Provinces will continue to exist, additional places in childcare and smartphone ban in primary school: this is stated in the new coalition agreement

When the negotiators came together on Thursday afternoon for the “final sprint”, everyone still assumed that an agreement would be reached that night. But it still became a marathon meeting, the finish was only reached early this morning.

The reason for the delay: some points of contention that ultimately NOT achieved the coalition agreement. It’s about, among other things abolish the provincesIt reducing the number of parliamentarians and a headscarf ban for all teachers. Also about free school meals is not mentioned in the coalition agreement.

The negotiators have WELL agreed that the government parties-to-be in the field of better administrative organization “will scrutinize all intermediate structures and their powers“.

They are also tinkering with the statute of Flemish Members of Parliament. In this way they reduce the arrangement for the severance pay and halve the maximum term to 12 months. The additional compensation for the bureau members and the chairmen of the committees of the Flemish Parliament will be reduced and reformed. It is also the ambition to… party financing to be phased out