While winter has not yet set in, energy prices are rising sharply with unexpected consequences on the purchasing power of Belgians. How are they going to cushion the impact of the energy crisis? In our RTL Info Special Edition, for the first time since the start of the crisis, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo is facing Belgian citizens who are worried and hard hit. It answers their questions and fears.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo answers questions from Belgians during a special edition. He meets Delphine and Gabriel, a couple from Liège. Via the orange button Alert us, they denounce a large gas and electricity regularization bill. “We have received our statement. When we see the installments for the next few months, we are at almost €1,200 per month. It’s hellish. We won’t be able to pay this amount. We’re going straight into the wall with such bills. That’s for everything: groceries, fuel to go to work or get around. It’s time for things to change. We’ve reduced the time for showers, we’re watching the children a little more. The shower is 3 minutes and no more. We turn off the water while we soap up. For the heating, we are down to 18 degrees but for a house, it is not tenable. The accounts are very low”, Delphine breathes.
For his part, Gabriel challenges the Prime Minister: “What are you waiting for to really react? A riot?”
Alexander De Croo says he understands the difficulties the household is facing. “You said you were afraid of ending up under a bridge. That, clearly not. An example: you are an owner, I imagine that you are still paying mortgages. There is a possibility. And we have an agreement with the banks to say: ‘For a certain period, I don’t pay’. We are not going to accept that people leave their homes because they cannot pay their mortgage. There is an agreement with the banks”, replied the Prime Minister. Before adding: “I understand that it is extremely complicated. We are not going to leave people in the cold. If there are serious problems, there are plenty of social mechanisms that exist”.