Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon has spoken out against the distribution of the European Brexit fund as it is currently on the table.
"The present distribution of the European Brexit fund is very disadvantageous for us and goes against the principles,” he said in parliament today after a question from his party mate Karl Vanlouwe.
The Brexit fund is a solidarity instrument that should assist the member states, the regions and the economic sectors to mitigate the impact of the British departure from the European single market and the customs union.
The fund still needs to be approved by the Council and the European Parliament, but the currently tabled fund involves €5 billion to divide between Member States.
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A proposal from French MEP Valérie Hayer takes into account a member state's GDP rather than its trade relationship with the UK. Consequently, countries like France and Germany would get a large share, while states hit harder by Brexit, including Belgium, would receive less.
"This goes against the basic premise of the fund, of which we are co-founders," Jambon said. "The money should go to the most affected member states and regions. This is absolutely unacceptable."
Jambon has raised the issue with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo "and I can say that we are pulling in the same direction," he told the Flemish Parliament.
The Brussels Times
