Member of the Council of Culture and the Flemish Council (12 May 1977 – 21 May 1995)
Senator for the district of Mechelen-Turnhout (1991–1995)
Member of the
Flemish Parliament for Mechelen-Turnhout (13 June 1995 – 4 July 1995) (16 July 1999–)
President of the Commission for Foreign and European Affairs (1999–2004)
Member of the Flemish Parliament for the province of Antwerp since June 2004
Community Senator (13 October 1999–)
Member of the Federal advisory Committee on European Affairs
Governmental functions
Federal Minister of Employment and Labour (9 May 1988 – 21 January 1992)
President of the Government of Flanders and Minister for Economic Affairs, Small and Medium-Sized Business, Science Policy, Energy and Foreign Relations (21 January 1992 – 30 January 1992)
Minister-President of the Government of Flanders and Minister for Economic Affairs, Small and Medium-Sized Business, Science Policy, Energy and Foreign Relations (30 January 1992 – 20 June 1995)
Minister-President of the Government of Flanders, Minister for Foreign Policy, European Affairs, Science and Technology (20 June 1995 – 13 July 1999)
Vice-president of the Parliamentary Assembly (2003–2004)
President of the Group EPP/CD in the Parliamentary Assembly (2005–) and thus also member of the Presidential Committee, the Bureau and the Standing Committee
Effective member of the Political Affaires Committee and the Committee on the Honouring of obligations and commitments by member states, known as the Monitoring Committee;
Member of various subcommittees
Several times rapporteur on various occasions, e.g. monitoring of Turkey and the Russian Federation
Leader of the observatory delegation for the legislative elections and of ad hoc committees
Representative of the Parliamentarian Assembly at the Committee of Ministers for the negotiations concerning the MOU between the Council and the UE
President of the Council for Democratic Elections of the Venice Commission
Member of the Council of Culture and the Flemish Council (12 May 1977 – 21 May 1995)
Senator for the district of Mechelen-Turnhout (1991–1995)
Member of the
Flemish Parliament for Mechelen-Turnhout (13 June 1995 – 4 July 1995) (16 July 1999–)
President of the Commission for Foreign and European Affairs (1999–2004)
Member of the Flemish Parliament for the province of Antwerp since June 2004
Community Senator (13 October 1999–)
Member of the Federal advisory Committee on European Affairs
Governmental functions
Federal Minister of Employment and Labour (9 May 1988 – 21 January 1992)
President of the Government of Flanders and Minister for Economic Affairs, Small and Medium-Sized Business, Science Policy, Energy and Foreign Relations (21 January 1992 – 30 January 1992)
Minister-President of the Government of Flanders and Minister for Economic Affairs, Small and Medium-Sized Business, Science Policy, Energy and Foreign Relations (30 January 1992 – 20 June 1995)
Minister-President of the Government of Flanders, Minister for Foreign Policy, European Affairs, Science and Technology (20 June 1995 – 13 July 1999)
Vice-president of the Parliamentary Assembly (2003–2004)
President of the Group EPP/CD in the Parliamentary Assembly (2005–) and thus also member of the Presidential Committee, the Bureau and the Standing Committee
Effective member of the Political Affaires Committee and the Committee on the Honouring of obligations and commitments by member states, known as the Monitoring Committee;
Member of various subcommittees
Several times rapporteur on various occasions, e.g. monitoring of Turkey and the Russian Federation
Leader of the observatory delegation for the legislative elections and of ad hoc committees
Representative of the Parliamentarian Assembly at the Committee of Ministers for the negotiations concerning the MOU between the Council and the UE
President of the Council for Democratic Elections of the Venice Commission