On 1 December, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Hadja Lahbib, will become European Commissioner for Equality and Crisis Preparedness and Management.
As negotiations to form a federal government continue with a view to reaching a conclusion soon, and given the worrying international context, particularly the intensification of the war in Ukraine, MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez has proposed to the King that Ms Hadja Lahbib be replaced in the caretaker federal government by Mr Bernard Quintin, a career diplomat and expert in international relations, who will be able to usefully and immediately take over ongoing matters, represent Belgium and continue to work to defend Belgium's interests abroad.
Georges-Louis Bouchez, MR President: “The international situation did not allow us, even for a few weeks, to do without a full-time Minister of Foreign Affairs. Bernard Quintin is immediately operational and knows the files perfectly. I am convinced that he is the right person, at the right time, in the right place.”
Mr Bernard Quintin already has a long career behind him at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A seasoned diplomat who served in Warsaw, London, Kinshasa and at the Permanent Representation to the European Union, he was Consul General in Rio de Janeiro in 2012-2016 and Belgian Ambassador to Burundi in 2016-2019. His career also took him into several ministerial cabinets: he was Chief of Staff to Minister Olivier Chastel in 2011-2012 and Chief of Staff to Foreign Minister Philippe Goffin in 2019-2020.
After that, he was chosen as Deputy Director-General for Africa at the European External Action Service (EEAS), a position he left after three years before returning to the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs to manage the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union as acting Director-General for European Affairs. Bernard Quintin trained as a historian and worked for several years in education.
Bernard Quintin, future Minister of Foreign Affairs: “This proposal and the trust it reflects honour me, and from the very first minute I will be fully committed to continuing the work carried out by Ms Lahbib. The coming weeks will be intense. ”