Charles Michel

Charles Michel was born in the Belgian town of Namur in 1975, when the European Union consisted of only nine member states. Charles Michel studied law at the University of Brussels. In 1998, he had the opportunity to take part in the Erasmus programme, where he made friends from all over the continent and understood that Europe is all about its values: living together peacefully, listening to others, and showing them respect - no matter the person’s colour, race or background. After his studies, he became a lawyer in Brussels. For Charles Michel, law has always been about people and protecting their rights and freedoms. Passionate about politics from a young age, Charles Michel decided to run in the elections soon after university. He was elected as a member of the federal parliament in 1999. A year later, he became the Walloon Minister for Interior Affairs and Civil Service, and in 2007, Federal Minister for Development Cooperation. He played an important role in his political party, MR (Reformist Movement), as spokesperson (2004-2011) and finally leader of the party (2011-2014). During this time, between 2006 and 2014, he was also Mayor of Wavre - a small town close to Brussels. Following the federal elections in June 2014, Charles Michel was involved in coalition negotiations. He became the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium in October 2014. On 2 July 2019, EU leaders elected Charles Michel as President of the European Council. He took office on December 1, 2019.