The Federation of Music Festivals of Wallonia and Brussels (FFMWB) has accused Belgium's Consultative Committee of showing "deplorable amateurism" in their reception of the proposed project for the events sector.
After months of "deciding not to decide anything" and postponing any decision concerning the sector until 11 May, the FFMWB member festivals invited "the political authorities to get back to work to bring decisions and prospects very quickly and especially before the date of 11 May" on Tuesday.
"Festivals are going from non-essential to simply invisible," the FFMWB said in a press release, adding that the decision to postpone the issue of the event sector until 11 May leaves the festival sector without any prospects beyond 30 June.
"The discussion on the fate of festivals, for which a decision was first promised in mid-March, has already been postponed several times," the FFMWB said.
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The federation considers "this umpteenth postponement" as a "lack of interest" and regrets a "total lack of knowledge [of the] sector by the authorities."
"A festival requires months of preparation," the federation said. "The absence of prospects given by the government is also a total lack of respect for the actors [...] of this already heavily impacted sector."
Besides the absence of a decision, the FFMWB also deplores the fact that no compensation measures have yet been put in place.
Now that the culture sector is slowly beginning to deconfine, the sector is calling for urgent decisions and prospects in the coming days.
The Brussels Times
