On 16 April, Bernard Clerfayt (Défi), Elke Van den Brandt (Groen), Karine Lalieux (PS) and Ava Basiri (Voor U) were the guests at the third evening of electoral debates organised by BECI. Employment, investment and social dialogue were the main themes.
‘In Brussels, we don't have the luxury of being inefficient’, said Elke Van den Brandt, Minister for Mobility, during the third evening of electoral debates organised by BECI. This remark reflects the three fundamental and interdependent areas identified by BECI in its memorandum. In the run-up to the elections, the Brussels Chamber of Commerce and the Union of Enterprises in Brussels are asking candidates in the regional elections to boost the region's employment rate, the attractiveness of Brussels and the efficiency of the next government.
Bernard Clerfayt (Défi), Elke Van den Brandt (Groen), Karine Lalieux (PS) and Ava Basiri (Voor U) defended their vision of an efficient government. Should savings be made to curb the debt that threatens the Brussels-Capital Region with rising to 19 billion euros by 2030? Yes, but not at any price. Here's what was said on Tuesday 16 April.
Training for employment
In its memorandum, BECI recalls the objective of aiming for an employment rate of 80%. Although the region has made progress in 10 years (the employment rate has risen from 54% to 66%), the stakes remain high: ‘We need to integrate 120,000 more Brussels residents into the labour market’, stresses Bernard Clerfayt. Even though the unemployment rate has fallen in recent years, ‘we are heading in the right direction, but we are not yet going fast enough or far enough’, points out the Brussels Minister for Employment and Vocational Training.
In order to improve the Brussels labour market, the lead candidate of Défi recommends improving training so that job seekers can develop and enhance their skills. This would also enable talent to meet the demands of the Brussels Region job market. ⅔ of jobs require university qualifications, while 60% of jobseekers have either no secondary school qualifications or qualifications acquired abroad but not recognised by the Region’, deplores Bernard Clerfayt. In his view, to facilitate the integration of the non-working population into the workplace, it is necessary to preserve its attractiveness. To do this, the Brussels Minister suggests starting out in a ‘sector that we like’, before thinking about training for a job that is in short supply. He also proposes merging Actiris and Bruxelles Formation into a single public organisation, so as to centralise training in a single entity.
‘We're not going fast or far enough yet’
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Bernard Clerfayt
As a result, the candidates present at this third debate agree on the importance of investing in education and training to make them more qualitative, with the emphasis on young people in Brussels. ‘Many of them have just completed secondary education. It's important to support them in their higher education’, Karine Lalieux points out. To do so, the Federal Minister for Pensions and Social Integration suggests allocating them a social integration income. This would help to combat student insecurity and make higher education more accessible.
Investing, but at what cost?
‘Public authorities and employers must be united in Brussels, but we must not cut back on training or higher education’, explains Karine Lalieux, who also wants to increase the minimum wage. However, the question of financial equilibrium arises: how to reconcile ‘investment and debt control’? This question worries BECI, which points out the threat posed by the Brussels-Capital Region's debts in its memorandum if the future government does not take action.
According to Bernard Clerfayt, this would guarantee job creation and better economic growth. He argues: ‘If economic activity increases, the people of Brussels will have more income. They will then be able to go to the shops more often, which will then remain open. In this way, we are moving towards a positive development of the economy, employment and therefore the reduction of poverty.
Working together on mobility
On the mobility front, opinions diverge. Karine Lalieux insists on postponing the Euro 5 standard (European regulations aimed at limiting polluting emissions from vehicles, particularly vans), in support of self-employed people from working-class areas of Brussels who need their cars to get around. According to the regional representative of the PS (Socialist Party), this approach is difficult to envisage without social compensation to facilitate this change. ‘Obviously, I'm in favour of better air quality, but we can't impose penalties on people who have no other choice but to work using this means of transport. Otherwise, it would be like punishing the most disadvantaged’, she points out, adding that “for Brussels to remain mobile, it is essential that there be consultation”.
However, the Brussels Government Minister for Mobility disagrees with the PS Federal Minister, adding: ‘A number of SMEs and small self-employed people have already purchased electrical equipment. For Elke Van den Brandt, postponing the Euro 5 standard would mean excluding those who have made the effort to change their means of transport. With elections just around the corner, putting the brakes on the introduction of these regulations would run counter to the promises made by the current government.
‘We need to be able to listen to everyone's needs’
- Ava
Basiri
Nevertheless, the Groen and PS candidates do agree on the need for investment in public transport. In their view, Brussels' structures need to be made more efficient. However, this can only be done with a collective consensus, points out Ava Basiri, lead candidate for the Voor U party. ‘Working together is very important, but we need to be able to listen to everyone's needs’. Bernard Clerfayt agrees, insisting on the importance of taking into account the opinions of the residents of each municipality before making any changes. In other words: ‘We cannot impose change without social consultation.
What's more, in order to move towards more balanced mobility between all modes of transport, Bernard Clerfayt is advocating an instrument that can regulate road use and reduce traffic. To achieve this, he favours intelligent kilometre-based taxation, in other words, taxing cars on the basis of use rather than ownership. This idea reflects the second debate, during which Sven Gatz (Open VLD), Christophe de Beukelaer (Les Engagés) and Cieltje Van Achter (N-VA) advocated the same idea.
In short, to make the city attractive, it is necessary to make changes in terms of mobility, which must, however, be done in consultation with citizens. The speakers also supported the idea that investment in training and public transport is needed. But at what cost, and how can we get round the Region's debt? Benjamin Dalle (CD&V), Françoise De Smedt (PTB) and Pascal Smet (Vooruit) will be debating these issues at BECI on 24 April.
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