Marianne Leonie Petrus Thyssen is a Belgian politician for the Christian Democratic and Flemish Party.
Education
Born in Sint-Gillis-Waas, to a Flemish-speaking family, not related to the family of Baron Thyssen, Thyssen graduated from the Catholic University of Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (Catholic University of Louvain)) in 1979, where she obtained a degree in law.
Career
In 2014 she became the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility. She worked as a legal adviser for a Belgian organisation for the self-employed and small and medium-sized businesses Unizo and the women's network Markant, becoming Director then acting Secretary-General at Unizo in 1991. From 1986-1988 she acted as legal adviser to the state secretary for public health and disability policy.
From 1995-2008 she served as municipal Councillor for Oud-Heverlee, a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant and in 2001 she became First Alderman for Oud-Heverlee.
From 1999-2014 she served as leader of the European People"s Party"s (EPP) Belgian delegation and from 2004-2009 was elected first vice-president of the EPP. In 2014 she was appointed to the European Commission as Commissioner in charge of Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility for the European Union (European Union). Early 1979: Degree in law at the Catholic University of Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (Catholic University of Louvain))
Assistant in the faculty of law, Catholic University of Leuven
Legal assistant in the office of the State Secretary for Health
Successively legal adviser, head of a research department and acting Secretary-General at Unizo (organisation for the self-employed and small and medium-sized businesses)
Vice-Chairwoman of the EPP-Education Group"s Small and Medium Size Enterprises Circle
First Deputy Mayor of Oud-Heverlee until 2008
Chair woman of the Civil Defense&V (15 May 2008-2023 June 2010).
Politics
In 2008 Thyssen was elected leader of Civil Defense&V party.
Membership
In 1991, Thyssen was elected as Member of the European Parliament (Member of the European Parliament) for Flanders with the Civil Defense&V, the Flemish Christian Democrats in Belgium. During her almost 23 years as a member of the European Parliament she was re-elected 5 times. She has sat on the European Parliament"s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, has substituted for the Committee on International Trade, was a member of the Delegation to the European Union-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee and a substitute for the Delegation to the European Union-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee.
Since 1991: Member of the European Parliament
Member of the bureau of the European People"s Party.