Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open Vld) was remarkably sharp for his deputy prime ministers during an interview with VTM NIEUWS. The government deal on pensions was described by some majority parties as a weak compromise. De Croo finds this unacceptable and calls on his fellow government members to make less impulsive statements like this.
Alexander De Croo paid a visit to the Ghent parties yesterday, but was already a guest at VTM NIEUWS this afternoon. De Croo indicated during the interview that he did not agree with the communication of some majority parties after the talks about the pension reform. “I think that as a member of the government you should support your decision,” emphasizes De Croo, “This agreement is a first and very important step for me.”
Since the cooperation between the government parties has occasionally come under negative attention, there are more and more voices about a possible fall of the government. But according to De Croo, that is absolutely not the case: “To drop the government at the moment would be a very bad idea. At the moment, one global crisis follows another.” De Croo cites, among other things, the corona crisis, the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine. “This is not a time to lay down everything and shut down our country for a long time again. We cannot now focus solely on the interior or the conflict between Flanders and Wallonia. As a government, we need to be there now more than ever for all people and in all domains.”
“A nuclear power plant is not a cookie factory”
The conversation also discussed keeping the Belgian nuclear power stations open longer after 2026. According to the Prime Minister, good initial agreements have been made with Engie. “You can actually compare it to buying a house. First you sign a compromise, a little later you sign the deed.” The Prime Minister’s comparison is not entirely valid, because a compromise effectively provides certainty and there is not yet one. Although De Croo confirms that “the noses are in the same direction”. “Continuing to provide energy is a shared ambition, so I’m not really worried about this,” says De Croo.
The Prime Minister could not say what plan B is, if it is not possible to keep the nuclear power stations open further. “We’re just not in a situation where we need a plan B. There have been good conversations and we have the same goal”, says De Croo. How much it will cost to keep it open is now being investigated, De Croo says. Although he knows that it will not be a cheap operation. “A nuclear power plant is not a biscuit factory, there is indeed a price tag attached to it. Just for safety. But if we didn’t do this and we suddenly run out of energy, the cost would probably be much higher,” concludes the prime minister.
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