For 5 years, no controls at all: the result, nearly one in two employers in breach.
The era of laissez-faire is over.
The MR is restoring order to the APE scheme to protect jobs, guarantee fairness and respect every euro of public money.
Reforming means having the courage to act.
At its core, this is a deliberate political choice: to protect those who follow the rules, guarantee irreproachable use of public money, and refocus support on its original purpose, namely fostering employment and the integration of those furthest from the labour market. This reform thus meets a dual need: restoring trust in public action and strengthening the effectiveness of employment policy in Wallonia.
Findings and the need to act
The APE scheme accounts for tens of thousands of jobs in key sectors in Wallonia. No one disputes this. And the MR does not question their usefulness, quite the opposite.
But we must also have the courage to call things as they are: the system has gradually drifted away from its original purpose.
With a budget of more than €1.3 billion a year, it is only right to expect rigour and transparency. Yet for 5 years, there were no on-the-ground inspections at all.
When these inspections were relaunched by Employment Minister Pierre-Yves Jeholet, the findings were unequivocal:
- 473 employers inspected out of approximately 3,800 beneficiaries
- 398 reports already drawn up
- nearly one in two employers in breach (190 unfavourable opinions)
- multiple abuses
- €15 million potentially recoverable
This means one very simple thing: the system went off track for lack of oversight.
At some point, you have to choose: turn a blind eye… or take responsibility.
The MR has chosen to act, to put an end to years of abuse and finally guarantee a fair and equitable use of public money.
Principles of the reform
The reform is clear: put an end to a system that has become unreadable, in order to build a fairer model.
The APE scheme will therefore be abolished on 1 January 2027, and replaced by support directly managed by the sectors concerned.
Why this choice? Because today everyone recognises that the APE scheme has, in many cases, become an automatic structural funding mechanism, with insufficient connection to job integration.
The reform is based on three simple ideas:
- Putting each actor back in its own sector, for greater coherence
- Setting clear rules for everyone, based on transparency and equality
- Making budgets conditional on these rules, to prevent abuse
In short: we are restoring order where there was none left.
A gradual and responsible reform
Contrary to what some claim, this is not a brutal reform.
The end of the APE scheme is planned for 2027, but with:
- a transition period until 2029
- a phasing-in mechanism
- support for the sectors
The goal is clear: avoid any abrupt break and guarantee lasting support for sectors that matter to all French speakers.
The MR does not tear things down. It corrects and organises.
A budgetary issue, but above all a matter of fairness
The reform will deliver structural savings (€52.5 million already secured for 2026).
But this is not just a budgetary issue. The real issue is fairness.
Is it normal that:
- certain structures accumulate multiple forms of aid?
- others develop commercial activities with public money?
- certain situations have persisted for 15 or 20 years without ever being questioned?
The answer is no. Every public euro must be used correctly. It's a matter of respect for citizens.
Responding to criticism
Some pretend to have only just discovered these abuses… and are outraged.
But where were they during those 5 years without controls?
The reality is that:
- laissez-faire was the past
- transparency and rigour are the present
On concerns about jobs, the MR is clear:
- essential sectors are protected
- the transition is gradual
- resources remain focused on employment
This is not about scrapping, but about better use.
This reform also protects the many actors who follow the rules and who today are penalised by the abuses of others.
A reform consistent with employment policy
The APE reform should not be seen in isolation. It is part of a broader government strategy to make employment policies more effective.
On one hand, the APE reform ends a system that, over time, became structural support for non-profit sectors, often disconnected from the original goal of job integration. On the other, introducing a single hiring incentive allows support to be refocused on its primary purpose: making it easier for those who need it most to access employment.
In practical terms:
- Hiring aid will now be primarily targeted at jobseekers furthest from the labour market
- The goal is clear: durably raise the employment rate in Wallonia
- All sectors will be affected: public, private for-profit and non-profit
This dual reform helps clarify roles:
- The APE scheme becomes structured, fair and transparent support for essential sectors
- Hiring aid once again becomes an effective lever for job integration
MR's political motivation
The MR fully owns this reform.
Because governing does not mean avoiding problems. It means solving them.
We are choosing:
- transparency
- responsibility
- fairness
And above all, respect for public money.
A reform to guarantee lasting support for essential sectors, restore fairness to the system, and definitively close the chapter on a scheme that had become unreadable and unfair.