Brussels Finance and Budget Minister Sven Gatz (Open Vld), who has been dealing with routine matters for many months, warned on Tuesday about a potential downgrading of the region’s credit rating by Standard & Poor’s (S&P).
“Some say it’s not that serious (…) but it is, and we will pay much higher interest rates and have increasingly less flexibility, which could snowball at a certain point,” he said, expressed his concerns on Bel RTL.
Gatz emphasised the need to keep the budget under control. The Region currently operates under provisional monthly allocations while awaiting a new majority, but there is still some room for manoeuvre through conservative measures, he assured.
Brussels Prime Minister Rudi Vervoort recently suggested that there is a good chance Brussels will not be downgraded by S&P in June, but Gatz does not agree. “I do not share the optimism of the minister-president,” he noted on Tuesday.
The ultimate solution will be the formation of a new government. With the Mouvement Réformateur's initiative, Gatz feels, “we are fortunately at a crossroads again.”
“It won’t be easy, but we must try” to discuss substantial issues, he added.
The French-speaking liberals announced their intention to present a general policy document for a vote in June, based partly on expert recommendations.
