{ "title": "Former Ecolo leader leaves politics for NGO role", "modified_at": "2026-06-09 10:54:53", "published_at": "2026-06-09 10:54:00", "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/former-ecolo-leader-leaves-politics-for-ngo-role", "short_url": "http://prez.ly/ytId", "culture": "en_BE", "language": "EN", "slug": "former-ecolo-leader-leaves-politics-for-ngo-role", "body": "

Former Ecolo co-leader Samuel Cogolati is leaving politics to become director general of the humanitarian NGO Caritas International. He announced the move on Tuesday in an interview with La Libre Belgique.

The 37-year-old will take up his post on 1 September. He will initially work alongside Luc Van Haute, who is stepping down as director general at the age of 67. Cogolati is resigning from his role as a municipal councillor in Huy, “to avoid any confusion regarding my role at the head of Caritas”.

His partnership with co-leader Marie Lecocq at the helm of the French-speaking green party fell apart in November.

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\n\n \n Green party Ecolo in crisis as co-leaders quit together \n \n
\n Belgium\u2019s francophone green party, Ecolo, entered a new phase of turmoil on Wednesday after co-leader Marie Lecocq announced she would resign. Her...
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“I am taking on a different role, that is true, but fundamentally my cause remains the same. I will dedicate myself to the values of human rights, human dignity and migrants,” says Cogolati, who has a PhD in law from KU Leuven.

He risks being caught up in the public debate on the issues at the heart of Caritas’ work. The federal government is pursuing “the strictest migration policy yet”, while the EU is also tightening its border controls.

“It is very naive to believe that, just because we are closing the doors in Belgium and across Europe, migrants fleeing their countries – fleeing war, famine and extreme climate crises – will stop doing so,” he told La Libre.

“History actually proves the opposite: as we have seen in the Mediterranean, Europe’s transformation into a fortress fuels the networks of people-smugglers and mafia-style criminals.”

 

Samuel Cogolati at the Ecolo new year's reception in Brussels, January 2025 © BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT

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