2024-01-08 15:02:00
The Brussels Secretary of State for International Relations, Ans Persoons (Vooruit), announced last November her decision to abolish Brussels’ foreign trade promotion policy, due to the Region’s budgetary difficulties. This aid allows Brussels companies, in particular, to take part in prospecting trips abroad and to participate in fairs. This decision, revealed by La Libre, was taken during the Brussels government’s budget negotiations.
The Brussels Region plans to eliminate export aid for businesses: “This will encourage them to flee to Wallonia and Flanders”
In 2023, subsidies for export companies represented a total budget of nearly 4 million euros. And benefit a thousand companies in total.
This Monday, the Brussels Secretary of State for International Relations, Ans Persoons (Vooruit), announced in the Finance Committee of the Brussels Parliament her decision to partially reverse her decision.
”It was undoubtedly a mistake on my part to have announced that we were putting these bonuses on hold, pending the reform and before having consulted with the sector. I admit, I made a mistake. But I am convinced that reform remains necessary. This decision was also taken in light of an under-use of these bonuses, which has only reached 46% of funds in recent years,” declared the Brussels Secretary of State for International Relations, pointing out the fact that “the current system has its limits and does not sufficiently differentiate between start-ups, SMEs, and large companies, and involves cumbersome administrative procedures to be carried out.”
Forty% of the budget is maintained
Ans Persoons therefore ensures that it has “freed up one and a half million euros for the months to come. The old system will be extended while waiting for the reform to come into force.” It therefore maintains 40% of the initial budget, which it initially planned to eliminate entirely.
This amount will be released via transfers to the Secretary of State’s own budgets, specifies the Persoons firm.
The opposition welcomed this announcement. “The mobilization of entrepreneurs supported by Les Engagés and the MR has paid off! It’s too little, the management of the file is calamitous and the signal towards entrepreneurs is negative, but it’s a first victory,” tweeted Christophe De Beukelaer, MP for Les Engagés.
The announcement of this suppression decision, in November, had indeed caused a strong reaction within the opposition, but also among the majority, with criticism coming from Ecolo, while the business world had stepped up to the plate.
The MR and the Engagés had even, something rare, made common cause to call for “collaboration of the oppositions” and save export aid to Brussels.
The MR and the Engagés join forces to call for “collaboration of oppositions” to save export aid in Brussels
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