57-443: The Michel Governments were various Belgian federal governments led by Prime Minister Charles Michel : Michel I Government (2014–2018) Michel II Government (2018–2019) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Michel Government . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
114-457: 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 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
171-517: 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 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
228-431: A great deal of influence from the staff under their control. The European Civil Service is permanent whereas a commissioner is in office usually for just five years. Hence it is the service which know the workings of the commission and have longer term interests. Strong leadership from a commissioner, who knows the workings of their portfolio, can overcome the power of the service. An example would be Pascal Lamy ; however,
285-544: 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 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
342-544: 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 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
399-447: 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 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,
456-547: A unanimous vote of the European Council and membership will rotate equally between member states. Following the accession of Romania and Bulgaria in January 2007, this clause took effect for the following commission (appointed after the 2009 European elections ). The failed European Constitution first mandated that the number of commissioners should equal two-thirds of the member states. This could be changed by
513-562: A vote in the European Council, in case the number was still too high in the future. The constitution failed ratification but this change was brought in with the Treaty of Lisbon . However, as Lisbon was being ratified the Irish electorate voted against it with one reason being the fear of losing a commissioner. The Irish then voted again, in favour for the treaty on a number of conditions; one being that they kept their commissioner. In 2009, in what
570-605: A vote that makes up at least two-thirds of those voting and a majority of the total membership of the Parliament. While it has never used this power, it threatened to use it against the Commission headed by Jacques Santer in 1999 over allegations of corruption. In response, the Santer Commission resigned en masse of its own accord, the only time a Commission has done so. A commissioner's basic monthly salary
627-730: A whole, a democratic mandate. Each member is required to take an oath before the Court of Justice of the European Union , officially the Solemn Declaration before the Court of Justice of the European Union . As of December 2009, the Charter of Fundamental Rights has gained legal force and Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has proposed that commissioners should swear to uphold it also. The second Barroso Commission went to
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#1732766190865684-555: Is a Belgian politician serving as the president of the European Council since 2019. He previously served as 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
741-512: Is a member of the 27-member European Commission . Each member within the Commission holds a specific portfolio. The commission is led by the president of the European Commission . In simple terms they are the equivalent of government ministers . Commissioners are nominated by member states in consultation with the commission president, who then selects a team of commissioners. This team of nominees are then subject to hearings at
798-575: Is fixed at 112.5% of the top civil service grade. As of June 2023, this works out to be €25,910.19 per month. The president is paid at 138% (€27,436.90 per month), vice-presidents at 125% (€24,852.26 per month) and the High Representative at 130% (€25,846.35 per month). There are further allowances on top of these figures, including household allowance, child allowance, and a substantial expatriation allowance (where applicable). The make up and distribution of portfolios are determined by
855-474: 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 a symbol of the strained working relationship between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Michel. Following
912-665: 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 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
969-507: The 2005 German elections and Margot Wallström ( Institutional Relations & Communication Strategy ) backing Ségolène Royal in the 2007 French elections . Wallström defended this claiming that the EU has to get more political and controversial as being a vital role in communicating the commission. Wallström has been notable for engaging in debate and politics, she was the first commissioner to start her own blog Archived 15 October 2009 at
1026-500: 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 is extremely important not only to freeze assets but also to make possible to confiscate it, to make it available for
1083-624: 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 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 European Commissioner A European commissioner
1140-567: The European Parliament , which questions them and then votes on their suitability as a whole. If members of the team are found to be inappropriate, the president must then reshuffle the team or request a new candidate from the member state or risk the whole commission being voted down. As parliament cannot vote against individual commissioners there is usually a compromise whereby the worst candidates are removed but minor objections are put aside, or dealt with by adjusting portfolios, so
1197-569: The European Parliament's development committee asked the Parliament's legal service to assess if his participation violated the treaties . Michel claimed that politicisation of this manner is part of reconnecting the Union with its citizens. The Commission revised its code of conduct for commissioners allowing them to "be active members of political parties or trade unions". To participate in an election campaign they are required to "withdraw from
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#17327661908651254-455: 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 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
1311-616: 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 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
1368-726: 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 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
1425-539: The Wayback Machine . However their political nature can also cause problems in their habit of leaving the job early in the final years of the commission to take up new national posts. In seeking to secure their post-Commission job, they can undermine the work of the commission. Following elections in Cyprus, Commissioner Kyprianou left to become Cypriot Foreign Minister. Likewise, Commissioner Frattini left to do
1482-418: The Commission and would "be able to intervene in all decisions concerning EU projects that have an impact" on the economic performance of the EU. Another change Lisbon brought, as hinted above, was the creation of the role of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy by merging the post of European Commissioner for External Relations with the council's High Representative for
1539-408: The Commission in the performance of their tasks. I further undertake to respect, both during and after my term of office, the obligation arising therefrom, and in particular the duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards the acceptance, after I have ceased to hold office, of certain appointments or benefits. Until 2004, the larger member states (Spain upwards) received two commissioners and
1596-426: The Commission president and do not always correspond with the commission's departments (directorates-general). While some have been fairly consistent in make up between each Commission, some have only just been created or are paired with others. With a record number of members in 2007, the portfolios have become very thin even though the responsibilities of the commission have increased. A commissioner can come under
1653-616: The Common Foreign and Security Policy . The new more powerful high representative became ex-officio Vice-President of the Commission and would chair the Council of the European Union when foreign ministers were meeting. In addition to its role in approving a new Commission, the European Parliament has the power at any time to force the entire Commission to resign through a vote of no confidence . This requires
1710-583: The Court of Justice on 3 May 2010 for the first such oath alongside their usual oath. The oath taken by the members of the Barroso Commission was: Having been appointed as a Member of the European Commission by the European Council, following the vote of consent by the European Parliament I solemnly undertake: to respect the Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in
1767-518: 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 was selected President of the European Council , one of the most prominent leadership positions of the European Union . On 20 July 2020, Michel announced
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1824-509: The N-VA withdrawing from the cabinet. Michel subsequently tendered his resignation and remained in office in 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
1881-605: 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, the Australian government canceled an agreement that it had made with France for the provision of French conventionally powered submarines . Von der Leyen called
1938-673: 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 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
1995-546: The best people are usually kept by their national governments, leading to less solid candidates getting the job. Commissioners are required to remain above national politics while exercising their duties in the Commission , but are normally involved in their European-level political party. However the requirement to keep out of national politics has slowly been eroded. During the Prodi Commission , Anna Diamantopoulou ( Employment and Social Affairs ) took leave from
2052-402: 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 the judiciary is also depleted, leading Belgium's highest magistrate to accuse the "logic of economy" of being responsible for
2109-410: 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 the two most important political posts to be held by a single party. Ultimately,
2166-425: 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 the EU's High Representative Josep Borrell appointed Swedish diplomat Christian Danielsson as the EU envoy to mediate political crisis talks in
2223-474: The commission can take office. Once the team is approved by the parliament, it is formally put into office by the European Council ( TEU Article 17:7 ). Although members of the commission are allocated between member states, they do not represent their states. Instead, they are supposed to act in European interests. Normally, a member state will nominate someone of the same political party as that which forms
2280-402: The commission to participate in the 2004 Greek elections and resigned when she won a seat despite her party losing. Romano Prodi campaigned in the 2001 Italian elections while still president. Louis Michel ( Development & Humanitarian Aid ) announced that he would go on unpaid leave to take part in the 2007 Belgian elections . Although he positioned himself so as not to be elected,
2337-469: 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 the European Council to run in the 2024 European Parliament election , before reversing his decision within
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2394-664: 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 was welcomed as a success by the international community and local civil society organizations such as the Europe-Georgia Institute , and Michel hailed
2451-476: The current government. There are exceptions, such as Member of the Commission Richard Burke (of Fine Gael ), who was nominated by Taoiseach Charles Haughey (of Fianna Fáil ). In the past, when the larger states had two seats, they often went to the two major parties, such as in the United Kingdom. Twelve of the current 27 members are women. Peter Mandelson (2004 to October 2008) was
2508-539: 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 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
2565-459: The first openly gay commissioner. The first female commissioners were Christiane Scrivener and Vasso Papandreou in the 1989 Delors Commission . European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek proposed in 2010 that commissioners be directly elected, by member states placing their candidate at the top of their voting lists in European elections . That would give them individually, and the body as
2622-490: The fulfilment of all my duties; to be completely independent in carrying out my responsibilities, in the general interest of the Union; in the performance of my tasks, neither to seek nor to take instructions from any Government or from any other institution, body, office or entity; to refrain from any action incompatible with my duties or the performance of my tasks. I formally note the undertaking of each Member State to respect this principle and not to seek to influence Members of
2679-451: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michel_Government&oldid=1085253518 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Charles Michel Charles Michel ( French: [ʃaʁl miʃɛl] ; born 21 December 1975)
2736-473: 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 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
2793-760: 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 the Tigray War . In September 2023, Michel condemned Azerbaijan 's offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh and urged
2850-569: The same following elections in Italy. During the previous Prodi Commission , Pedro Solbes left to become the Spanish finance minister, Michel Barnier left to become French foreign minister, Erkki Liikanen left to become head of Bank of Finland and Anna Diamantopoulou also resigned early. Even President Prodi started campaigning in the Italian elections before his term as head of the commission
2907-469: 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 the results of the elections and refused to enter the parliament. After Georgian authorities arrested opposition politician Nika Melia ,
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#17327661908652964-467: The smaller states received one. As the size of the body was increasing with enlargement, the larger states lost their second commissioner after the 2004 enlargement with the new Barroso Commission being appointed under the Treaty of Nice . Nice also specified that once the number of members reached 27 then the number of commissioners should be reduced to "less than the number of Member States". The exact number of commissioners would have to be decided by
3021-492: The third-largest party in the Chamber of Representatives . After coalition negotiations , Michel 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
3078-497: 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 a prime minister and diplomats from different EU countries to Michel's administration. The EU summits, for which he
3135-542: The work of the Commission for the duration of the campaign". This does throw their independence in doubt, where a politician leaves their national scene for one or two terms and returns to it for a new job. Most in essence owe their positions to nomination and support from national party leaders and parties they have been aligned to; usually seeking to return to the party-political fray. Politicisation has even gone so far as commissioners backing national candidates, with Neelie Kroes ( Competition ) backing Angela Merkel in
3192-571: 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 the departments concerned with international crime (especially computer and financial crime) are being decentralized. In defence, while
3249-480: Was known as the 26+1 formula, it was proposed that (in order to comply with the Nice Treaty provision that there should be fewer commissioners than members) instead of a commissioner one member state should fill the post of high representative. An idea floated in 2007 was the creation of junior members for smaller states. In 2004, there was a proposal to create a "super-commissioner" who would be vice president of
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