{{short description|Belgian politician (born 1966)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Marie Arena | honorific_suffix = [[Member of the European Parliament|MEP]] | image = Marie Arena.jpg | caption = Marie Arena Official Portrait | office = Member of the [[European Parliament]] | term_start = 1 July 2014 | term_end = 16 July 2024 | constituency = [[French-speaking electoral college|Belgium]] | office1 = [[Minister-President of the French Community]] | term_start1 = 19 July 2004 | term_end1 = 20 March 2008 | predecessor1 = [[Hervé Hasquin]] | successor1 = [[Rudy Demotte]] | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|12|17|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Mons, Belgium|Mons]], [[Belgium]] | death_date = | death_place = | party = '''{{flag|Belgium|name=Belgian}}''': [[Socialist Party (Belgium)|PS]]<br />'''{{flag|EU}}''': [[Party of European Socialists|PES]] | spouse = | children = | alma_mater = | website = }}
'''Marie Arena''' (born 17 December 1966) is a Belgian politician who was a [[Member of the European Parliament]] (MEP) from 2014 to 2024. She was a member of the [[Socialist Party (Belgium)|Socialist Party]] (PS), part of the [[Party of European Socialists]] (PES).
==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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Maria Arena |url=https://humanitarian.forum.europa.eu/speakers/maria-arena_en |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=humanitarian.forum.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref> She then was Federal Minister of the Civil Service, Social Integration, Cities and Equal Opportunities in the [[Verhofstadt II Government]] 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. Until 17 July 2009, she was also Federal Minister for Social Integration, Pensions and Large Cities in the [[Leterme I Government]], which took office on 20 March 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/mopdf/2008/03/21_2.pdf|title=20 March 2008 – Royal Orders. Government – Dismissals – Appointments|publisher=The [[Belgian Official Journal]]|date=21 March 2008|pages=3–4|access-date=2008-03-30|language=nl, fr}}</ref>
==Member of the European Parliament== Arena was elected as an MEP in the [[2014 European Parliament election]].<ref name=":0" /> During her first term, she served on the [[European Parliament Committee on International Trade|Committee on International Trade]] (INTA), the [[European Parliament Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maria Arena 8th Parliamentary Term |url=https://europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/124936/MARIA_ARENA/history/8#detailedcardmep |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=www.europarl.europa.eu}}</ref> Since the [[2019 European Parliament election]], she has been a member of the [[European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs|Committee on Foreign Affairs]]. In 2020, she also joined the Special Committee on Beating Cancer.<ref>[https://www.europarl.europa.eu/sed/doc/news/flash/24221/Full%20Members%20new%20committees_09-07-2020_en.pdf Members of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer] [[European Parliament]], press release of 9 July 2020.</ref>
From 2019 to 2023, Arena chaired the [[Subcommittee on Human Rights]].<ref>Eddy Wax (11 January 2023), [https://www.politico.eu/article/maria-arena-mep-resigns-from-top-human-rights-role-after-politico-revelations/ Qatargate: Maria Arena quits as EU Parliament human rights chief] ''[[Politico Europe]]''.</ref> In this capacity, she was part of the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG), which oversees the Parliament's election observation missions.<ref>[https://www.europarl.europa.eu/globaldemocracysupport/en/home/democracy-group.html Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG)] [[European Parliament]]</ref> In addition to her committee assignments, Arena was a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Cancer,<ref>[https://ecpc.org/intergroup/ Intergroup] European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC).</ref> the European Parliament Intergroup on Children's Rights,<ref>[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/pdf/intergroupes/VIII_LEG_04_Childrens_rights.pdf Members of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights] [[European Parliament]].</ref> the [[European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights]],<ref>[http://www.lgbt-ep.eu/about/members/ Members] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327004733/http://www.lgbt-ep.eu/about/members/ |date=27 March 2019 }} European Parliament Intergroup on LGBTI Rights.</ref> and the Responsible Business Conduct Working Group.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://responsiblebusinessconduct.eu/wp/members/|title=Members – RBC|website=responsiblebusinessconduct.eu|accessdate=10 December 2022}}</ref> She did not stand for re-election in the [[2024 European Parliament election]].<ref name=Politico/>
==Qatargate== Amid the [[Qatar corruption scandal at the European Parliament]], Arena's offices were searched in December 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gutschker |first=Thomas |title=Vizepräsidentin verhaftet: Was kommt im EU-Korruptionsskandal noch heraus? |language=de |work=[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/korruptionsskandal-im-eu-parlament-eva-kaili-abgesetzt-18531889.html |access-date=2022-12-14 |issn=0174-4909}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-11 |title=Qatargate: Maria Arena quits as EU Parliament human rights chief |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/maria-arena-mep-resigns-from-top-human-rights-role-after-politico-revelations/ |access-date=2023-01-20 |website=POLITICO |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-11 |title=Free flights, a secret deal and a corruption storm: Inside the EU's 'Qatargate' committee |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/european-parliament-corruption-scandal-maria-arena-figa-talamanca-pier-panzeri-eva-kaili-francesco-giorgi-free-flights-secret-deal-secretary-inside-eu-committee-qatargate-storm-cash/ |access-date=2023-01-20 |website=POLITICO |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Brussels |first=Bruno Waterfield |title=Belgian MEP Maria Arena quits human rights post after failing to declare Qatari hospitality |language=en |work=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/belgian-mep-maria-arena-quits-human-rights-post-after-failing-to-declare-qatari-hospitality-2shkcr5l5 |access-date=2023-01-20 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> In July 2023, Belgian police raided Arena's house in Brussels.<ref>Eddy Wax and Louise Guillot (19 July 2023), [https://www.politico.eu/article/police-raid-meps-house-qatargate-corruption-probe-european-parliament-maria-arena-socialists-democrats/ Police raid MEP’s house as Qatargate corruption probe widens] ''[[Politico Europe]]''.</ref>
In January 2025, she confirmed to media that she had been charged with belonging to a criminal organization in connection with the Qatargate case.<ref name=Politico>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/former-mep-maria-arena-charged-qatargate-corruption-scandal-qatar-cash-favors-gifts-morocco-criminal-organization/|title=Former MEP Maria Arena charged in Qatargate scandal|date=18 January 2025|work=Politico}}</ref>
== Honours == *{{Flag|Belgium}}: Grand Officer of the [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Order of Leopold]], 2010.<ref>[http://www.senat.be/www/?MIval=/showSenator&ID=4305&LANG=fr Belgian Senate, Biography]</ref>
== See also == {{Portal|European Union}} * [[2014 European Parliament election in Belgium]] * [[2019 European Parliament election in Belgium]]
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category-inline}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20170914020702/http://marie-arena.be/ Official website] {{in lang|fr}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=[[Hervé Hasquin]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Minister-President of the French Community]]|years=2004–2008}} {{s-aft|after=[[Rudy Demotte]]}} {{s-end}} {{Navboxes |title=Marie Arena navigational boxes |list = {{Current EP Belgium}} {{EP Political Group S&D}} }}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Arena, Marie}} [[Category:1966 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Belgian people of Italian descent]] [[Category:Government ministers of Wallonia]] [[Category:Minister-presidents of the French Community of Belgium]] [[Category:People from Mons, Belgium]] [[Category:Ministers of state of Belgium]] [[Category:Socialist Party (Belgium) MEPs]] [[Category:Socialist Party (Belgium) politicians]] [[Category:MEPs for Belgium 2014–2019]] [[Category:MEPs for Belgium 2019–2024]] [[Category:Grand Officers of the Order of Leopold II]] [[Category:21st-century women MEPs for Belgium]] [[Category:Women government ministers of Belgium]] [[Category:Women governors and heads of sub-national entities]] [[Category:MEPs implicated in Qatargate]]