Belgian MEP Johan Van Overtveldt (N-VA) has been re-elected to chair the European Parliament committee that manages the EU's budget on Tuesday.
Van Overtveldt, who is a member of the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group at the EU level, will resume his leadership role for the next two and a half years.
The European Parliament's Budget Committee is one of 20 standing committees and four subcommittees that met on Tuesday to assign key leadership roles for the next mandate.
The Budget Committee is responsible for developing the multi-annual financial framework for the entire Union's revenue and expenditure, examining how compatible all EU legislation is with that spending framework, as well as other budgetary matters.
Van Overtveldt has chaired the committee since 2019, and the former journalist and Federal Finance Minister was comfortably re-elected with 32 votes in favour, one against, and seven abstentions.
Speaking after his election, he highlighted the "important work" that awaits the Budget Committee over the next months and years, most notably preparing the next annual budgets and multi-annual financial framework.
"I sincerely hope that we can continue to evolve towards a future-proof budget that stimulates investment, supports the purchasing power of citizens and the competitiveness of our companies, and focuses on real and current needs, such as the support for Ukraine and strengthening military capacities in the European Union," he said, adding that it also remains a task to "safeguard the quality of expenditures".
Two fellow Belgian MEPs were assigned vice-president roles on other committees: Kathleen Van Brempt (Vooruit/Socialists and Democrats) was elected as fourth vice-chair on the International Trade Committee, while Yvan Verougstraete (Les Engagés/Renew) was elected fourth vice-chair of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee.
