Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Duties and tasks

• Federal Public Service Economy, SMEs, the Self-Employed and Energy (remit for "SME Policy")
• Scientific Policy: Federal Public Service Scientific Policy Planning
• Agriculture (European coordination)
• Food Safety:
• Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain, agency liaison officer with Directorate General 4 – Food, Animals and Plants
• Veterinary and Agrochemical Research Centre
• Social status of the self-employed: remit within the Federal Public Service Social Security
• Supervision of the National Institute for the Social Security of the Self-Employed (INASTI)li>

• Cabinet of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture as attaché, consultant and deputy principal private secretary (from 1992 to 1999)
• Federal deputy (since 5 June 2003)
• Minister for the Self-Employed and Agriculture (July 2003 - July 2007)
• Minister for the Self-Employed and Agriculture in charge of Development Cooperation (July 2007 - December 2007)
• Minister for the Economy, the Self-Employed and Agriculture (December 2007 - March 2008)
• Minister for SMEs, the Self-Employed, Agriculture and Scientific Policy (March 2008 - December 2008)
• Minister for SMEs, the Self-Employed, Agriculture and Scientific Policy (since 30 December 2008)

Professional career

• Researcher at the Luxembourg University Foundation and consultant to the Roi Baudouin Foundation on the links between Agriculture and the Environment
• Director of Economics at the Belgian Food and Drink Association (3 months)
• Director General of the Belgian Agricultural Alliance (from November 1999 to December 2000)
• Director General of the Wallonia Federation of Agriculture (from January 2001 to May 2003)

Studies

• Degree in Agricultural Engineering (Gembloux University Faculty of Agronomical Sciences)
• Certificate in business management and administration (University of Liège)
• Trained as environmental consultant (Eco-Consultancy Institute)