Flemish Parliament endorses national debt motion

In a proposal by N-VA fraction leader Kris Van Dijck, the majority parties in the Flemish Parliament approved a current affairs motion to take over the national debt. Flanders has made heavy cuts over the last few years. As a result of these budgetary measures the Flemish Government will achieve a balanced budget as of 2011. The N-VA points out that today the Federal Government and Social security Social security is currently managed at the Federal level in Belgium. The most important pillars of Belgian social security are: sickness and invalidity insurance (NIDHI), pensions, unemployment insurance and child allowances. In addition, occupational illness, occupational accidents and annual holidays are dealt with at this level. Some Flemish parties have been campaigning for years for (large parts of) social security to be transferred to the Regions and Communities. Social Security are responsible for 85% of the joint budget deficit in our country. With the motion approved the Flemish Parliament is asking the Flemish Government not to book any surplus in the Flemish budget in order to fill any structural holes in the federal budget and to examine whether part of the pensions contribution for Flemish civil servants can come out of the Flemish budget. One last fundamental point is a request to the Flemish Government not to agree to any contribution to make up the federal budget deficit and the Belgian national debt unless a number of conditions are met. State reform with a sufficiently extensive and acceptable transfer of competences is one such condition. The motion also requires significant expansion of the fiscal capacity and autonomy of the Regions.