The barbecue evening, organized in Brakel at the home of Alexander De Croo, aimed to strengthen ties within the government, between the 7 parties. This team building was timely to calm tempers over the pension reform that Karine Lalieux (PS) hopes to finalize before July 21.
Dressed in a bright blue outfit from head to toe, Eva De Bleeker (Open VLD), Secretary of State for the Budget, made a grand entrance into the Prime Minister’s garden. Last year, during the previous Vivaldian barbecue, she had favored an outfit with more varied colors. “Last year, it was Vivaldi, there, it’s only blue”, launched Eva De Bleeker, tongue-in-cheek. The anecdote is revealing. Between liberals clinging to budgetary rigor and socialists eager for social achievements, tensions run through the De Croo government.
Because on Thursday, De Bleeker banged his fist on the table. “But where is the pension reform?“, she launched in The eveningcalling for a budgetary effort of 3 billion, also worrying about the delay in the reform of the labor market, considering that Belgium’s recovery plan, financed by Europe, was at risk if the Commission’s recommendations are not not followed.
The tackle targeted the socialists Karine Lalieux, Minister of Pensions and Pierre-Yves Dermagne, Minister of the Economy.
Thomas Dermine (PS), Secretary of State for Recovery, returned the blows, denouncing “the enormous cynicism” of the Budget Minister. Karine Lalieux, for her part, felt that Eva De Bleeker was coming back “to the old Swedish recipes, which have reduced social rights and social security”.
Despite these invectives, the atmosphere was quite relaxed on Saturday evening in the Prime Minister’s garden, near which a few sheep graze.
The Walloons on the left, Thomas Dermine, Pierre-Yves Dermagne, Ludivine Dedonder and Georges Gilkinet, gather together at the table.
Alexander De Croo partage la sienne avec Frank Vandenbroucke, Vincent Van Quickenborne et Sarah Schlitz.
In the presence of the 20 members of the federal government, the jokes fuse and, if we talk about work, it is in a light and informal way, far removed from a council of ministers.
Disagree at the kern
Some of the guests met again the next morning for the meeting of the select ministerial committee (kern). A good barbecue can do a lot, but there are no miracles. No agreement on pension reform emerged from this meeting. The Prime Minister has however accepted that retirement at age 60 be put back on the table for people with a career of at least 42 years. The request, formulated by the PS, had the gift of irritating the MR, the Open VLD and the CD&V which blocked on this point. Currently, it takes 44 years of career to leave at 60. To leave at 61, or 62, it takes 43 years of career. The socialist measure allows people who started working before the age of 21 to take early retirement earlier than at present. “It is obvious that this request is not in the agreement of the government and is not in line with the expectations of the European Commission”, slips us a well-informed source. The discussion should continue this Monday evening, during the new meeting planned.
Vivaldi is expected, on this file like others, for July 21 at the latest.