Staff member and later commissioner in various ministerial cabinets (1985-1995); coordinator of the European network of experts “Women in decision-making” for the European Commission (1992-1996); national chairwoman of “Vrouw en Maatschappij” (1989-2003), the political women's group of CVP (later CD&V)
Senator (elected in 1995, re-elected in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2010); first Vice-President of the Senate (1999-2003); Senate fraction leader (2003-2011); President of the Senate (2011-2014); Member of the Flemish Parliament (2014-2019); State Senator from the Flemish Parliament (2014-2019); co-opted Senator (2019-2021) and Senate fraction leader (2019-2021).
Appointed judge to the Constitutional Court by Royal Decree of 22 June 2021
