Green has called for an urgent meeting of the relevant parliamentary committees after the Arizona government struck overnight deals on several major dossiers a day after parliament closed.
The opposition party said the agreements, reached overnight from Friday to Saturday, were made behind closed doors and run counter to the public interest, good governance and earlier promises.
MP Meyrem Almaci described the package as a “crude and cynical deal” that does not stand up to public scrutiny. She accused the government of trading off long-running and important issues “as if they were marbles.”
According to Almaci, the negotiations were driven not by social relevance, effectiveness or evidence, but by “a crude ideological horse-trade.”
The government reportedly reached agreement on a range of files, including an import ban on goods from the occupied Palestinian territories and the annualisation of working time.
Green also criticised the lack of detail on the planned import ban, saying the absence of information “suggests the worst.” The party said there had also been no communication on the recognition of Palestine or on the implementation of other elements of the earlier Palestine agreement.
In addition, the party condemned MR’s reported plan to link the partial privatisation of Belfius to a merger with insurer Ethias. Almaci called it “a cynical and fiscally foolish move” that appears to be driven by purely ideological interests.
“The public deserves more transparency and a full explanation,” Almaci said. “This involves billions of euros and could have a major impact on public revenues.”
Green is therefore asking for a meeting of the House committees on Economy, Finance and Foreign Affairs so that the details of the deal can be fully disclosed.
