In his speech to the authorities, King Philippe salutes a Belgium ‘at the forefront of the fight against corruption’
For his part, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo highlighted Belgium’s “spirit of cooperation”. “This spirit of cooperation is an absolute necessity in a changing world. To be alone these days is to be weak; to play as a team is to be strong”did he declare.
And to illustrate his point in particular by the fight against drug trafficking: “the fight against international crime linked to federal drugs is no exception to the rule. At the national level, it involves cooperation between local police and the police. But also cooperation beyond national borders, between port companies and shipping companies, with neighboring countries facing the same challenges and with countries of origin of narcotics.”
According to the Prime Minister, “During the crises that have marked the past three years, Belgium has shown itself to the world as a stable and reliable partner, and as a world leader in major fields. From the export of billions of vaccines to the transit of gas irrigating all our neighboring countries: our country has been there. Just as it has been, despite a difficult economic context, with its 100,000 new jobs created. Never has our country experienced such a rate of job.”
Alexander De Croo also paid tribute to teachers, police and fire departments and even healthcare staff: “The strength of our country lies in all those people who make it work. In all the citizens and businesses who, against all odds, move forward. At all levels, public authorities have an absolute duty to support these people and to give them the tools and the freedom, because they are the ones who carry and finance our social security, a safety net that has revealed all its importance in recent years.”