Belgian foreign minister Lahbib nominated as Belgium’s next European commissioner: can she survive the European Parliament hearing?

Ms Lahbib first entered politics in the summer of 2022 when Francophone liberal leader Georges-Louis Bouchez put her name forward as Belgian foreign minister to replace Sophie Wilmès, who was stepping down for family reasons. But even within her own party her appointment came as a big surprise.

The new minister had no political experience whatsoever. ‘She may not have the political experience, but she has a better field knowledge than some of her predecessors,’ Mr Bouchez countered. This was a reference to her years of experience as a foreign journalist at the Francophone broadcaster RTBF.

Ms Lahbib was a familiar face among Francophones as she often presented the news on TV. At the time of her appointment, she was preparing the candidacy of Brussels as European Capital of Culture in 2030.

Lahbib is quick to draw fire

Belgium’s brand new foreign minister quickly found herself in turbulent waters despite all her field knowledge. In the summer of 2021, then still a journalist, she had made a trip to Russian-occupied Crimea. She travelled via Moscow, which made her trip an illegal journey in Ukrainian eyes and made the trip to the sensitive region on the budget of a Russian cultural organisation linked to President Putin's daughter.

The issue caused quite a stir in Belgium but also in Kyiv: Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine had begun only a few months earlier.  It also raised eyebrows in Ukraine. Ms Lahbib’s controversial trip threatened to get Belgium into diplomatic trouble. So, the foreign minister visited Ukraine in November 2022 to iron matters out – something in which she succeeded.

OneLove in Qatar

Ms Lahbib also made herself noticed at Qatar’s controversial football World Cup that she attended as Belgium's representative. There, Ms Lahbib met with the Qatari foreign minister and brought up human rights and worker conditions in the country.

Her encounter with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino was memorable. Before the opening match of the Belgian national squad, the Red Devils, she sought out Infantino in the stands and pointed out to him the OneLove band around her arm. FIFA had banned teams from wearing the armband, a way the Red Devils, among others, were planning to signal their support for LGBT rights.

Afterwards she told RTBF TV (VIDEO) that she had removed her coat and had shown her armband to Mr Infantino: “This was a message Belgium needed to give”.

‘It was a courteous conversation about respect for freedom of expression, the values that football espouses and how to express them on the pitch or in the stands,’ Ms Lahbib explained afterwards. 

Visas for Iranian delegation

In mid-2023, the Belgian foreign minister again came under fire after visas were issued to a delegation of Iranians attending a mayors' conference in Brussels in June last year.

Ms Lahbib said responsibility lay with the Brussels regional government because it had invited the delegation, while the federal government could hardly refuse the request given the diplomatic negotiations that were ongoing with Iran at the time over Belgian prisoners in Iranian jails.

However, both opposition and government parties were left with many questions.  They criticised what they saw as the minister's non-transparent explanations and her lack of feelings of guilt or responsibility. They demanded an apology, clarity and an acknowledgement of her role in this affair.

Ms Lahbib apologised, but was repeatedly questioned about this issue in parliament.

Flemish nationalist N-VA and Flemish far-right Vlaams Belang submitted motions of no confidence, but thanks to a counter-motion from the Flemish and Francophone liberals of Open VLD and MR, the politician escaped a confidence vote in parliament. Government parties rallied behind her as they did not want to risk a government crisis.