"Commentators lack expertise to evaluate the budget agreement"

In a long interview with our colleagues De Tijd, the Prime Minister, Charles Michel (MR), returned to the 2019 budget agreement, the initial public offering of Belfius, the thorny Arco file and its future within majority. With a sprig of direct spikes and some speckled foil attacks

The Prime Minister had a long talk with our colleagues from Tijd, in the wake of the budget agreement reached earlier this week. Here some excerpts of this interview

The Wavrian liberal remains "convinced" that what is put on the table, as part of the second agreement of the summer concluded at the beginning of the week, is a reform "important that prepares our country for the future" . Presented this Tuesday, "these reforms will also generate additional jobs."

He goes on to attacking journalists. "They can comment freely, but their criticism does not conform to the truth". And to add: "many commentators do not have the expertise to evaluate the importance of this agreement. I see that experts, professors and employers are positive. And on the other on the other hand, the unions are calling for scandal. "

For him, considering that the MR is the only majority French-speaking party, he "leaves plenty of room for the opposition.The unions have anyway chosen to consider the government as an enemy from first day . "

And he drives the point: "the economist Bart Van Craeynest says anything" when he claims that the government of Di Rupo was doing more for sanitation than his government. He also says "curious" to know the alternatives of the experts. "What measures would they take to achieve a faster equilibrium without the economy being affected?"

While doing of the job creation his hobbyhorse Charles Michel gives a sweep to critics and takes our neighboring countries as an example

♦ Never two without three, a little dart towards the Socialists "as long as they were in government, it was impossible".

The Prime Minister recalled that his government would decide in the autumn of the introduction of 30% of Belfius on the stock market . At the end of October, it will also propose to the cooperatives an offer of compensation.

Swedish remains in contact with the European Commission. " Towards Europe, our solution is defensible Because in the Arco case, we want to compensate individuals and not legal entities, so we respect the commitments of previous governments."

"I intend to work hard until the last day" he responds to the journalist. " It's too early to know if there will be a Michel 2 government. I am Prime Minister until the last day of the legislature."