Les Engagés
EU RANK: 76 (Tier 2: High Performance)
Les Engagés is a francophone centrist, humanist party that emerged from a deep transformation and rebranding of the former Christian‑democratic cdH. It dropped explicit religious labels and now presents itself as a movement of social and ecological “engagement”, occupying a centrist space between PS, Ecolo and MR. After a severe setback in 2019, it re‑established itself as a key player in the 2024 elections, entering the federal government and regional executives in Wallonia and Brussels as a pivotal coalition partner.
Disinformation and alternative media
Les Engagés communicate primarily through mainstream francophone media, party publications and social media; they do not have an ecosystem of partisan alternative outlets pushing conspiratorial narratives. Their messaging focuses on reconciliation, social cohesion, ecological transition and institutional reform framed in centrist, technocratic language.
Belgian disinformation research points to limited explicitly partisan media in the francophone sphere and identifies far‑right and fringe actors as the main vectors of mis‑ and disinformation, especially on migration and identity. Les Engagés appear mainly as participants in conventional political debate rather than as sources of fake‑news campaigns. Disinformation and alternative‑media risk is low.
Foreign influence and external alignments
Les Engagés are pro‑EU and supportive of Belgium’s traditional Atlanticist orientation, while emphasising social and environmental priorities at European level. They back EU tools to defend democracy and rule of law, including measures against foreign information manipulation and interference.
There is no evidence that Les Engagés maintain operational ties to authoritarian regimes or state‑aligned media that would amplify foreign influence in Belgium. Their foreign‑influence DMI risk is therefore low.
Media capture, advertising and public service media
In the French‑speaking media landscape, power is shared between RTBF and major private groups, with political influence traditionally channelled through regulatory decisions, public subsidies and appointments. Les Engagés, as a rebranded but historically rooted party, participate in these institutional negotiations but do not control major private media conglomerates of their own.
The party supports independent public service media and has engaged in debates over restructuring and funding of local media in the Federation Wallonia‑Brussels, where reforms aim to reduce and consolidate subsidised outlets for budgetary reasons. While such reforms can affect pluralism and raise concerns about political steering, they are framed by Les Engagés and their partners as efficiency measures rather than as attempts to silence critical voices. Media‑capture risk is medium: a centrist governing actor with influence in a restructuring media environment, but without an overt capture agenda.
Corruption, litigation and institutional integrity
As the successor to cdH, Les Engagés inherit a history of participation in Walloon and Brussels governance, including in networks that have at times been touched by local patronage and governance controversies, though usually to a lesser extent than PS. Party‑funding data show standard reliance on public subsidies and reported donations, with no large‑scale proprietary media or corporate holdings, but do place the party within the same institutional ecosystem that has generated repeated integrity concerns.
The rebranding was partly intended to signal ethical renewal and distance from past political fatigue and scandals, and the party’s current discourse stresses transparency, anti‑corruption and “politics of the common good”. Overall DMI integrity risk is medium: not among the worst performers, but embedded in a system where historical clientelism and conflicts of interest remain a concern.
Press freedom, harassment and treatment of media
Les Engagés publicly support press freedom, independent journalism and public service broadcasting, and they present themselves as promoters of moderation and dialogue in a polarised environment. Their leaders criticise media coverage at times, especially when they perceive it as overly focused on polarising actors or ignoring centrist proposals, but they do not typically use accusatory “enemy of the people” rhetoric.
The party’s influence over media arises mainly through its roles in governments that design subsidy and restructuring schemes for local outlets and RTBF, which can generate indirect pressures even when reforms are framed in neutral budgetary terms. In DMI terms, press‑freedom and harassment risk is low–medium: formal support for independent media combined with structural influence over funding rules that must be monitored for potential politicisation.