Helga Stevens (born 9 August 1968) is a Belgian politician of the

New Flemish Alliance The New Flemish Alliance ( ; N-VA) is a Flemish Movement, Flemish nationalist, Conservatism, conservative Political parties in Belgium, political party in Belgium. The party was established in 2001 by the right-leaning faction of the centrist-na ...

(N-VA) and

member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

since 2014. She is well known for her work fighting for the rights of people with disabilities.

Early life

Born deaf, Helga Stevens first attended Koninklijk Instituut voor Doven en Spraakgestoorden, a special school for deaf students in

Hasselt Hasselt (, , ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. As of 1 August 2023, Hasselt had a total population of 80,846. The old ...

, before later switching to a mainstream school in

Sint-Truiden Sint-Truiden (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality located in the Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium. With more than 41,500 inhabitants, it is on ...

. While spending a year in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

on a Rotary Scholarship 1987, she visited

Gallaudet University Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered university in Washington, D.C., for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first school ...

and met a deaf attorney who inspired her to continue her studies in law. Back in Belgium, she studied law at the

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries. In addition to its main camp ...

and became the first deaf lawyer in Belgium. In 1993, Stevens returned to the United States and obtained a master's degree at Boalt Hall Law School of the

University of California in Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

on a Fulbright scholarship. In 1996, Stevens started working for the European Union of the Deaf (EUD) and was active in the Federation of Flemish Deaf Organisations.

Political career

Stevens became politically active and was for the first time a candidate in

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

for the Belgian

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

on the People's Union list (10th place). She was again candidate for Senate in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

on the New Flemish Alliance list (3rd place). She was elected as a Member of the Flemish Parliament in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

and as a member of the Senate in 2007. She was reelected for the Flemish Parliament in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

and as a member of the Senate in 2010. In May 2014, Stevens was elected

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

. In November 2014, she was elected vice-president of the

European Conservatives and Reformists European Conservatives and Reformists may refer to: *European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party), a soft Eurosceptic European political party *European Conservatives and Reformists Group The European Conservatives and Reformists ...

group. In addition to her committee assignments, Stevens serves as president of the European Parliament's Disabilities Intergroup. In October 2016, the ECR group announced Stevens as their group's choice to be the next

President of the European Parliament The president of the European Parliament presides over the debates and activities of the European Parliament. They also represent the Parliament within the European Union (EU) and internationally. The president's signature is required for Euro ...

.Cynthia Kroet (4 October 2016)
ECR picks its Parliament presidential candidate
''

Politico Europe ''Politico Europe'' (stylized as ''POLITICO Europe'') is the European edition of the American news organization '' Politico'' reporting on political affairs of the European Union. Its headquarters are located in Brussels with additional offices in ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Helga 1968 births 21st-century women MEPs for Belgium Belgian deaf people Deaf lawyers Deaf politicians Living people Members of the Flemish Parliament Members of the Senate (Belgium) MEPs for Belgium 2014–2019 New Flemish Alliance politicians People's Union (Belgium) politicians