Nicole De Moor has been nominated by her party, the CD&V, to replace Sammy Mahdi as Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, the Christian Democrats announced on Monday evening. Nicole De Moor was chief of staff of the former secretary of state elected on Saturday as president of his party. The new member of the government can boast of serious experience in the matters which are now incumbent on her. She previously worked for the General Commissioner for Refugees and Stateless Persons and then continued her career with various CD&V firms. Before officiating for that of Sammy Mahdi, she, among other things, put her skills to the benefit of the former Ministers of Justice, Koen Geens, and Employment, Nathalie Muylle.
Her predecessor said on Monday evening that she represented the embodiment of “experience and renewal in one person”. “We sometimes call her the warm Margaret Thatcher of Flanders. She is strong, but fair and able to position the party correctly, also in the years to come.”
Nicole De Moor said she was “grateful and honored” by her designation. “It is a difficult department, but, in my opinion, it is also the best to make a difference” with the values of the Christian Democratic Party. “I can’t wait to get to work,” she said briefly.
Nicole De Moor, 38, is from Sint-Gillis-Waals and lives in Anderlecht. However, she plans to move to West Flanders in the short term. In 2019, she appeared on the Brussels CD&V list for the Flemish parliament. A lawyer by training, she holds a doctorate as well as a degree in international and European law from the University of Amsterdam. She is married and the mother of two children.
She elected on Monday with 88% of the votes of the party council. She will be sworn in tomorrow/Tuesday before the King, at 9.30 a.m., before presenting herself to the press at 10 a.m.