An unknown remained to be resolved. MP Khalil Aouasti (PS) pointed out in committee a difference of more than a million euros between two allocation calculations. The result of the calculation included in the finance law including the provisional twelfths is 37.232 million euros. The one that results from the calculation using the formula included in the bill is 38.271 million.
Thursday evening, Peter De Roover conceded an error in calculating the provisional twelfths. This was carried out on the basis of the results of the 2019 elections and not 2024. The amount included in these provisional twelfths ultimately amounts to 38.380 million euros. The President of the House recalled that this amount, although higher, should only be in force for the first three months of the year 2025. He said he hoped for an agreement on the matter within the Arizona coalition in formation.
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The bill is sent to the Senate, which must adopt a similar provision.
The Chamber approves the vaccination obligation for cattle and sheep
The House also adopted on Thursday a bill from the MR making compulsory, from January 1, 2025, the vaccination of cattle and sheep against bluetongue, also known as ‘blue tongue disease’. More specifically, these are vaccines against blue tongue (serotype 3 and 8) and EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease).
Supported by Benoît Piedboeuf, Julie Taton and Daniel Bacquelaine, from the same party as the Minister of Agriculture David Clarinval, the text provides for vaccination by July 1 of all cattle and sheep born before December 31, 2024. Cattle will have to receive six doses, sheep two.
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Concretely, the financing of vaccination will be directly allocated to the veterinarian. The latter must then deduct it from the billing to its customers. The amounts provided are 23.50 euros per cattle and 7 euros per sheep. Delegation can be granted to the breeder, but it will always be the veterinarian’s responsibility to encode the vaccination in the Sanitel animal tracking system. Veterinarians will also be exempt from VAT on the administrative side.
The Chamber also provided funding for the measure to the tune of 40 million euros, added by amendment to the finance bill (provisional twelfths).
The bill was adopted unanimously. Vlaams Belang and Vooruit, who abstained in committee, also voted in favor.
Just before this vote, the House also adopted a proposed resolution from Patrick Prévot (PS) which aimed to put pressure on the government in current affairs to unblock this file.
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The House adopts the army contingent for the year 2025
The House again unanimously adopted Thursday, minus the PTB’s abstention, the bill containing the army contingent for next year. It rises to 27,500 soldiers in 2025.
Every year, parliament must approve the army contingent. This exercise will probably be the last for the Minister of Defense, Ludivine Dedonder. During the legislature, the Vivaldi government implemented a vast “Pop” plan, intended to upgrade the military function and increase recruitment.
The stakes were pressing: with constant policy, the number of soldiers would have fallen to 15,000 today. The objective of recruiting 10,000 soldiers under the legislature was achieved and even exceeded: the figures reached 10,780. The workforce situation should also improve. Over the past years, Defense has had to face numerous retirements. “Today we have reached the most difficult point, the number of retirements will now decrease,” Ms. Dedonder explained in committee.
The Chamber adopts the provisional twelfths for the first quarter of 2025
The Chamber finally adopted the finance bill for the 2025 budget year, i.e. the provisional twelfths for the first three months of next year.
In the absence of a full-fledged government, no executive currently has the power to constitute the federal budget. In consultation with trainer Bart De Wever, the government of Alexander De Croo, in current affairs, has prepared the provisional twelfths for the first three months of next year. This technique consists of releasing month by month one twelfth of the last budget adopted by the Chamber, to which indexation is added. It ensures the continuity of State services and the payment of salaries and pensions of public service agents. The mechanism will end as soon as the new government is installed.
To do this, a finance bill must be adopted by the House, quarter by quarter. This text therefore passed the plenary session on Thursday. The parties of the outgoing majority, Vivaldi, voted in favor. They were joined by Les Engagés and DéFI. The N-VA and the PTB abstained. Vlaams Belang voted against.
