Axel Ronse: “Politics must lead by example”

The parliamentary majority has put together a major reform package to thoroughly overhaul the status of federal MPs. According to N-VA floor leader Axel Ronse, “we’re finally closing the gap between what we ask of the people and what we do ourselves.” The reforms include significant changes to pensions, severance payments, and additional compensation, he explained in De Ochtend.

Same rules as civil servants

Parliamentary pensions will now be calculated in the same way as those for civil servants. In the past, only the final salary was considered, but soon the last twenty years of earnings will count. “Previously, MPs could retire at 55, and just 20 years of service was enough for a full pension. That’s already been reformed: now you need 45 years of work for a full pension. We’re also raising the retirement age to 66, with the same Bonus Career break for the calculation of, specifically, civil servant’s pension. In order to obtain the annual pension amount in the public sector, the reference salary is multiplied by the number of employment years. That result is then multiplied by the 1/60 career break, the so-called bonus. An advantageous break applies for certain employees, so that they can reach the maximum pension more quickly. bonus -malus system that applies to everyone,” Ronse said. “This also applies to those who became MPs before 2014—no exceptions.”

Severance payments sharply reduced

The controversial severance scheme is being scaled back. Whereas MPs could previously build up to two years of severance pay, this will now be capped at one year. “And anyone receiving this payment doesn’t accumulate pension rights,” Ronse noted. “That’s the key difference with unemployment benefits.”

The severance pay remains in place, as MPs are not entitled to unemployment benefits. “But those payouts used to be outrageous. Remember those stories of people getting four or five years’ worth of compensation after leaving parliament. Our generation has put an end to that. Now it’s a maximum of one year, with no pension accrual.”

Biggest savings: holiday allowance

According to Ronse, the biggest savings will come from the holiday allowance for former MPs. That’s being cut from 92 percent of the final salary to just 10 percent. “That means going from €5,800 down to around €600. A major difference,” he said. “But more important than saving money is the fact that we’re finally implementing serious reforms. We ask a lot from the public—so we must lead by example.”

No taboos, not even on salaries

Ronse is pleased that all parties are on board with the reforms. “Every politician of my generation has been working for years to modernize the parliamentary status. It was time to do away with absurd privileges. I’m proud we can make this happen as a generation.”

When asked whether the gross salary or the tax-free expense allowance of €2,650 should also be reconsidered, Ronse responded pragmatically: “Those allowances are in line with the European average. It’s important we attract top talent—people who could undoubtedly earn more in the private sector. If you want to save money, reduce the number of MPs, not their salaries. And above all: make sure what we do reflects what we ask of society.”