As a guest at Agoria's annual congress, held this Thursday at the Sucrerie de Wavre, Georges-Louis Bouchez, President of the MR, took part in the panel “Cinq à Corps: cross-party discussions”, alongside business leaders and other political figures. The event, which brought together around 900 people, highlighted the challenges and opportunities facing Wallonia's technology industry through to 2030.
Responding to the view expressed by Alain Quevrin, CEO of Thales Belgium, on the region's competitiveness, Georges-Louis Bouchez stressed the urgency of maintaining and strengthening a strong industry in Wallonia:
“We must stop thinking that deindustrialisation is inevitable. Wallonia has every card in hand to become a land of innovation and production once again, provided it offers a stable and predictable tax framework. ”
The MR President also compared Wallonia's economic situation to that of Flanders and other European regions: “Look at our neighbours : where businesses are supported by coherent industrial policies, employment grows. In Wallonia, we have too often chosen to tax for taxation's sake, instead of rewarding work and investment.”
In conclusion, Georges-Louis Bouchez championed a proactive and competitive vision: greater cooperation between government, businesses and research, less administrative burden and incentive taxation for innovation!