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Belgians make headway
Source: Agencies |
September 25, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
BELGIAN political parties yesterday moved toward forming a government 15 months after a parliamentary election when they agreed new funding rules for the French and Dutch speaking regions and the bilingual capital.
After talks lasting through the night, leaders of eight parties emerged at about 7am to announce they had found common ground on a reform of a financing law.
"We have agreed tonight the largest ever state reform ... I am very happy. It is a historic step for our country," said Alexander De Croo, head of the Flemish Liberals, who had brought down the previous government last year over its failure to make progress on reforms.
Belgium's regions of Brussels, Dutch-speaking Flanders and francophone Wallonia will have 10.7 billion euros (US$14.46 billion), about a third of personal income tax revenue, to spend themselves and will also take on responsibility for child support and parts of health and labour market policy.
Belgium has come under fire from financial markets due to a public debt 96.6 percent of annual output, the third highest in the euro zone last year. The eight parties will reconvene tomorrow to discuss what further powers can be transferred to the regions before addressing the federal budget.
Belgium has been in political deadlock since a parliamentary election in June 2010, as parties from both sides of the linguistic divide failed to agree on the future make-up of the country. The country is now administered by a caretaker government led by Yves Leterme.
After talks lasting through the night, leaders of eight parties emerged at about 7am to announce they had found common ground on a reform of a financing law.
"We have agreed tonight the largest ever state reform ... I am very happy. It is a historic step for our country," said Alexander De Croo, head of the Flemish Liberals, who had brought down the previous government last year over its failure to make progress on reforms.
Belgium's regions of Brussels, Dutch-speaking Flanders and francophone Wallonia will have 10.7 billion euros (US$14.46 billion), about a third of personal income tax revenue, to spend themselves and will also take on responsibility for child support and parts of health and labour market policy.
Belgium has come under fire from financial markets due to a public debt 96.6 percent of annual output, the third highest in the euro zone last year. The eight parties will reconvene tomorrow to discuss what further powers can be transferred to the regions before addressing the federal budget.
Belgium has been in political deadlock since a parliamentary election in June 2010, as parties from both sides of the linguistic divide failed to agree on the future make-up of the country. The country is now administered by a caretaker government led by Yves Leterme.
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