Flemish Parliament also examines his pensions: « What you ask for people, you also have to do yourself »
The Chamber has set a good example by pruning in the parliamentary favores. The office of the Chamber has – as expected – adopted the majority proposals. But in a country like Belgium there are different levels and therefore also different parliaments. Each with their own arrangement. The Flemish Parliament is certainly not in the sense of lagging behind their federal colleagues, says parliament chairman Freya van den Bossche (Vooruit) to Villa Politica.
The pension will be calculated on an average of the wage of the last ten years instead of just the last year now, which is always the highest due to indexation
« We will do the same thing in general, » she says. « What you ask of people, you also have to do yourself as politicians. » That means that the status of the MPs must follow the reform of the officials. The pension will be calculated on an average of the wage of the last ten years instead of just the last year now, which is always the highest due to indexation. Every year there is a year from 2026, so that in the long term a parliamentary pension is also calculated at 45 years. And just like with the officials, the highest pensions are put off.
The holiday allowance for MPs at Rust will no longer be 92 percent of the monthly pension, but will be reduced to 10 percent. That is already more than 5,000 euros a month less. The retirement allowance will be reduced to a maximum of one year in contrast to the two years now.
Freya van den Bossche will soon sit together with her room colleague Peter de Roover (N-VA). – © Belga
That is more or less what Van den Bossche aims in the Flemish Parliament. She quickly sits together with Chamber President Peter de Roover (N-VA) to streamline that. « We often see people here with a mixed career in the Chamber and the Flemish Parliament. Then we are doing well. »
Read too. Flemish majority buries ‘silence agreement’, but what exactly is that?
Completely deleting the retirement allowance is « legally difficult ». « But I still think it is strange that you will get it paid if you already have a different job, » says Van den Bossche. And just like in the Chamber, the Socialiste wants to work with a system of sitting fees for those who take on an extra function, such as committee chairman or vice -chairman. Today they automatically receive a higher salary, even if they are absent. The flat -rate and therefore tax -free expense allowance of 2,497.06 euros is also being discussed. It comes on top of a parliamentary wage of 8,472.16 euros gross per month.
Simpler than in room
Anyway, the exercise in the Flemish Parliament would be a bit easier than in the Chamber. On the French -speaking side, the politicians find it nothing to cut deep into their own skin, the Flemish parties do see the need for it. In the Flemish Parliament, they are already stricter in some areas than in the Chamber. Since the affair of ex-open VLD’ster Sihame El Kaouakibi, they have already sharpened the sickness control, so that absent members of parliament are not getting the full wage for eternity.
« We are waiting for the proposals and will discuss them, » says N-VA party leader Philippe Muyters. “It is good to streamline the status, but we don’t have to do it either Race to the Bottom make it. It is not entirely right now. ”
Serving alcohol in the coffee room is no longer a point of discussion. They have finished this in the Flemish Parliament for years.
