Government’s general policy speech

Check against delivery.   Mr. President, Dear colleagues, This morning, the government was sworn in by the King. It was a solemn and important moment, given the gravity of the situation we find ourselves in. The highly unusual way in which Parliament is now working bears testament to this unusual occasion. That is why I am standing here before you today, with a clear head and determination.…

Role & powers

The tasks of the Prime Minister are many and varied, but the four most important are: leading the government; chairing the Council of Ministers; representing the government in the main governmental and non-governmental institutions; representing the government abroad. The prime minister leads the government First and foremost, the prime minister is the head of government: He…

Answer to parliamentary questions on the decisions of the National Security Council

Check against delivery.   Like every week, I would like to come back to the evolution of epidemiological data. This is indeed essential in the current phase-out process. Because, as you know, the next phases can only be started based on this evolution. The positive trends of the previous days continue. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all staff in the health sector for their…

Answer to parliamentary questions on the National Security Council of 6 May

Check against delivery.   Thank you, Mr. President,   Let me start with something that is unfortunately becoming a habit, i.e. the analysis of the evolution of epidemiological data. The virus’ reproduction rate continues to drop. That is fairly good news. At the beginning of the week, it was estimated at 0.6, compared to 0.79 10 days ago. The number of new hospital admissions recorded every…

A common and coordinated strategy to provide a means of protection to every citizen

As of 4 May – the start of the phasing out in Belgium – wearing a means of protection covering the mouth and nose from the age of 12 is strongly recommended in public places and compulsory in public transport (decision of the National Security Council on the basis of the GEES expert report). You are required to wear a mask as you enter a train or metro station and when you are waiting…

Answer to parliamentary questions on exit strategy

Check against delivery.   Thank you, Mr. President,   Since the start of the crisis, we have had one priority: to limit and reduce the spread of the virus. Health first. The measures are bearing fruit. We can see that in the reproduction rate of the coronavirus, which now stands at 0.79. This means that, on average, every sick person is infecting less than one other person. The trend of…

Coronavirus: Belgium has defined its exit strategy

On the basis of recommendations from the Group of Experts in charge of the Exit Strategy (GEES), the National Security Council met today, Friday 24 April, in the Egmont Palace to determine the exit strategy from the corona crisis. As a reminder, the federal government and the governments of the federated states have taken a series of measures since 12 March to curb the spread of covid-19 in our…

Response to parliamentary questions on the National Security Council meeting concerning the exit strategy

Check against delivery.   Mr Speaker, Members of Parliament,   For some days now, there have been encouraging signs from the indicators we are using to track the development of the COVID­19 pandemic. We note that the average reproduction number, or R value, for the coronavirus has reached 0.8. In other words, each individual with COVID­19 infects on average 0.8 other people. That stands in…