European Commissioner for Equality and former Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib says she "regrets" the lack of equality in Belgium's new Federal Government.
The first official photo of the new 15-member Federal Government on the steps of the Palace soon became symbolic of the criticism about the gender ratio of its ministers, as it shows all four female ministers behind the men – sometimes literally in their shadows.
Lahbib, who left the previous Federal Government to become Equality Commissioner, regrets the lack of female ministers in the new coalition, led by Bart De Wever (N-VA).
"I prefer to keep my distance from what is happening in the Belgian Government, now that I am no longer in it. But of course, I regret the lack of equality," she told The Brussels Times in the margins of a press briefing on the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) on Thursday afternoon.
Gender balance
The gender imbalance in the new 'Arizona' government is all the more noticeable when compared to the previous 'Vivaldi' Government, which started out with 10 male and 10 female ministers. Even though several ministerial posts changed hands, the balance even tipped in favour of women (11 vs nine) towards the end of the legislature.
However, when Lahbib (MR) left the outgoing Federal Government to become European Commissioner in December 2024 and was temporarily replaced by Bernard Quintin (MR), the 50/50 ratio was restored.
Ironically, the new European Commission ran into similar issues. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had pledged that her second Commission would consist of an equal number of women and men, but has failed to deliver: the new Commission counts 11 women and 16 men.
