# Marie Arena

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Belgian politician (born 1966)

Marie Arena MEP Marie Arena Official Portrait Member of the European Parliament In office 1 July 2014 – 16 July 2024 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 (1966-12-17) 17 December 1966 (age 59) Mons, Belgium Party Belgian: PS EU: PES

**Marie Arena** (born 17 December 1966) is a Belgian politician who was a [Member of the European Parliament](/source/Member_of_the_European_Parliament) (MEP) from 2014 to 2024. She was a member of the [Socialist Party](/source/Socialist_Party_(Belgium)) (PS), part of the [Party of European Socialists](/source/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.[1] She then was Federal Minister of the Civil Service, Social Integration, Cities and Equal Opportunities in the [Verhofstadt II Government](/source/Verhofstadt_II_Government) from 12 July 2003 to 20 July 2004. She was the Minister-President of the [French Community of Belgium](/source/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](/source/Leterme_I_Government), which took office on 20 March 2008.[2]

## Member of the European Parliament

Arena was elected as an MEP in the [2014 European Parliament election](/source/2014_European_Parliament_election).[1] During her first term, she served on the [Committee on International Trade](/source/European_Parliament_Committee_on_International_Trade) (INTA), the [Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality](/source/European_Parliament_Committee_on_Women's_Rights_and_Gender_Equality) (FEMM), the delegation to the [ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly](/source/ACP%E2%80%93EU_Joint_Parliamentary_Assembly), and the delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean.[3] Since the [2019 European Parliament election](/source/2019_European_Parliament_election), she has been a member of the [Committee on Foreign Affairs](/source/European_Parliament_Committee_on_Foreign_Affairs). In 2020, she also joined the Special Committee on Beating Cancer.[4]

From 2019 to 2023, Arena chaired the [Subcommittee on Human Rights](/source/Subcommittee_on_Human_Rights).[5] In this capacity, she was part of the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG), which oversees the Parliament's election observation missions.[6] In addition to her committee assignments, Arena was a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Cancer,[7] the European Parliament Intergroup on Children's Rights,[8] the [European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights](/source/European_Parliament_Intergroup_on_LGBT_Rights),[9] and the Responsible Business Conduct Working Group.[10] She did not stand for re-election in the [2024 European Parliament election](/source/2024_European_Parliament_election).[11]

## Qatargate

Amid the [Qatar corruption scandal at the European Parliament](/source/Qatar_corruption_scandal_at_the_European_Parliament), Arena's offices were searched in December 2022.[12] 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.[13][14][15] In July 2023, Belgian police raided Arena's house in Brussels.[16]

In January 2025, she confirmed to media that she had been charged with belonging to a criminal organization in connection with the Qatargate case.[11]

## Honours

- [Belgium](/source/Belgium): Grand Officer of the [Order of Leopold](/source/Order_of_Leopold_(Belgium)), 2010.[17]

## See also

- [European Union portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:European_Union)

- [2014 European Parliament election in Belgium](/source/2014_European_Parliament_election_in_Belgium)

- [2019 European Parliament election in Belgium](/source/2019_European_Parliament_election_in_Belgium)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) ["Maria Arena"](https://humanitarian.forum.europa.eu/speakers/maria-arena_en). *humanitarian.forum.europa.eu*. Retrieved 27 June 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["20 March 2008 – Royal Orders. Government – Dismissals – Appointments"](http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/mopdf/2008/03/21_2.pdf) (PDF) (in Dutch and French). The [Belgian Official Journal](/source/Belgian_Official_Journal). 21 March 2008. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 30 March 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Maria Arena 8th Parliamentary Term"](https://europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/124936/MARIA_ARENA/history/8#detailedcardmep). *www.europarl.europa.eu*. Retrieved 27 June 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Members of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/sed/doc/news/flash/24221/Full%20Members%20new%20committees_09-07-2020_en.pdf) [European Parliament](/source/European_Parliament), press release of 9 July 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Eddy Wax (11 January 2023), [Qatargate: Maria Arena quits as EU Parliament human rights chief](https://www.politico.eu/article/maria-arena-mep-resigns-from-top-human-rights-role-after-politico-revelations/) *[Politico Europe](/source/Politico_Europe)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG)](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/globaldemocracysupport/en/home/democracy-group.html) [European Parliament](/source/European_Parliament)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Intergroup](https://ecpc.org/intergroup/) European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Members of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights](http://www.europarl.europa.eu/pdf/intergroupes/VIII_LEG_04_Childrens_rights.pdf) [European Parliament](/source/European_Parliament).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [Members](http://www.lgbt-ep.eu/about/members/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190327004733/http://www.lgbt-ep.eu/about/members/) 27 March 2019 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) European Parliament Intergroup on LGBTI Rights.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Members – RBC"](https://responsiblebusinessconduct.eu/wp/members/). *responsiblebusinessconduct.eu*. Retrieved 10 December 2022.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Politico_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Politico_11-1) ["Former MEP Maria Arena charged in Qatargate scandal"](https://www.politico.eu/article/former-mep-maria-arena-charged-qatargate-corruption-scandal-qatar-cash-favors-gifts-morocco-criminal-organization/). *Politico*. 18 January 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Gutschker, Thomas. ["Vizepräsidentin verhaftet: Was kommt im EU-Korruptionsskandal noch heraus?"](https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/korruptionsskandal-im-eu-parlament-eva-kaili-abgesetzt-18531889.html). *[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung](/source/Frankfurter_Allgemeine_Zeitung)* (in German). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0174-4909](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0174-4909). Retrieved 14 December 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Qatargate: Maria Arena quits as EU Parliament human rights chief"](https://www.politico.eu/article/maria-arena-mep-resigns-from-top-human-rights-role-after-politico-revelations/). *POLITICO*. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Free flights, a secret deal and a corruption storm: Inside the EU's 'Qatargate' committee"](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/). *POLITICO*. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Brussels, Bruno Waterfield. ["Belgian MEP Maria Arena quits human rights post after failing to declare Qatari hospitality"](https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/belgian-mep-maria-arena-quits-human-rights-post-after-failing-to-declare-qatari-hospitality-2shkcr5l5). *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0140-0460](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0140-0460). Retrieved 20 January 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Eddy Wax and Louise Guillot (19 July 2023), [Police raid MEP’s house as Qatargate corruption probe widens](https://www.politico.eu/article/police-raid-meps-house-qatargate-corruption-probe-european-parliament-maria-arena-socialists-democrats/) *[Politico Europe](/source/Politico_Europe)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** [Belgian Senate, Biography](http://www.senat.be/www/?MIval=/showSenator&ID=4305&LANG=fr)

## External links

Media related to [Marie Arena](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Marie_Arena) at Wikimedia Commons

- [Official website](https://web.archive.org/web/20170914020702/http://marie-arena.be/) (in French)

Political offices Preceded by Hervé Hasquin Minister-President of the French Community 2004–2008 Succeeded by Rudy Demotte

Marie Arena navigational boxes v t e Current members of the European Parliament from Belgium (2019–2024) Annemans (ID) Arena (S&D) Arimont (EPP) Botenga (GUE-NGL) Bourgeois (ECR) Brempt (S&D) Bricmont (Greens–EFA) Chastel (Renew) Franssen (EPP) Kanko (ECR) Lamberts (Greens–EFA) Lutgen (EPP) Man (ID) Matthieu (Greens–EFA) Overtveldt (ECR) Ries (Renew) Tarabella (S&D) Vandendriessche (ID) Vandenkendelaere (EPP) Vautmans (Renew) Verhofstadt (Renew) v t e List of members of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (2019–2024) Austria Heide Muigg Regner Schieder Sidl Belgium Arena Van Brempt Bulgaria Hristov Penkova Stanishev Vitanov Yoncheva Croatia Borzan Jerković Matić Picula Cyprus Mavrides Papadakis Czech Republic Maxová Denmark Fuglsang Schaldemose Vind Estonia Kaljurand Mikser Finland Heinäluoma Kumpula-Natri France Clergeau Durand Glucksmann Guillaume Lalucq Larrouturou Mebarek Germany Barley Bischoff Bullmann Burkhardt Geier Kammerevert Köster Krehl Lange Lucke Noichl Repasi Rudner Schuster Sippel Wölken Greece Papandreou Hungary Ara-Kovács Dobrev Molnár Rónai Ujhelyi Italy Bartolo Benifei Bresso Castro Chinnici Covassi Cozzolino Gualmini Laureti Moretti Picierno Pisapia Roberti Rondinelli Smeriglio Tinagli Toia Variati Latvia Ameriks Ušakovs Lithuania Blinkevičiūtė Olekas Luxembourg Angel Malta Cutajar Engerer Saliba Sant Netherlands Chahim Jongerius Reuten Tang Tax Wolters Poland Balt Belka Biedroń Cimoszewicz Kohut Liberadzki Miller Portugal Albuquerque Carvalhais Cerdas Leitão Marques Marques Pereira Pizarro Santos Zorrinho Romania Avram Benea Ciuhodaru Crețu Grapini Manda Negrescu Nica Plumb Tudose Slovakia Beňová Hajšel Slovenia Brglez Nemec Spain Amor Ballarin Blanco Casares Devesa J. L. Fernández J. Fernández Ferrandis Gálvez I. García C. A. García Gardiazabal Ginel González López López Aguilar Luena Maestre Moreno Muñoz Rodríguez-Piñero Sempere Sweden De Basso Fritzon Glanzelius Incir Ohlsson

Authority control databases: People MEP directory

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Marie Arena](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Arena) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Arena?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.