Proposition 52K1742

Projet de loi modifiant diverses lois relatives au statut des militaires.

General information ¶

Submitted by

CD&V the Van Rompuy government

Submission date

Jan. 16, 2009

Official page

Visit

Status

Adopted

Requirement

Simple

Subjects

armed forces

Voting ¶

Voted to adopt

Groen CD&V Vooruit Ecolo LE PS | SP Open Vld N-VA LDD MR FN VB

Contact form ¶

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Discussion ¶

March 5, 2009 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source

The floor is yielded to the rapporteur, Ms. Wiaux.

I am referring to my written report.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Minister, Mr. Colleagues Parliamentarians, we are going to vote today on an important bill to amend a number of provisions in the statute of our military. The Open Vld faction fully supports this bill because it meets the needs of our military in a modern military force.

Without wanting to list all the changes again, it is important to stop today on a few points. First, we all know that our Belgian army operates mainly in international relations during military operations. The design we are going to vote on today, about the English language for our military, is of course crucial. Adequate knowledge of English according to NATO standards is not an unnecessary luxury.

Second, Mr. Minister, the main challenge that lies ahead of you in the coming years and months is the personnel policy of our military forces. We have repeatedly told each other in the committee that we must watch for sufficient inflow of young forces into our military force and also for sufficient outflow. We want to reduce our military force. The legal certainty regarding dismissal and termination of employment is very important for us.

Mr. Minister, as you have said several times, the target of 37,725 soldiers and civilians, as set under Minister Flahaut in the political orientation note and in the strategic plan for the modernization of the Belgian military force, will be achieved before 2015, even without additional efforts. Of course, we will have to take care to attract enough young forces every year.

Due to the current economic crisis, I have identified a lot of reactions to the vacancies. Let us hope that the economy will pull back and that the economic crisis will soon be behind us. Then we will have to persuade our best young people to enter into the service of the motherland.

The security situation changes and the economic market changes. When it comes to personnel policy, we need to make it very clear where we see our military force in fifteen years. How many soldiers do we want, with what tasks, what level of ambition and what equipment? This is of crucial importance. For us, personnel policy is very important, as I said later.

You have already said that we will finally deal with the infrastructure plan in the committee soon. For us, staff is the most precious asset of the military force. That staff has the right to clarity for us. They need to know which barracks will remain open and which barracks will close at what time. Therefore, I ask you to communicate in a timely manner the changes that would take place in the infrastructure plan that was still approved under Minister Flahaut.

The military community has the absolute right to know in time what is expected of it.

The continuity within the military force is also important to us. The Open Vld Chamber Group calls for very rapid work on the mixed career concept that was already approved in the spring of 2007 in both Chambers. We differ somewhat from time to time, but only through the mixed career concept can we work together on a young, employable and good military force needed to cope with the many international assignments.

The orientation point is central to the whole debate. I see that no soldier in any professional army, anywhere in the world, remains in service all his life. There is an outflow to the private or to other public services. We are also on the right track in Belgium, but then we need to work on that further.

Two other important points. Open Vld attaches great importance to the modernized disciplinary status for all categories of military personnel, which, of course, must be adapted to the needs of our time, to the needs of our organization and to the personal freedoms that in a democratic rule of law apply to all citizens. Open Vld definitely wants to make this a point. There is a high need for a coherent, adjusted discipline status.

Finally, the military and the taxpayers are investing in expensive and advanced formations of our soldiers, and well too, since, in my opinion, soldiers should be able to continue their training permanently, as civilians can. That offer must be there. When we give soldiers the opportunity to graduate and attend expensive formations, they must, of course, sign a good period of yield within our military force. I am very pleased, Mr. Minister, that you are creating the necessary legal certainty in this area, and that the soldiers who have re-formed but want to leave prematurely reimburse these costs to the Belgian State. That is fair play. This is necessary to keep the tight budget of Land Defense at the level. It is good that it is implemented for all military personnel.

I wish you much success with the implementation of this bill. You will receive the support of the Open Vld-Kamerfraction.