Bart De Wever: “The welfare state is unsustainable”

Ten years after his last inaugural political science lecture at Ghent University, Prime Minister Bart De Wever returned to address a packed auditorium. In his speech, he warned that the welfare state, as it stands today, is unsustainable. “We’re standing with our heads over the edge of a cliff. If we don’t act, we’ll fall,” De Wever said bluntly.

Prosperity is the foundation

“For too long, economic growth has been dismissed as a right-wing obsession. But more growth actually means more solidarity. It’s prosperity—not the state—that forms the bedrock of everything else,” De Wever argued.

“Belgium leads the pack when it comes to government spending. But a 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 system must be financially viable, or it will stop being social at all,” he continued. He defended his government’s reform agenda, including changes to the pension system, limiting unemployment benefits over time, and tackling long-term sickness. “Because doing nothing is the most antisocial choice we could make for the next generation,” De Wever stated.

Labore et constantia

With a tone of candid criticism, he also warned that Europe risks losing its prosperity due to overregulation and a lack of innovation. “America innovates, China duplicates, Europe regulates,” he said—half-joking, half-dead serious. “If Europe doesn’t integrate its markets, we’re easy prey.”

“Lux et amor—light and love—won’t save the welfare state,” De Wever concluded. “What we need is labore et constantia—hard work and perseverance.”