The UMons problem may not require an alternative majority to be formed in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, despite recent tensions between PS and MR. Many politicians are discussing a possible compromise, with the PS planning to table a decree on Tuesday that would validate master’s program requests by universities. Ministers from different parties are adopting a constructive approach towards finding a formula that suits everyone. The cost of the proposed master’s program in medicine in Namur and Mons might be lower than expected, with some ministers optimistic regarding the discussions.
Despite the perception that this issue reflects a conflict between the liberal and socialist presidents, Georges-Louis Bouchez and Paul Magnette, both from Hainaut, a third party, Ecolo, might play a crucial role. Ecolo supports this program and may consider forming an alternative majority with PS and Engagés if MR rejects the master’s degree. Green politicians emphasize the need for a compromise and reasonable solution while avoiding personal conflicts.
Was it just a bluff? As is often the case in explosive files that bring PS and MR into confrontation in the media to the point of raising fears of an implosion of an executive, it would seem that the UMons problem might be solved with a good dose of compromise. After a terrible ascent of the hill of stress, many political actors agree that it will not be necessary to form an alternative majority to the Wallonia-Brussels Federation to settle the question of authorizations for masters in medicine in Namur and in Mons.
”Nothing is settled yet, and we are not immune to a reversal, but we are moving forward”we nuance in a community minister. “We are working on a solution, as we have always done”we hear in another. “We want to find a formula that suits everyone. We are in a rather constructive state of mind”we say in a third minister.
We are therefore moving away from the belligerent positions taken in recent weeks. Notes circulate. Many documents are exchanged between ministerial cabinets, but also between party presidents. The weekend promises to be busy in discussion, but an agreement might fall before Tuesday, which would prevent the PS from filing its famous proposal for a decree which would eject the MR from the majority. The idea of having a master’s degree in medicine in Mons and Namur no longer seems ruled out by the liberals, but this master’s would be done with slightly different methods. The cost would be lower than expected. We are no longer talking regarding half a million euros, but rather 200,000 euros. “If we discuss the modalities, it is that we are moving forward”we slip in a minister.
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Seen from the outside, the file looks like a settling of accounts between the liberal president and his socialist counterpart, Georges-Louis Bouchez and Paul Magnette, both Hénuiers. At the PS, some read Bouchez’s stubbornness as a way of shooting the mayor of Mons, the socialist Nicolas Martin, who has been carrying the project for 10 years. But this is to forget the presence of a third party within the government of the FWB. Ecolo is also for local medicine and he does not rule out forming an alternative majority with the PS and the Engagés if the MR refuses this master’s degree. “sous-local”.
On this sequence, the greens say they want to be constructive. At the party level, it is Jean-Marc Nollet, also from Hainaut, who is in charge. At the government level, it is the Minister of Culture Bénédicte Linard who is at the front. Impossible, however, to extract from them a statement other than “we continue to plead to find a compromise and a reasonable solution”. The party does not want to play muscle or throw oil on the fire. An approach that ecologists put on the back of their DNA: at Ecolo, we play it collectively. In other words, the greens do not want to make the file a personal story, unlike what the PS and the MR do.
In conclusion, it seems that the UMons problem is moving towards a compromise and away from belligerent positions taken in recent weeks. While nothing is settled yet, there is a rather constructive state of mind among political actors, and an agreement might fall before Tuesday. The idea of having a master’s degree in medicine in Mons and Namur is no longer ruled out by the liberals, and the cost would be much lower than expected. The file may have looked like a settling of accounts between the liberal and socialist presidents, but Ecolo’s presence in the government also plays a significant role. The greens want to be constructive and continue to plead to find a compromise and a reasonable solution. It remains to be seen how this will all play out, but for now, it appears that the UMons problem is headed towards a resolution with the possibility of a happy compromise for all parties involved.
