To keep Brussels vibrant, a peaceful environment has to be maintained for residents, workers and businesses, the budget needs to be balanced, and the region must be made more attractive, social partners recommend.
The recommendation came in an open letter from the ABVV-Brussels trade union federation and the Brussels employers’ organisation, BECI, to mediators charged with leading the effort to end a months-long political impasse and provide Brussels/Capital Region with a government.
The letter was signed by ABVV-Brussels Chairman Jean-Michel Cappoen and General Secretary Florence Lepoivre, along with BECI CEO Thierry Geerts and General Secretary Lisa Isnard.
Noting that once bustling commercial neighbourhoods are now suffering from drug trafficking and gangs, the signatories warned that “if Brussels cannot provide a secure environment, workers and residents will flee."
“A region where people are afraid to take the metro or come home late is detrimental to its socio-economic dynamics and prosperity,” they said.
The social partners argued that a task force announced by the federal government would fail in the absence of genuine coordination with the Brussels executive. Politicians and social partners must work together more effectively, they stressed.
“This is why we are calling for a new socio-economic agreement between the three parties that includes the shared priorities of the partners represented in Brupartners," the region's economic and social council, they added.
All public and private actors need to come together to revitalise the region’s industrial sector, the ABVV and BECI urged.
On the budget front, ABVV-Brussels and BECI emphasise that the financial resources required for the Region's socio-economic development need to be made available, with a focus on both income and expenditure, while maintaining economic dynamism and social policy.
To fulfil its role as the multicultural, dynamic, lively, innovative, and safe capital of Europe, Brussels needs a government that takes control of its destiny, and enables residents, entrepreneurs, tourists, and workers to move about with confidence, the signatories concluded.
