De Wever’s new version of the “super note” still has not convinced Rousseau.
The latest version of the socio-economic note and budgetary tables from trainer Bart De Wever remains insufficient in the eyes of Vooruit to move up a gear in the federal negotiations. In the eyes of socialists, large assets are not sufficiently used to consolidate the budget. The training today seems to be at an impasse.
The trainer and president of the N-VA brought together again on Thursday the presidents of the MR, the Engagés, Vooruit and the CD&V, a week after a similar meeting during which the leader of the Flemish socialists, Conner Rousseau, had rejected the first version of the trainer’s socio-economic note, deeming it unbalanced. And there is no question for him of negotiating on the themes already cleared up in the working group (energy, mobility, defense, immigration, etc.) as long as the socio-economic and budgetary proposals have not been rebalanced.
A text considered too uneven
The trainer reworked his “super note” and submitted it to the different parties during bilateral interviews. New meeting this Thursday, in vain: the text is still considered too unequal by several presidents. It leans too far to the right and contains a series of proposals that even the Swedish coalition, which did not include any left-wing parties, had not taken up.
But while some showed themselves ready to continue and intensify negotiations, the response was negative at Vooruit. The socialists are demanding that large assets be put to the tune of 20 billion euros while at present, it would be health care first which would be pressed to make savings. The tax on capital gains included in the note – and the subject of a dispute in August between Vooruit and the MR – would mainly serve to achieve an additional tax reduction, it was deplored.
Another source provided another version of the facts: most of the exercise would come from labor market and pension reforms. The tax cut would only have a limited scope and would not be at the heart of the discussion either. Furthermore, a consensus would emerge to impose a contribution to major heritage sites, a request that Vooruit would be far from being the only one to make. “Four of the five parties are constructive”it was claimed.
It’s not just the Vooruit that’s stuck with this note
Other parties than Vooruit are having great difficulty with this “super score”. Among the Engagés and the CD&V, dissatisfaction also prevailed but the centrists want to continue and even intensify negotiations to move the lines. “The proposals are not going to change by magic”we emphasized. “You have to get into negotiation mode, continue to negotiate for a few weeks. In August, we were able to go far this way”it was pointed out.
Negotiations then failed around a dispute between the taxation of capital gains between the MR and Vooruit. This failure led Mr. De Wever to put his apron back on for the first time before being revived following mediation led by the president of Les Engagés, Maxime Prévot.
Trainer Bart De Wever is now looking at what happens next and what initiatives he could still take. But he would have suggested Thursday noon that he would not propose a new balance. No plenary or bilateral meetings are planned at this time. On Monday, the trainer is expected at the King to report on a mission which today appears very compromised.
formation government arizona federal government vooruit Bart de Wever conner rousseau
