Johan Van Overtveldt ranked 6th most politically influential member of the European Parliament

The Influence Index, the ranking of the most influential MEPs, was published on Thursday. A newcomer in the top 10 is N-VA member Johan Van Overtveldt, who scores highly with sixth place out of a total of 705 MEPs. This also makes him the highest-scoring Belgian MP in terms of political influence.

According to VoteWatchEurope and BWC Brussels, which did the analysis, Johan Van Overtveldt owes his high ranking to the fact that he is very active at the legislative level and has an exceptionally high number of parliamentary reports to his name. As Chairman of the Committee on Budgets and coordinator within the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, he can weigh in on major budgetary and economic issues. But he also makes his voice heard on issues such as the climate, energy and transport. The knowledge and experience he acquired as the Minister of Finance strengthens his influence in parliament.

Johan Van Overtveldt: “An unexpected but pleasant surprise”

Johan Van Overtveldt’s first reaction was an expression of pleasant surprise. “This news is an unexpected but pleasant surprise. I try day in and day out to give the best of myself in parliament and to weigh in on issues that matter to the public. That’s not always easy in such a big machine, but I’m happy with the recognition. I focus on how the EU’s financial resources are spent, on economic choices, and also on the role the EU played in tackling the coronavirus crisis and how it is tackling the energy crisis, for example. I see it as my job to keep the European Commission on its toes, and I will continue to do so with the same dedication and determination.”