2023-08-30 16:22:00
Within the De Croo government, the Flemish Christian Democrats are showing their teeth. For a few days, the representatives of the CD&V have been shaking up the news.
First file. Last week, Vincent Van Peteghem, Minister of Finance, launched a State bond which is a hit. Through this decision, which offers an alternative to savings books, the State might collect up to 20 billion euros. A record. But the file makes some majority partners cringe: the minister did not consult them before setting the rate of return for investors (a coupon of 2.81 net%).
Vincent Van Peteghem, the minister who might not reform.
Second file. This weekend, the Minister of the Interior, Annelies Verlinden, became involved in a major police operation at the Gare du Midi in Brussels. This “punch” action mobilized the police forces to secure a neighborhood plagued by delinquency.
Third file. On Tuesday, Nicole de Moor, Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, announced that Belgium was suspending the reception of single men seeking asylum. This unilateral measure, although temporary and within its functional jurisdiction, caused a stir within the federal coalition. For Georges Gilkinet, Ecolo Deputy Prime Minister, this decision is “extremely problematic” because it might force migrants to sleep outside this winter. Nicole de Moor explained her decision by the need to reserve reception places for families and children.
The coup de force of the CD&V ministers
Three CD&V ministers, three strong decisions that leave a lasting impression… Without doubt, these actions met real needs in terms of mobilizing savings, securing the red light districts of the capital and anticipating winter needs in terms of asylum. But we can also decode more politically this intense sequence which propelled the Christian Democrats to the forefront of the media.
The CD&V, as we know, is in difficulty in the polls (below the bar of 10% of voting intentions). For the moment, President Sammy Mahdi, despite his offensive style, is unable to get his political formation back on track. To make matters worse, the Christian Democrats are not very visible at the federal level. To what major reform can they attach their political acronym? The answer is not evident…
The major tax reform wanted by Deputy Prime Minister Vincent Van Peteghem came up once morest political disagreements this summer between the left wing and the liberal wing of the coalition. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) recalled this week: following the deadlock of this summer, he does not consider it appropriate to reopen negotiations. The trophy hoped for by the CD&V passes under his nose.
The unfindable tax reform… is not regarding to be found. Analysis
”Compensate for the big sores of the tax reform”
It was therefore necessary to react… The Christian Democrat ministers thus showed their claws. But this group shot cringes and electrifies the Vivaldian partners. “The rate of the State voucher, the ‘solution’ for the Gare du Midi and now asylum… This makes three points which made the news where there was no consultation on the part of the CD&V, plague a federal informant. We have the impression that a carte blanche has been given to the CD&V for fear that it will pull the plug… We feel that these files are so many small gifts intended to compensate for the big sores of the failure of the tax reform. It’s starting to get big. On asylum, just on the legal level, we were not consulted, there were no intercabinets (a meeting of the chiefs of staff of the deputy prime ministers should address this point this Thursday). We are going blind.”
quote
We have the impression that carte blanche has been given to the CD&V for fear that it will pull the plug…”
The CD&V seems to want to recover its health, even if it means upsetting the De Croo government as a painful budgetary conclave looms in October. Just like the Flemish liberals of the Open VLD, the Christian Democrats are gambling on their survival in the next elections. The rise of Vlaams Belang leaves less and less space for traditional parties. As for the N-VA, in opposition to the federal government, it dreams of allying itself with what remains of the right wing of the Open VLD and the CD&V in view of the elections of June 2024. This great alliance conservative, intended to counter the extreme right, according to Bart De Wever, would also have the collateral effect of precipitating the end of the liberal party and the Christian democratic party.
In these leaden circumstances, the “awakening” of the CD&V ministers, deemed too discreet, was essential…
Close up on insecurity at the Gare du Midi: “The speech of certain elected officials bothers me”
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