The employers’ federations were received late Monday followingnoon at 16 rue de la Loi for a consultation with the Prime Minister, the regional minister-presidents and several federal government ministers regarding the energy crisis. The opportunity for them to recall the need to take measures “quick and short term” and of “to put tracks on the table”.
The political representatives present affirmed to the employers’ bench “that they were in the process of making an inventory of the measures and levers available both at the federal level and at the regional level“, said at the end of the meeting Christophe Wambersie, of the Neutral Union for Independents (SNI).
He still hopes for structural measures at European level, but also for regional and federal measures. “in the coming weeks”.
If the boss of the Federation of Belgian Enterprises, Pieter Timmermans, also seemed to have seen “sense of urgency” in the eyes of political representatives, the president of the Union des Classes Moyennes (UCM), Pierre-Frédéric Nyst, came out less convinced by the meeting. “We didn’t get much. The complexity of the system and the institutions means that, obviously, the big effort must be made at European level, which scares us because it might take time.”
The Minister for the Middle Classes, the Self-Employed and SMEs, David Clarinval, on the other hand assured that the requests “clearly requested” had been “understood”. “Each government will now look at how it can make them a reality. Obviously, there are solutions at European level, but there are also federal, regional solutions…” “Some measures might be put in place in the coming weeks“, did he declare.
“Others will take a little longer”in particular because they require budgetary discussions.
On the federal side, the kern is due to meet on Tuesday evening to further explore some options on the table, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed.