Proposition 51K0686

Projet de loi modifiant la date du 8 mai 1945 en 2 septembre 1945 dans certains statuts de reconnaissance nationale.

General information ¶

Submitted by

The Senate

Submission date

July 3, 2003

Official page

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Status

Adopted

Requirement

Simple

Subjects

war war victim

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Discussion ¶

July 1, 2004 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source

Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, the committee examined this bill submitted by the Senate during its meetings of 3 March and 29 June 2004.

The Minister of Defense stressed that the bill under consideration tends to extend the period considered for the granting of advantages related to the status of war volunteers until September 2, 1945. The draft adopted unanimously by the Senate resulted from a parliamentary initiative taken without consultation with the only representative body: the Supreme Council of War Invalids, Former Combatants and War Victims. However, the text in its initial drafting risks harming the categories of war volunteers who have not been associated with its elaboration, especially the volunteers of the Piron Brigade.

On 3 March 2004, the committee decided to seek the opinion of the Supreme Council of War Invalids on the text submitted by the Senate in order to propose, if necessary, amendments that would satisfy all the persons concerned.

At the meeting of June 29, 2004, Mr. Avart and Deneubourg, respectively representing the Military Pension Administration and the SPF Defense and who had participated in the work of the Supreme Council, presented to the committee the adjustments proposed by the Council. The latter finds, in fact, that the bill as drafted does not allow to meet the aim pursued. On the basis of this finding, the Council proposes various adjustments to improve the status of all war volunteers, including fighters who have provided services similar to those of war volunteers but who enjoy a different status, mainly the status of national recognition.

The Minister specified that the direct budgetary cost (war rents) and indirect (health care) of the bill was estimated at one million euros. These new benefits affect about ten thousand people, including a majority of war volunteers as such.

Regarding the discussion of articles and voting, at the meeting of 29 June 2004, the representatives of the democratic parties submitted an amendment aimed at adapting the title of the bill to the content of the amendments submitted following the opinion given by the Supreme Council of War Invalides.

During this same meeting, several amendments with the suggestions of the Supreme Council were submitted. Previously submitted amendments have been withdrawn.

All amendments were adopted unanimously. The vote on the whole was also unanimous.

In order to submit the adopted text to today’s plenary session, the committee has agreed to an oral report.

It is obvious that an oral report must take place otherwise we have no trace of what has been said in the committee.

I would like to emphasize the importance of this bill. For months and even years, war volunteers, especially those who engaged in the Irish brigades, in the Piron brigade and in other bodies, were hurt by this famous date of 8 May 1945. In fact, everything that was after that date did not come into account.

The Senate wanted to deal with the matter. My belief, fortunately that we are dealing with it somewhat since the Senate, and Ms. Lizin in particular, had everything wrong. They brought us into an impasse and we had to correct it. In the House and in the Health Committee chaired by Yvan Mayeur, we immediately realized that the law that the Senate had been working on was not the right one. The thing was said and we asked for the opinion of the High Council of War Invalides, Former Combatants and War Victims. If the High Assembly had asked for this opinion, we would probably have won a few months. We would probably have avoided a series of misunderstandings in the head of the beneficiaries and the patriotic associations that represent them and, above all, the members of the House would not have been accused of wanting to delay the law.

We insist that the amendments we have made to this text will allow it to enter into force on 1 January next year, even if the draft submitted by the Senate wanted to enter into force "as soon as possible". Now the conditions are met for unanimity to be founded. The date of 8 May 1945 will be well replaced in each of the texts and the law will come into force in less than six months, which will allow the government to provide for the budgetary envelope which is estimated at around one million euros. The 10,000 beneficiaries of the measure, whether they are war volunteers or their widows, will be able to benefit from the application of this law finally become a reality. It is of course that our group will vote in favour of this project and will thus contribute, I hope, to a unanimity in our assembly. It will no longer remain to the Senate but to recognize the quality of the work done by the House, issuing in turn a unanimous vote.

I would like to say how happy we are that the war volunteers, those who have committed and personally invested for the liberation of the territory and, as a result of this liberation, to reaffirm democracy in our European States, are finally recognized in relation to their merit and can benefit from the benefits of this law which concerns war volunteers and the widows of war volunteers.