Belgium's Federal Government has rejected a proposal by the Minister of Public Enterprises, Vanessa Matz (Les Engagés), to close 30 post offices and 500 serviced drop boxes, as the cuts do not save enough money.
In negotiating a new management agreement for the local offices of Bpost, Belgium's national postal service, Matz has to cut €50m from a total budget of €150m, De Tijd reports. The initial proposal only created a saving of €25m.
Matz has committed to keeping at least one post office open in each town in Belgium, limiting the scope of potential budget cuts.
The case perfectly symbolises the balancing act of the Federal Government, with N-VA and MR prioritising budget cuts, and CD&V and Les Engagés, Matz's party, focusing on the concept of governmental proximity.
But the financial aspect of the proposal is not the only reason the government of Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) snubbed Matz's plans. Of the 30 post offices to be closed, 24 were located in Flanders.
Matz, hailing from the Walloon city of Liege, lost support from the Flemish side of the Federal Government over the imbalance in where the post offices were being closed, according to De Tijd.
Minister Vanessa Matz. Credit: Belga/Nicolas Maeterlinck
The affected Flemish post offices were not protected by Matz's principle of one post office per town, as several towns in the region have merged in recent years.
The proposed closures could also trigger new union strikes and damage Bpost's reputation further. The postal service was hit by weeklong strikes in distribution centres across the country following a labour dispute.
Matz hopes to find a final agreement by the Belgian National Day, as this is the latest deadline to get budgets reviewed by the European Union.
Sources within the government have told De Tijd they're sceptical of the chances of finding an agreement.
