Brussels Parliament approves 2021 budget adjustment
The Brussels Parliament has approved the 2021 budget control for the different Brussels institution (Region, GGC, agglomeration) majority against opposition.
Budget Minister Sven Gatz (Open Vld) From minus 182 million started to work. Expenditure for the corona crisis weighed 291.6 million on the budget, but on the other hand there were 110 million in spent expenditure that was canceled.
“For the third year in a row, I am concerned about the future of the Region,” said N-VA party leader Cieltje Van Achter, who received her request for resignation from Budget Minister Sven Gatz (Open Vld). She referred with the mounting debt and the sharp criticism of the Court of Audit.
Van Achter pointed to the deficit of half a billion euros two years ago, 1.5 billion last year and 1.9 billion this year. That makes a debt of 3.5 billion over three years, the budget for a year is around 6. “Brussels has a spending problem rather than an income problem,” she said. In addition, she criticized the half billion in investments that were kept outside the budget every year. The European Commission does not approve this, planned investments in the tunnels are no more than deferred maintenance costs.
Dismissal
She also denounced that minister Gatz promised improvement every year in response to the Court of Audit’s comments, without changing anything. That is why Van Achter submitted a motion requesting the resignation of Minister Gatz. That move was voted down by the plenary on Friday.
Gatz’s party colleague and guardian, Guy Vanhengel, lashed out at Van Achter. “If the N-VA is consistent with itself, it must request the resignation of every budget minister in the country, if the Court of Audit will criticize every bill, including the Flemish one (the competence of N-VA member Matthias Diependaele, ed.)” he sneered. Vanhengel spoke of ‘Brussels bashing’ by the N-VA.
Van Achter replied that the Court of Audit’s comments on the Brussels and Flemish accounts cannot be compared. And if the N-VA were not concerned with Brussels, the faction would not be so active in parliament and would only lean back, according to Cieltje Van Achter.
Structural reforms
MR party leader Alexia Bertrand denounced the lack of structural reforms. Based on the 2021 fiscal adjustment in line with the 2020 accounts covered by revenues, expenditures (+7.6%) stronger than expenditures (+0.9%) before the corona crisis.
Christophe (cdH) regretted a draft budget, protracted negotiations (PTB) postponement of deletion of an important designation for the security of the waiting list for social housing.