Proposition 54K1478

Projet de loi modifiant la loi du 31 décembre 1983 de réformes institutionnelles pour la Communauté germanophone.

General information ¶

Submitted by

MR Swedish coalition

Submission date

Nov. 26, 2015

Official page

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Status

Adopted

Requirement

Simple

Subjects

German-speaking Community financing regional finances

Voting ¶

Voted to adopt

Groen CD&V Vooruit Ecolo LE PS | SP DéFI ∉ Open Vld N-VA LDD MR PVDA | PTB PP

Abstained from voting

VB

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Discussion ¶

Dec. 3, 2015 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source

Mr. Speaker, this is an oral report since there is a certain urgency on this text, which is one of the few still to be the subject of a bicameral procedure. It will be approved by the Senate at its plenary session on December 11. That is why our committee unanimously agreed to this accelerated procedure.

We discussed and discussed the matter at the meeting on December 1. The Minister of Budget presented this text, recalling the specific framework for funding of the German-speaking Community, which is not governed by a special law but by the Ordinary Law of 31 December 1983. I recall that this Community is by far the smallest of the federated entities of our Kingdom. In the absence of economies of scale, due to its small size, additional financial resources are clearly needed, as the minister explained to us, to allow it to finance the expenses that are the consequence of its status as a federated entity. The text simply envisions increasing the federal allocation to the German-speaking community, which will receive, if we vote for it, €3 million for 2015 as well as €7 million per year from 2016. Fixed and non-indexed amounts

Following the comments of the Council of State on the matter, the opinion of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community was requested and communicated on 21 September. The Parliament of the German-speaking Community welcomes this draft amendment to the law that will help mitigate the financial impact of the absence of scale savings already explained. He regrets that Article 3 of the bill does not provide for any indexation and adaptation to economic growth.

During the general discussion, two members spoke. by Mr. Vuye noted translation difficulties that were taken into account. In French, we speak of federated entities and M. Vuye reminded us that this notion of "gefedereerde entiteiten" did not exist in Dutch. He preferred the expression "delstaten" and asked the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Budget to pay attention, from now on, to translations to stop using improper expressions. I hope the Minister of Finance has taken this into account. I do not doubt that this is the case for the Minister of Budget.

I intervened as a member of the Ecolo-Groen Group to welcome and support the principle of this measure and to be surprised by this choice of the majority not to have planned indexation of the amounts allocated to the German-speaking Community beyond the year 2016. I announced the filing of an amendment to correct this forgetfulness, this mistake, this choice of the majority.

Then came the vote on the articles. In Article 3, we discussed this amendment. The Minister replied that it was a will of the majority not to index this allocation to the German-speaking Community as it had already announced in the framework of the general exhibition, considering that this non-indexation was a way to make the German-speaking Community contribute to the sanitation of public finances. Finally, the amendment was put to the vote. It was rejected by 11 votes against, 2 votes for and 0 abstentions. The bill was adopted as well as the bill unanimously. This concludes my report.

We thank you, Mr. Gilkinet, for this oral report.

I am always very pleased, Mr. President. I will very quickly confirm that on behalf of the Ecolo-Groen group, we will support this text whose importance we emphasize in the construction of a Belgium of 4 federated entities, one of which is objectively smaller, with its own linguistic, cultural, social and economic characteristics. This entity will have, if we adopt this text, additional means, in addition to having specific legal provisions with regard to its relations with the Walloon Region. It is normal, it is desirable, it is desirable. It will therefore be her responsibility, on the basis of these additional amounts, independently, and on the basis of the democratic representation resulting from the elections, to use them correctly for the benefit of her population. That being said, I confirm and reiterate my amazement at the choice of the majority not to have provided for an automatic indexation of these amounts despite the explicit opinion of the Parliament of the German speaking Community.

The arguments used to create this additional allocation remain valid over time. The German-speaking community is the smallest of the four federated entities. In terms of economies of scale, its savings capabilities are limited. This is true in time with the evolution of the cost of living that is calculated through the indexation system in our country.

The second argument is that the cost for the federal state would be limited: we pledged to give 7 million euros. The supplements associated with the increase in cost of living represent a sum but which, in relation to the resources of the federal state, are not insurmountable, Mrs. Minister of Budget, despite the long discussions we have had and that we will still have on the 2016 budget. There is indeed a danger of damaging the cordial relations with the German-speaking community, which expressed itself explicitly in the opinion requested after the State Council’s comment.

In this context, I also say to you my surprise over the vote held in the committee this Tuesday and the absence of speech by one or another member of the majority. There was not even an abstention on this proposed amendment, which I will resubmit with the co-signature of my elected colleague from the province of Liège, Ms. Gerkens, who supports this proposal, as well as the whole Ecolo-Groen group. This proposal provides for the automatic indexation of this additional allocation to the German-speaking Community. We hope that the forty-eight hours that have passed since the vote of the text in the committee will have allowed everyone to reflect on this question and, eventually, those who are, like us, convinced...

Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to point out that Kattrin Jadin had not voted against indexation.

I don’t think I’ve quoted Kattrin Jadin, who will come to the tribune. He was present in the committee and neither voted for nor abstained. That is all I can say with certainty.

I am not looking for controversy. I’m just trying to make sure that we legislate as best we can. I therefore hope that these forty-eight hours have allowed everyone to reflect on their voting behavior, or even those who, like us, think that it is a normal and logical decision, to have been able to persuade a majority of the members of this assembly, especially within the majority, to make this act of courtesy towards the German-speaking Community.

Mr. President, I will speak entirely in German. It is a pleasure for me. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker. This opportunity offers itself, however, with this legislative proposal, which we have in fact approved in the past Finance Committee of the Chamber, where it has also come to debate. I would like to also really greet the Unity, which is also from the Report from which all the members of this Committee have taken part in the voting of this legislative draft.

Es ist gesagt geworden und scheint auch aus dem Bericht der uns vorgetragen wurde heraus, es sind die fehlenden Skaleneffekten, liebe Kollegen, die eine neue Finanzierung in diese Größeordnung lebensnotwendig macht für die Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft. Therefore it is of course a very special pleasure for me and a very special joy for me that the MR and all the Mehrheitsparteien, das möchte ich hier ganz besonderes begrüßen, diesen Vorstoß gewagt haben, mittels natürlich lange Verhandlungen.

It is, as our Prime Minister said, an Act of the Bundestreue. It is, as has already been said several times, an important act, of which we also, as German speakers, have the possibility of removing the many scale effects and bringing our financial budget in order.

Es ist ein wenig zum Abänderungsvorschlag gesagt werden, auch war das Votum beträffende. Ich möchte da ganz klar sein und auch ganz koherent remain, indem was eben hier suggeriert ist von meinem Kollegen Gilkinet, hören Sie gut zu ja, the Abänderungsvorschlag, den Sie gemacht haben, beruht in der Tat auf das Gutachten des Parlaments der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft, also, das in seinem Gutachten in der Tat auch bereut, selbst wenn Sie das ganze Gutachten gelesen, sehen Sie natürlich, dass vieles darin ausserordentlich und besonders grüsst wurde, betreut die Nicht-Indexierung der zu übermittelnden Mittel, Finanzierungsmittel, das ist richtig.

However, is also correct that this amount, which is also the result of long negotiations, is also not always quite simple negotiations, and that even on the basis of this amount, which the Minister of Finance has said this also nochmal im Finanzausschuss, eben auch miteingengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengengeng

It is therefore absolutely coherent that man on one side naturally participates in this drafting of the opinion, but on the other side also participates in the drafting of the results. And that has not been done by your Party, only we are quite clear, because you made big Lippenbekenntnisse: we are for the German-speaking people, we may be so.Ich würde, and Mr. Nollet has ja eben so geklatscht wenn es um den Autonomieausbau der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft geht, dann müssen Sie auch ein bisschen mehr als nun Lippenbekenntnisse machen.

Ich habe das in der vergangenen Legislaturperiode sehr gut observe when it was about Transfers of Powers within the Wallonian Region. Then those Lippenbekenntnisse suddenly were no more there.

Strange and strange! That I wanted to say, before man... Tut mir leid, Herr Gilkinet, auch ein bisschen parteipolitischen Kalkül here, Abänderungsvorschläge macht, vielleicht nur um kleine Bredouillien zu kreieren. So much for that. In contrast to Ecolo namely...

of an interruption.

and yes.

by Mr Gilkinet.

and in German!

in German!

Madame Jadin, I will indeed not be able to answer you in German, although I have sworn three times with great conviction – “Ich schwöre die Verfassung zu befolgen” – “Ich schwöre die Verfassung zu befolgen”. We must be very attentive to the federal entities that make up our state. By the way, the Ecolo-Groen group practices daily bilingualism, but not yet trilingualism. At the time when Claudia Nyssen was with us, we might have practiced it more. She is now Mayor of Eupen.

He replaced the mayor.

I would like to simply repeat to you our commitment to the recognition of the community fact and to the balance that was established by the Sixth State Reform through this supplementary allocation that will be voted with our support for the German-speaking Community.

We consider, with the opinion of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community and in accordance with the arguments put forward in the text of the law which were repeated by the Minister, that it was normal to provide, as with other appropriations, for an automatic indexation in order not to have to renegotiate anymore. This would allow us to recognize that in Eupen, as in Brussels or Flanders, the cost of living changes – price of equipment or heating, even if good insulation is preferable to reduce it. If the federal state is correct, it must be able to index this subsidy.

I do not want to make a controversy. These amounts are not excessive. We are in a symbolic position. I had the weakness of believing that I would succeed, with your support, in convincing the Finance Committee and ⁇ the Plenary Assembly. Instead of trying to convince me of the validity of the decision, talk to all those who rejected our amendment to convince them to vote for it in a few minutes.

Ich danke Ihn, dass Sie keine Polemik verursachen, ich bin davon absolut überzeugt, etwas weniger was concerning the Ausführungen, which Sie gegeben haben. Es ist klar, das habe ich auch verstanden, ich brauche dazu keine große Präzision hinzu zu bekommen. I will say it again very clearly, it is the result of negotiations, in the same way to be accepted is, that one does not adjust the index here will for the means that pass.

I was there at the Lippenbekenntnissen, I had me nämlich schon zu Ihrem Verhalten ausged, es ist sicher verständlich, dass Sie so react, aber wir handeln. That is what I still wanted to say, we act, my party acts and goes beyond Lippenbekenntnissen. With the support, which we have already since years since the MR received for the Interests of the German-speaking, we go out over certain Lippenbekenntnissen. This result is for me the best proof for the demands that we have produced on all levels since years. Übrigens also before Mr. Nollet when there was no Minister, but the leader were not taken by him as we had desired at the time. The Refinanzierung der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft is for us the best proof that this support is not only a Lippenbekenntnis, but also a concrete result, with deeds.

Mr. President, in this sense, I will terminate my Intervention. I will once again very cordially thank all who have contributed to this result.

Thank you, Mrs Jadin.