Flemish budget remains balanced

The Flemish Government has completed the budgetary control for this year with a slight surplus of EUR 145 million. Of that amount EUR 100 million is being set aside as a buffer, just in case of a rainy day, and EUR 45 million is being allocated to extra investments. "Not only are we keeping our promise of achieving a balanced budget, we are also the only government in this country that is succeeding in doing so," says Flemish Minister-President Geert Bourgeois.

This Flemish Government has clearly done its homework effectively. For example the slight surplus in the budget is partially a result of the thorough, cautious budget drafted last year. It is also partially the result of the more positive economic growth numbers: after all, if there are more jobs, there is more income from personal income tax.

Sacrifices bear fruit

"The fact that our budget is balanced and even has a slight surplus is also largely due to the savings we have made in the last two years," says Geert Bourgeois. "In this regard we have always taken measures that have the least possible impact on people. For example, no less than 70% of the savings are in expenditure: we therefore made savings primarily on our own government. The measures taken were also always moderate and spread out over time, with the inclusion of social corrections for the disadvantaged."

"Those sacrifices are now bearing fruit and making it possible for us to make the investments we want to make," says the Minister-President. For example, in the draft budget for 2017, no less than EUR 600 million is being allocated to recurrent investments and EUR 400 million to one-off investments. Furthermore, this Flemish Government has the ambition of allocating no less than EUR 1.7 billion on new policy by 2019. In that same year, it also intends to finish its present term of office with a balanced budget. In the same spirit, part of the current budget surplus - EUR 45 million - is going to additional, chiefly one-off investments for 2017.