The Brussels government again makes ailing companies wait for announced coronavirus premiums

The Brussels Government announced premiums for sectors and companies that are still suffering due to the coronavirus crisis. To date, not one cent of it has been paid out, and it is not yet clear when that will happen. Brussels MP Gilles Verstraeten therefore questioned competent State Secretary Trachte in a topical debate that was also requested by the N-VA.

A slap in the face for entrepreneurs

“Many entrepreneurs in the nightlife scene, events sector and cultural life are still suffering from the coronavirus measures. With the coming code orange, the sector can breathe a little again, but many undertakings have accumulated losses, and it continues to be a significant constraint,” Gilles Verstraeten says. State Secretary Trachte spoke of a ventilation 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 at the beginning of December, but no further action was taken. In the meantime, the State Secretary has been working on a new set of premiums for some time, but she cannot say anything today about the precise terms of the premiums. “That is a slap in the face for many companies that are counting on that announced support,” says Gilles Verstraeten.

Many announcements, few decisions

While ailing entrepreneurs are doing everything they can to keep their heads above water, the Brussels government is again failing to provide prompt and targeted support. “It is a recurring problem of this government: many announcements, but few decisions. That has been the case far too often throughout this crisis in Brussels.”