A few hours after the royal hearing, on the other side of the Brussels Park, the Prime Minister of the Vivaldi government in current affairs, Alexander de Croo (Open VLD), brings together his vice-premiers at 16, rue de la law. Objective: to designate the new European commissioner of Belgium.
The Latin answering machine of the trainer
At that time, Arizona’s partners already have an agreement to keep the MR to keep the post, occupied by Didier Reynders. The latter hoped to prolong his mandate, but his party president, Georges-Louis Bouchez, prefers Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Reynders calls the Deputy Prime Mr David Clarrinval to plead his cause, so that at least Belgium offers a Reynders-Lahbib ticket to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who would then have decided. But mouth remains inflexible.Hadja Lahbib, benevolence before competence
When the government’s meeting begins, from Croo asks if someone has a name to submit. Clarinval offers Lahbib. He says it is the deal agreed within Arizona. “”Oh well, the trainer did not warn me “replies from Croo. A game of dupes begins.
Clarinval explains that Lahbib was chosen by Bouchez. “”It’s not up to him to decide “replica of Croo. He asks the Vice-Prime MR to call from Wever so that he confirms the name. The liberal leaves the room of the Council of Ministers, calls the trainer, but falls on his answering machine with a message … in Latin. Clarinval tries for a quarter of an hour to reach him, without achieving it.
Upon his return, the vice-premiers CD & V and Vooruit, Vincent Van Peteghem and Frank Vandenbroucke, confirm that the partners of the Arizona have agreed that the MR will receive the position of commissioner, but they are unable to confirm the name Hadja Lahbib.
A letter for Ursula von der Leyen
Pierre-Yves Dermagne, Vice-Prime PS, refuses to validate the candidacy of the liberal, which he considers incompetent for the function. On the other hand, he thinks that from Croo or Vandenbroucke would do the trick. Clarinval opposes it. In any case, they decline the proposal.
“In this case, I propose Didier Reynders“launches Dermagne. From Croo and he, supported by the green defect, Georges Gilkinet, believe that the simplest, for a government in current affairs, is to extend the outgoing commissioner. Clarinval again opposes it: it will be Lahbib or nobody. “”We can continue for hours, but there will be no other name than that of Hadja Lahbib “said Vandenbroucke to try to close these endless discussions – they will last more than three hours.
At the request of Pierre-Yves Dermagne, the sentence is deleted, believing that the qualifier “competent” does not apply to Hadja Lahbib.
The Open VLD, the PS and the environmentalists, not members of Arizona, refuse to take responsibility for the designation of Hadja Lahbib. De Croo then made a letter write in English for the president of the commission, in which it is written that the candidacy of Hadja Lahbib is proposed by the parties responsible for forming the next government. In this way, the Vivaldi only plays the role of factor, nothing more.
In the first version of the mail, it is registered that Belgium supports the will of Ursula von der Leyen “to have a team of competent commissioners “. At the request of Pierre-Yves Dermagne, this sentence is deleted, believing that the qualifier “competent” does not apply to Hadja Lahbib…
A helicopter tour above the port of Antwerp
For his part, the trainer Bart de Wever puts the government’s work on the profession. In the media, he says that we went from a TGV to an omnibus. The negotiators had indeed caressed the hope of landing in September, but the president of Vooruit, Conner Rousseau, made them understand that, for his party, no agreement would be possible before the municipal elections of October 13.Bart De Wever hoped to find a “at the speed of a TGV” agreement, it will ultimately be at the speed “of an omnibus”
In order not to waste too much time, the employees and parliamentarians of the parties are used to negotiate within thematic working groups (on defense, energy, climate, health, mobility, migration, foreign policy, etc.).
On September 13, the trainer invited party presidents to visit the port of Antwerp by helicopter. “”It’s gigantic “exclaims Maxime Prévot, impressed. Bart de Wever’s intention, who is the bourgmestre of the Flemish metropolis, is to make them aware of the strategic role of the port for the whole economy of the country.
The letter from Bouchez and Prévot
On September 20, on the sidelines of a negotiation session as president of the Chamber, the presidents of the MR and the committed gave a common letter to the trainer. They want to officially signify their exasperation to see the N-VA slide community mines in just about all negotiation texts.
The letter they give to Bart de Wever, in which they say they are opposed to all these projects is their life insurance. If the institutional files leak, they will release their letter.
Bart de Wever had entrusted the institutional component of “negotia” to the Flemish deputy Sander Lones. From August, he presented his work method in three points: the quick winseasy developments which can be implemented quickly; subjects requiring a majority of two thirds in parliament, such as the abolition of the Senate; and the preparation of a state reform by 2029.
“In realityrecalls a French -speaking, There were community elements in all files. In economics, for example, there was the regionalization of professional orders and institutes, such as the order of lawyers or architects. On mobility, the overview of Brussels. Etc. These are not institutional subjects, but they are community “that is to say that they oppose Flemish and Francophones.“Arizona” negotiations: the N-VA wants to allow overflight of the royal domain of Laeken by the planes taking off from Zaventem
Prévot and Bouc, say that, if “The Catalog of Horrors of the N-VA “ Leak in the press, it will cost them dearly a few weeks before the municipal elections. The letter they give to De Wever, in which they say they are opposed to all these projects is their life insurance. If the institutional files leak, they will release their letter to publicly know that they had not accepted anything.
Bart de Wever, unparalleled comic
But the two French-speaking presidents are also aware that they must give institutional cookies to the nationalists of the N-VA. Thus, as the negotiations, the following months, will let go of the abolition of the Senate, the merger of the Brussels police areas, the creation of a court in Vilvorde…“The Antwerp police are the most efficient in the country. Let’s do the same in Brussels”
It remains little for the N-VA, but it will have to be satisfied with it and Bart de Wever, whose humor is devastating, prefers to laugh. One day of negotiations, he will play a scene that will cause general hilarity. The MR and the committed were opposed to the will of the N-VA to create a Dutch-speaking room and a French-speaking in the College of Prosecutors General. On the other hand, they were willing to accept that prosecutors could prioritize the files emanating from their region, for the sake of efficiency.
To translate this into the government agreement, negotiators find a convoluted formulation, incomprehensible for the uninitiated: “Without harming the principle of unanimity in decision -making, we ensure an adaptation of the distribution of tasks within the College of Prosecutors General, in accordance with the royal decree of December 9, 2015, in order to make it more effective and more in line with the legislative, decretal or regulatory authority concerned. “
Standing in front of the screen on which the text is broadcast, by Wever begins his show. “Mmh, you see Janhe said to Jan Jambon (N-VA negotiator)I propose that at the N-VA participation congress, this sentence is largely projects. We will have time to go to the restaurant, to eat a bit, and when we come back, we give 50 euros to an activist to slamhe continues, mimicking applause with a satisfied air. It will take them an hour to understand what the Flemish movement has won. We will remind them of the big victories. 1963: The linguistic border. 1970: The creation of the Flemish community. 2025: That… It’s a great institutional victory! “he quips. Facing him, go and Prévot cry with laughter.
After the municipalities, it’s even worse
On September 23, Arizona presidents decided to neutralize parliamentary work. They will not proceed to any vote which would risk weakening the federal team during the constitution. The next day, they reject a bill tabled by other parties aimed at expanding the conditions of access to abortion.
After a last night of negotiations, the N-VA, Vooruit and the CD&V announced an agreement in Flanders on September 28. The Flemish government is formed, with Matthias Diependele at its head.Faithful lieutenant of Bart de Wever, sober and discreet: who is Matthias Diependele, the trainer of the Flemish government?
On October 13, it was the day of municipal elections. The five parties come out reinforced from the local ballot. They all obtained good, even very good results. But, against all odds, negotiations get bogged down. “We thought it would be better after the municipalities, but it was even worse”recalls a negotiator.
Vooruit procrastinates more and more. The other four parties are starting to doubt the sincerity of the Flemish socialists. They wonder if Conner Rousseau did not want to wait for the agreement in Flanders and the constitution of a series of majorities in the municipalities before disconnecting the taking of Arizona. Some suspect him of wanting to bring the PS, his French -speaking brother party. Others are even convinced.
Ghent’s betrayal
On October 27, Vooruit activists rejected the majority agreement concluded in Ghent between their party, the Open VLD and the N-VA. The nationalists and their local leader, Anneleen Van Bossuyt (today Minister of Asylum and Migration), will remain confined to opposition for the benefit of Groen environmentalists.Communals 2024: The Liberals give off an agreement with the N-VA in Ghent, which the socialists reject
He is criticized in Rousseau who did not come to defend the Ghent agreement before his activists-he was sick, he said. Bart De Wever feels betrayed by the young socialist, with whom he maintains excellent relationships.
On November 4, as he had already done two and a half months earlier, the trainer brings together the presidents of Arizona to find out if they agree to continue negotiations on the basis of his socio-economic super-note, which resumed major reforms in terms of pensions, employment and taxation. Rousseau refuses. Bart de Wever asks him to leave the meeting. The four remaining parties will then migrate from the Arizona desert to much more enchanting landscapes …Find the first episode of our series “Les Slutss de l’Arizona”
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