A guest on 22 January in the Let’s Talk about Elections programme, offered in partnership with the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium (FEB), Georges-Louis Bouchez took the opportunity to elaborate on several key points regarding the economic and social challenges of these upcoming elections.
Energy autonomy
Several points emerge from our president’s speech regarding energy concerns.
“We need energy, but the price must be affordable, and moreover it must be decarbonised.”
The president emphasises the importance of affordable and decarbonised energy. In its programme, the Mouvement Réformateur proposes a genuine industrial and economic strategy based on decarbonised electricity production, the use of CO2, support for the emergence of new energy carriers, and the fight against waste in all its forms (food waste, recovery of waste heat from industry, circular economy, fight against planned obsolescence, etc.).
During this exchange, the president clarifies the limits of using 100% renewable energy, which carries the risk of power cuts with the consequences one can imagine (problems in hospitals, road traffic, the smooth running of businesses, etc.).
In its programme, the MR therefore wants to extend the reactors that meet safety requirements.
Strengthening education at every level
“The starting point is early childhood, so we want compulsory schooling from age 3.”
The aim is to avoid the phenomenon of social reproduction. In certain regions, unemployment tends to repeat itself from generation to generation. Starting school earlier reduces this scourge.
The Mouvement Réformateur’s programme proposes assessing pupils’ basic skills in reading, writing and arithmetic in the third year of primary school, with an external exam and additional support if needed.
As for vocational training, the president of the Mouvement Réformateur states: “We want all technical and vocational education to move to a dual (work-study) system, as is done in the German-speaking Community, which enables employment rates of 95%.”
Getting people back to work
Getting people without a job back to work is one of the major pillars of the MR’s programme. For the liberal party, getting inactive people back to work is a source of personal empowerment and a contribution to society.
“Half of our jobseekers have been unemployed for more than two years.”
The programme presented for the upcoming elections sets the target to be reached at an 80% employment rate.
“Leaving people inactive for many years is a social waste, and above all a waste for those people themselves.”
The Mouvement Réformateur suggests redirecting jobseekers to the CPAS, which would focus on personalised support and activation missions to help them find work again, rather than simply “handing out cheques”.
Circular economy / reindustrialisation of Europe
“Today, a region like Wallonia has only 13% of its GDP as an industrial share, while the European average is around 21%. Germany, for example, stands at 26%.”
“It’s a problem in terms of employment and wealth creation, but it is also a problem in terms of strategic interest and our country’s ability to influence the course of Europe, and Europe’s ability to influence the course of the world.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZAS1vkKrFM