coalition negotiations. On 2 July 2019, Michel

1410-573: The four parties to form a new government, with Michel proposed as prime minister, and Peeters as one of four deputy prime ministers. Michel became the youngest Belgian prime minister in 173 years since Jean-Baptiste Nothomb in 1841, and was only the second Francophone liberal to become prime minister. In the Ministry of Security and the Interior, many tasks of the federal police are being privatized (securing public buildings, supervising detainees, etc.), while

1457-409: The judiciary is also depleted, leading Belgium's highest magistrate to accuse the "logic of economy" of being responsible for a "pathology of the entire judicial system that endangers the rule of law." On 1 January 2016, the tax shift began to take effect. This includes increasing the take-home pay of the lowest income earners through a decrease in social security contributions. The expected increase

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1504-695: The liberal list for the Chamber of Representatives in the Charleroi – Thuin district. In the 1999 Belgian federal election , he obtained 12,000 votes and started his federal career. During his time in parliament, he served on the Committee on Infrastructure and in the SABENA inquiry. As the president of the Petitions Commission, he supported the tasks of the Federal Ombudsmen, charged with the simplification of

1551-650: The local level, he was elected city councillor in Wavre in 2000, and in 2006 became mayor of the city. In December 2007, Michel became the Minister of Development Cooperation in the Verhofstadt III Government and subsequently in the Leterme I , Van Rompuy I and Leterme II governments. After poor results in the 2009 regional elections , Michel was part of a group demanding the MR leader Didier Reynders resign. After

1598-415: The northern part of Cyprus since July 1974. The Aegean dispute between Turkey and Greece escalated when Ankara resumed gas exploration in contested areas of the eastern Mediterranean. On 27 September 2020, Michel expressed deep concern over the escalation of hostilities in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately halt fighting and progress towards

1645-512: The party advocates higher revenues through lower taxes; time-limited unemployment benefits; life extension of the most recent nuclear reactors; greater investment in police, justice and defense; less government and state neutrality . MR is "belgicain", in favor of Belgian unity and a strong federal state. The MR is also a strong supporter of the European Union and NATO . It has always defended support, including military aid, for Ukraine since

1692-532: The party suffered further losses in the 2010 federal election , Reynders resigned, and Michel announced his candidacy to replace him. In January 2011, he was elected President of MR, and resigned from the cabinet. After the 2014 federal election , Michel became co- formateur in the ensuing coalition negotiations . Initially, CD&V Leader Kris Peeters was expected to be prime minister. However CD&V also insisted on Marianne Thyssen being appointed as European Commissioner , and Michel's MR refused to allow

1739-550: The pensions of the formerly unemployed) and labour law (Peeters law, which deregulated the use of overtime, part-time contracts and flexible hours). In December 2018, a political crisis emerged over whether to sign the Global Compact for Migration . Michel's coalition partner N-VA, which originally supported the Compact, reversed course to oppose it whereas the other three parties continued to support it. Michel subsequently announced

1786-490: The relations between the authorities and citizens. In the 2003 elections , Chastel obtained 22,133 preferential votes in the canton of Hainaut and became vice-president of the Chamber of Representatives. From February until July 2004, Chastel briefly held the position of minister of arts, literature and audiovisual matters in the French Community of Belgium . On the city level, Chastel obtained more than 17,000 votes in

1833-418: The results of the elections and refused to enter the parliament. After Georgian authorities arrested opposition politician Nika Melia , the chairman of the opposition United National Movement (UNM), the country's prime minister resigned and mass street protests ensued. In March 2021, Michel visited Georgia and participated in talks between Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and the opposition. Michel and

1880-399: The same through time, such as defending civil liberties , free market , entrepreneurial freedom, and equal opportunities . During Georges-Louis Bouchez 's tenure as party president, the party is said to have shifted further to the right, aligning more with the centre-right . Bouchez has for example often publicly pointed out some excesses of the woke movement . On its current platform,

1927-406: The two most important political posts to be held by a single party. Ultimately, the parties agreed to appoint Thyssen as European Commissioner, with an understanding that the prime ministership would go to either MR or OVLD . As Michel was serving as co-formateur, he quickly won internal support from other parties to lead the next government. On 7 October 2014, an overall agreement was reached between

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1974-524: Was Belgium's Minister of Home Affairs, Michel was elected to the federal Chamber of Representatives in 1999 (age 23), representing Walloon Brabant , a stronghold of the liberal MR. In 2000, he became Minister of Home Affairs in the Walloon Government aged 25, making him the youngest regional minister in Belgian history. At the same time, his father was minister of Home Affairs at the national level. At

2021-495: Was confirmed as Prime Minister of a MR- N-VA - OVLD - CD&V government. He was sworn in on 11 October 2014, becoming the youngest Belgian prime minister since Jean-Baptiste Nothomb in 1841. In December 2018, the government collapsed following internal disagreements over the handling of the Global Compact for Migration , with the N-VA withdrawing from the cabinet. Michel subsequently tendered his resignation and remained in office in

2068-654: Was head of department and became a specialist in Quality Assurance. In 1998, Chastel scaled back his professional activities and became involved with local politics, combining this new challenge with his passion for tennis and for breeding the Flanders Cattle Dog "Bouvier des Flandres". Since 1993, Chastel has been a city councillor in Charleroi and in 1998, he joined the Parliament of Wallonia , in substitution for Étienne Knoops. A few months later, Chastel headed

2115-482: Was selected President of the European Council , one of the most prominent leadership positions of the European Union . On 20 July 2020, Michel announced a historical deal on the recovery package Next Generation EU and the EU 2021–2027 budget to support member states hit by the COVID-19 pandemic . In August 2020, Michel expressed "full solidarity" with Greece and Cyprus in their conflict with Turkey , which has occupied

2162-637: Was then known as the PRL-FDF-MCC federation. The alliance became the MR during a congress in 2002, where the German-speaking liberal party, the Party for Freedom and Progress joined as well. The label PRL is no longer used, and the three other parties still use their own names. The MR is a member of Liberal International and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Party. However, on 25 September 2011,

2209-406: Was welcomed as a success by the international community and local civil society organizations such as the Europe-Georgia Institute , and Michel hailed the agreement as being in "a truly European spirit" that takes Georgia towards a "Euro-Atlantic future." Later the largest opposition party in Tbilisi did not accept the agreement and the ruling party withdrew from it. Early in the third year of

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