Answers to parliamentary questions
Check against delivery. Economic recovery plan – Proposals from employers’ organisations Thank you, Mr. President, The economic impact of the crisis is considerable. As I said last week, at the beginning of April, the Planning Bureau and the National Bank of Belgium predicted a possible recession of -8% this year. It is likely that the actual recession in 2020 will be even worse. For 2021, the recovery will also be slow. However, a distinction must be made between,…
Response to questions in plenary
Check against delivery Coronavirus crisis – recovery plan Thank you, Mr Speaker. First of all, I would like to answer the specific questions regarding second homes and the third phase. After that, I will talk about the macroeconomic aspect of the recovery. This week, virologists have once more confirmed that allowing members of the public to visit their second homes again would have no impact in terms of spreading COVID19, and so we now see no reason to unnecessarily delay…
Answer to parliamentary questions on the decisions of the National Security Council
Check against delivery. Like every week, I would like to come back to the evolution of epidemiological data. This is indeed essential in the current phase-out process. Because, as you know, the next phases can only be started based on this evolution. The positive trends of the previous days continue. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all staff in the health sector for their efforts. The last few days we have seen a downward trend in hospital admissions. We also have positive…
Answer to parliamentary questions on the National Security Council of 6 May
Check against delivery. Thank you, Mr. President, Let me start with something that is unfortunately becoming a habit, i.e. the analysis of the evolution of epidemiological data. The virus’ reproduction rate continues to drop. That is fairly good news. At the beginning of the week, it was estimated at 0.6, compared to 0.79 10 days ago. The number of new hospital admissions recorded every day also continues to decline. And since last Sunday, less than a third of ICU beds is occupied.…
Answer to parliamentary questions on exit strategy
Check against delivery. Thank you, Mr. President, Since the start of the crisis, we have had one priority: to limit and reduce the spread of the virus. Health first. The measures are bearing fruit. We can see that in the reproduction rate of the coronavirus, which now stands at 0.79. This means that, on average, every sick person is infecting less than one other person. The trend of hospital admissions is also flattening, and so we have avoided the main threat: overburdening our…
Response to parliamentary questions on the National Security Council meeting concerning the exit strategy
Check against delivery. Mr Speaker, Members of Parliament, For some days now, there have been encouraging signs from the indicators we are using to track the development of the COVID19 pandemic. We note that the average reproduction number, or R value, for the coronavirus has reached 0.8. In other words, each individual with COVID19 infects on average 0.8 other people. That stands in contrast to an R value of 2 or 3 before the measures to reduce the spread of the virus were…
Response to parliamentary questions on the decisions made by the National Security Council
Check against delivery. Thank you for your questions, which I will come to in a moment. But first, as always, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our citizens for the huge effort they have been making for a month now. I understand the problems, the sense of isolation and also the frustrations this situation brings with it. However, compliance with the measures is vital to save lives. This effort is not in vain. On the contrary in fact, it is improving the health……
Response to the questions in plenary on the COVID19 crisis and the government's approach
Check against delivery. Thank you for your questions, which I will come to in a moment. As in my other addresses over the past few weeks, let me start by thanking, on behalf of everybody here, our many fellow citizens who are tirelessly working to save lives and keep our country going. Thank you also to those who, by complying with the difficult lockdown measures, are doing their bit to look after the population as a whole. Our thoughts also go out to the most vulnerable among us, on whom…
Speech of the Prime Minister
Ladies and gentlemen, For weeks now, the fight against the spread of Covid-19 in Belgium has been the daily reality for all of us. It’s the right time, I think, to take stock together with you. The period we are going through at the moment is unprecedented and overwhelms us, in more ways than one. To protect you and the people you love – and in fact to protect society as a whole – we have had to take a series of difficult measures that have turned our habits, our social…
Answers to parliamentary questions on the Corona crisis
Check against delivery Mr Speaker, Colleagues, Inside this chamber and beyond, all of us realise the magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic and the severe impact it is having. Obviously, first and foremost there is the effect on the health of our fellow citizens. But the virus has also completely transformed our daily lives, our social interactions and the vitality of our economy. In these challenging times, the government is, and will remain, fully committed to protecting the public. Nor is…