“I want to make Walloons dream again”

He comes back from Charleroi. The Secretary of State for Science Policy is responsible for coordinating the Recovery Plan. Sometimes alongside Thomas Pesquet or Raphaël Liegeois, he recalls Belgium’s strengths in space matters: “Young Walloons often forget that they live in a region where the glasses of the future (AGC) are being invented which will to be integrated into cars…but also a place where there are, per Km2, the most factories working on the theme of space. 50% of the Ariane rocket’s on-board electronic system is made in Charleroi. I also remind you that the Walloons are workers and that they live in a region in transition. I want to make Walloons dream again. Wallonia is a region that sometimes suffers from its lack of dreams. We have to stop beating ourselves up. »

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However, the gloom remains an ambient feeling… when will Wallonia recover?

“In the field of lime, Wallonia is at the forefront with Caremeuse and Lhoist. In cement, we have large European cement plants (Antoing and Obourg)….These sectors emit CO2 but we have to keep them and find solutions to capture CO2. With the Recovery Plan, my job is to currently follow 100 projects 500 construction sites from the construction of the largest island in the North Sea… to the renovation of dozens of schools. »

How can we hope to attract new companies to us?

“Today, the first question that investors ask is that of green energy and its price. So we have to draw green power lines all over the territory to be competitive. We are creating the energy skeleton of the Belgium of tomorrow. We also have the port of Antwerp and Zeebrugge, which are assets, particularly with the gas terminal. We are also investing a lot in hydrogen and we are continuing to reflect on carbon capture. »

A word on our energy policy?

“Belgium’s energy policy is often criticized, but 50% of German gas passed through Belgium (Zeebrugge) this winter. »

Do you also fight against clichés from Flanders…by sending a photo of your daughter to Bart De Wever on Twitter?

“I was shocked by Bart’s statement that women and men are not biologically programmed to have the same ambitions. We must deconstruct the clichés… and at the same time young women must dare to enroll in scientific branches. I try to sensitize the families, the parents to this question especially that, when the girls engage in these courses,… they succeed much better. »

Case: “You have to be irreproachable!”

Are you tired ?

” I’m not tired. I am in good shape. I give the maximum in skills that are broad. However, some things are exhausting: the weight of social networks even if you don’t read them… not to mention the question of business. While keeping the presumption of innocence, with cases, it feels like taking three steps forward and two steps back. It’s not good. »

Bored with the cases that affect the PS?

“Integrity is important to me. You have to be irreproachable, especially when you defend socialist values. »

Do you also want to bring the Carolos back to Charleroi?

” It’s essential. We do the job creation work but we don’t benefit from the economic spin-offs, nor from the municipal taxes… In reality, we do the job for the liberal municipalities on the outskirts. We must not count the employment rate but the number of jobs. The middle class must revive in Charleroi and we must improve access to training (in sectoral ecosystems such as the European biotech school) and higher education (UCL and ULB in Charleroi). »

Mayor one day?

” Never say never. »

What happens with the master’s in medicine in Mons?

“Those who do not study in Mons will find it more difficult to return to Mons. There is a drain of talent, brains… We are talking about 1.4 million inhabitants in Hainaut. The question of the diversification of the university offer is therefore extremely important. »

How do you respond to the MR who says it will cost more?

“We obviously have to remain vigilant with regard to the finances of the FWB. It is necessary to keep masters in connection with the local industry or the economic social needs of a region. The paradox is that the MR, which is always the quickest to criticize Hainaut, is the one that blocks its university development which is an essential basis for its socio-economic development. »

Charleroi: “During the energy crisis, we were knocked at 20,000 doors”

So you are re-elected to the presidency of the federation of the PS of Charleroi?

” It is important. I like the animation of local political life with elected officials. Activism is evolving and young people no longer necessarily invest in a structure, but rather in certain subjects. We take this into account. In particular, we provide training for women representatives. We also remain close to the population, and during the energy crisis, we were knocked at 20,000 doors. »

With Paul Magnette, are you going to succeed in the revival of Charleroi?

“This revival takes time, especially in the city center, but there are many projects. The start of the 2023 academic year will show a Charleroi which continues to develop and the other entities too. We are going to have the development of the Lego project at Caterpillar and the 1.2 billion investment project of Goggle at Farciennes, in particular without forgetting one of the largest European satellite construction factories. »

Looking back, was the Catch project a success?

“We missed some things but there is a positive job growth dynamic (Biotech, Alstom, Thales, etc.) and we have kept factories from the transition. I do not deny the complex reality of the areas affected by industrial decline, but Hainaut will also recover. »

With the help of its universities?

“The university offer in Charleroi is multiplying. I remind you that today, we are unequal according to diplomas. The risk of being exposed to poverty for a higher education graduate is well below 10%. If, on the other hand, someone leaves school before obtaining the CESS, he multiplies the risk by 4… And this is all the more important since low-skilled jobs will become scarce. It must be said. I say it in schools. In this context, for universities and unives in Charleroi or Mons, the geographical barrier must be taken into account. This is a real barrier to access to studies. Take an hour by train to go to unif or rent a kot, not everyone can do it. »

What are you doing for women and access to science concretely in Charleroi?

“If I take the example of the Big Bang day on March 28 in Charleroi, we brought in a female physicist, an astronaut, the first female commander of the international station. All of this is a long-term task of deconstructing gender stereotypes. We are also working on coding in Charleroi with MolenGeek where we have 40% of young girls in training. »

How important is it to you?

“It’s a double challenge: there’s the question of gender… but also the desire to allow girls to go to better paid jobs. To improve the economic development of Wallonia, we cannot cut ourselves off from 50% of our population in trades that are in short supply…”

“The Recovery Plan will create jobs”

Are we on time for the Recovery Plan?

“Totally. Afterwards, reforms are to be carried out as requested by the European Commission, such as that of pensions which is currently under discussion. Furthermore, we can be delighted to see our hyper-voluntarist plan for the green transition being in line with today’s energy challenges… it is even taken as an example for certain projects by the European Commission. »

Will it really create jobs?

“80% of the Recovery Plan is an investment in infrastructure. Construction therefore benefits in the short term. Furthermore, the impact of the Recovery Plan will have a medium-term effect on productivity, to attract talent… We are going to reindustrialise Europe because the wage differential is decreasing and there is a real desire for reindustrialisation and to regain strategic independence. »

It’s possible ?

“Climate change is not only a technological adaptation as the liberals think or only a question of behavioral adjustment as the greens say… I think that all the transitions are made when you succeed in adjusting your infrastructures. The current deployment of infrastructure networks is therefore really essential… and we must not forget to protect the Belgian economy. »

“We need more resources for universities”

A word on the withholding tax and the universities?

“The refinancing of universities is a major issue. More money is needed to develop higher education. Currently, there are 230 million to be collected via the federal government with this question of the withholding tax. It is enough simply to apply the law. The Federal Minister of Finance is requested at this level to ensure that the regularization takes place. As a reminder, seventeen universities or colleges have lodged complaints relating to the exemption from payment of withholding tax. »

Where are you on the appointments of heads of federal scientific establishments?

“We inherited a science policy department that had been abandoned by the NVA and was in a fallow situation. We are rebuilding the departments step by step. We will name the 5 new directions. As a reminder, on January 14, 2022 Arnaud Vajda was appointed Chairman of the Management Committee of the Science Policy PPS. On July 20, 2022, the Science Policy Department adopted an ambitious strategic plan. Among the ten ESF (KBR, Afriacamuseum, Institute of Space Aeronomy of Belgium, Royal Institute of Natural Sciences of Belgium, Royal Institute of Artistic Heritage, Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Royal Museums of Art and History, Royal Museums of Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Royal Observatory of Belgium and State Archives), 5 will therefore have a new chef this Monday.