The European Parliament should only meet in Brussels and put an end to the monthly ‘migration’ of deputies and officials in Strasbourg, in compliance with the principle of the double location. The support for this request is contained in the pact that allowed the birth, after eight months of negotiations, of the new Government of Belgium, led by Bart De Wever, leader of the Flemish nationalist party N-Va (Nieuw-Vlaamse AlliantieNew Flemish alliance), which in Europe sits in the benches of conservatives and reformists (ECR), together with Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy.
Because the EU Parliament has two locations (despite being against the deputies themselves)
“As part of a decision -making process respecting the budget and climate, we continue to oppose the monthly movement of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The European Parliament should have a single location in Brussels and, like its commissions, gather only there”, It reads in the text of the agreement, as reported by Brussels Toray.
The new government
De Wever, the first Flemish separatist at the head of the Federal Government of Belgium, has promised to exacerbate asylum policy and the conditions for obtaining social services for asylum seekers, as well as to strengthen safety and the fight against drug trafficking . On the socio-economic front, its coalition intends to “reward the work” by limiting the right to unemployment subsidy to two years.
In addition to the N-Va, the new executive will be supported by the Liberal Francophone Party (MR) of the center-right, the French-speaking centrists of Les Engagésthe Christian-Democratic and Flemish centrist party (Christen-Democratisch en vlaamsCD & V), but also the Flemish socialists of Vooruit (After you). In all, the five parties represent 81 of the 150 members of the new Chamber elected on June 9th. The coalition is called “Arizona” because the colors of the parties are similar to those of the American federated state (red, yellow, orange and blue).
Public spending
With a public deficit that should reach 4.6 percent of the GDP by 2024, Belgium is one of the countries with the worst results in the EU, and the De Wever government intends to find 20 billion euros to gradually report the nation in Line with European standards, limiting public spending in a series of sectors and increasing the defense budget.
Far from the 2 percent of the GDP requested from all NATO members, the Belgium Defense Budget is around 1.3 percent, and Theo Franken, the new Minister of Defense of the N-Va, has already promised to “stop taking advantage of others”.