The government agreement for the Federation Wallonia-Brussels will not be scaled back due to budgetary constraints, announced Minister-President Elisabeth Degryse (Les Engagés) on Saturday.
Speaking during the celebration of the French Community of Belgium in the Gothic Hall of Brussels City Hall, Degryse called on political parties in Brussels to take responsibility and reach at least a budget agreement for the Brussels-Capital Region, which has been without a government for 475 days.
“I often say this: the Federation Wallonia-Brussels, a bridge between Wallonia and the Brussels Region, needs two legs to dance,” she remarked.
Degryse struck a cautious tone regarding the budget, describing it as “a difficult reality we must confront.”
“The entire government is working on it, and no, we will not comment until decisions are made,” she stated. “We will shoulder our responsibility to safeguard the Federation’s essential policies and will openly assume, when the time comes, the choices made by the government. We will neither hide behind illusions nor shy away from fostering dialogue and collaboration.”
Touching on the Federation’s various areas of responsibility, she emphasised the significance of culture, describing it as “vital to our societies and a critical safeguard for democracy in an increasingly polarised world.”
She also congratulated Louvain for its designation as the European Capital of Culture 2030 and extended gratitude to the other candidates, Molenbeek and Namur. “I am deeply convinced that these projects have built lasting connections and that the work put in was not in vain,” she said.
