About Sophie Wilmès, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, Trade and Bicultural Institution, Belgium.

 

Sophie Wilmès was born in Ixelles on 15 January 1975 and, she is a Belgian politician who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo since October 2020. She is the country's first female foreign minister, and she is also the first female prime minister in Belgian history. Prior to taking on her new role, she was Belgium's minister of budget, civil service, national lottery and scientific policy and  she is a member of the Reformist Movement.

Wilmès was elected to the Chamber of Representatives in 2014, and served as budget minister in the first and second governments of Charles Michel from 2015 to 2019. In the aftermath of the 2019 Belgian federal election, Philippe of Belgium appointed Wilmès to lead a caretaker government before she formed an executive government in March 2020 to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.

In October 2020, she joined the new De Croo government as foreign minister and deputy prime minister. 

Summary of position held

•         Since 2020 – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade, and the Federal Cultural Institutions
•         Since 2007 – Member of Sint-Genesius-Rode Municipal Council (serving as First Alderwoman from 2007 to 2015) and member of the local police board for the Rode – Linkebeek – Drogenbos zone
•         Since 2013 – Chair of the French-speaking liberal Reformist Movement party (MR) in the municipalities surrounding Brussels
•         From 2019 to 2020 – Prime Minister of Belgium.
•         From 2015 to 2019, I was Minister of the Budget, in charge of the National Lottery from 21 September 2015, and additionally of the Civil Service and in charge of Science Policy from December 2018.
•         From 15 October 2014 to 21 September 2015, I was a member of the Federal Parliament.
•         From 2007 to 2015, I served as First Alderwoman, in charge of finance, the budget, French-speaking education, the local economy, early childhood, and communication, on Sint-Genesius-Rode Municipal Council.
•         From 2013 to 2014, I was head of the Union of Francophones (UF) group on Flemish Brabant Provincial Council and represented the Municipality of Sint-Genesius-Rode on Finilek’s Board of Directors.
•         From 2007 to 2013, I also served as a director at the intermunicipal water company IWVB.