This Wednesday 27 August, Minister Mathieu Bihet was a guest on the QR programme to address an issue at the heart of our society: unlimited unemployment benefits, an aberration unique to Belgium. Well, that was before the MR took the helm.
If this system were as effective as claimed, why has no other country in the world chosen to adopt it? In reality, Belgium remains an anomaly in Europe, being the only state where it is possible to receive unemployment benefits with no time limit.
This model has failed to solve the unemployment problem, particularly in Wallonia, where the situation remains more worrying than ever despite the policies pursued and the investments made.
Unlike Flanders or Germany, Wallonia has a markedly higher unemployment rate, revealing the ineffectiveness of current approaches and the need to fundamentally rethink mechanisms for returning to work.
For the Mouvement Réformateur, true solidarity is not about maintaining the illusion of assistance without any return: it is work that liberates, rewards and values effort. Solidarity also means allowing everyone to find employment again and contribute to society.
That is why we are working to overhaul our system, where everyone's effort contributes to the prosperity of all.