Gilles Verstraeten’s conclusions following the Brussels coronavirus committee: “Internal Brussels state reform is essential”

“At one point, Molenbeek had a different social bubble than the 18 other municipalities.” Brussels MP Gilles Verstraeten gave the reasons on Radio 1 for the harmonisation of the report of the Brussels coronavirus committee, of which he is vice-president. The report argues for more harmonisation, although Gilles Verstraeten goes further. “An internal Brussels state reform is essential so that it is finally clear who is in charge in Brussels at the end of the day.”

Report without conclusions and persons responsible

Gilles Verstraeten reiterated that Brussels Minister-President Rudy Vervoort and Brussels Health Minister Alain Maron bear great responsibility for the disastrous handling of the pandemic in Brussels. Yet the report does not point the finger at them. “The majority decided to make recommendations, but had no conclusions. There has been a failure to make a record of what happened, to avoid having to identify those responsible.”

Don’t enforce, just raise awareness

Nevertheless, Gilles Verstraeten also sees positive sides to the report. “We have a number of specific recommendations that we can put to the government to see what they do with them and whether they have understood the message.” According to the Brussels MP, the N-VA has been able to extract a few things from the report. “There was a passage in it that almost implied that you can’t enforce, only raise awareness.”

All alone in the woods

Gilles Verstraeten is in favour of enforcement, but with nuances. “You also have to make sure that the rules are logical, simple and understandable. Some rules have been criticised, such as the curfew at 10 p.m. or a general mask requirement, even if you’re standing somewhere completely alone, such as in the woods.” According to Gilles Verstraeten, the lack of enforcement is the result of unclear instructions and rules from the Brussels authorities.