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Belgium’s N-VA: We won’t (yet) quit government or back UN pact
Charles Michel asks parliament to vote on international migration accord that has divided his government.
By LAURENS CERULUS
12/4/18, 7:51 PM CET
Updated 12/5/18, 1:13 PM CET
Belgium’s largest political party said it won’t quit the government but will vote against signing an international migration agreement.
The Belgian parliament will vote later Wednesday on whether to sign the U.N.’s Global Compact on Migration, a ballot called by Prime Minister Charles Michel in a bid to stop the government collapsing.
Peter De Roover, parliamentary leader of the New Flemish Alliance, said Wednesday his party will vote against the U.N. deal but stressed that the decision whether to sign is up to the government as a whole (the N-VA is the largest party in the coalition).
“The constitution says it has to be a government decision,” De Roover said.
However, the prime minister can’t officially sign the U.N pact without the support of all coalition partners, including the N-VA, a constitutional expert, echoed by N-VA members, told local paper De Tijd.
The Flemish nationalists said they have no plans to leave the coalition.
“We’re four parties in the government. There is still a lot of work to be done. We hope this government continues,” De Roover said Wednesday.
Michel said he will go to Marrakesh, Morocco next week to give the country’s position on the pact at a U.N. migration summit. But the N-VA’s refusal to sign had brought his government to the brink of collapse.
“Parliament is the house of democracy … I’m convinced the moment has come for parliament to make a choice,” he said at a press conference Tuesday.
The parliament was set to reconvene Wednesday afternoon and is likely to pass the U.N. deal with support from opposition parties.
The U.N. pact, which is non-binding, sets out a “cooperative framework” for dealing with international migration. Signatories agree, for example, to limit the pressure on countries with many migrants and to promote the self-reliance of newcomers.
Several European countries including Poland, Hungary, Italy and Austria have pulled out of the U.N. migration pact. Others, including Denmark and the Netherlands, struggled to deliver full-throated support for the deal.
Michel had previously committed to signing it, even mentioning it in a speech at the United Nations in September.
“Our credibility is on the line,” Michel said Tuesday. “We’re a member of the [U.N.] Security Council. We have a strong reputation in Europe.”
If the N-VA was to leave the government, it would leave Michel without a majority in parliament and potentially trigger an early election in the new year. Belgium currently faces regional, federal and European elections in 2019.
https://www.politico.eu/article/bel...mid-political-crisis-government-un-migration/
Charles Michel asks parliament to vote on international migration accord that has divided his government.
By LAURENS CERULUS
12/4/18, 7:51 PM CET
Updated 12/5/18, 1:13 PM CET
Belgium’s largest political party said it won’t quit the government but will vote against signing an international migration agreement.
The Belgian parliament will vote later Wednesday on whether to sign the U.N.’s Global Compact on Migration, a ballot called by Prime Minister Charles Michel in a bid to stop the government collapsing.
Peter De Roover, parliamentary leader of the New Flemish Alliance, said Wednesday his party will vote against the U.N. deal but stressed that the decision whether to sign is up to the government as a whole (the N-VA is the largest party in the coalition).
“The constitution says it has to be a government decision,” De Roover said.
However, the prime minister can’t officially sign the U.N pact without the support of all coalition partners, including the N-VA, a constitutional expert, echoed by N-VA members, told local paper De Tijd.
The Flemish nationalists said they have no plans to leave the coalition.
“We’re four parties in the government. There is still a lot of work to be done. We hope this government continues,” De Roover said Wednesday.
Michel said he will go to Marrakesh, Morocco next week to give the country’s position on the pact at a U.N. migration summit. But the N-VA’s refusal to sign had brought his government to the brink of collapse.
“Parliament is the house of democracy … I’m convinced the moment has come for parliament to make a choice,” he said at a press conference Tuesday.
The parliament was set to reconvene Wednesday afternoon and is likely to pass the U.N. deal with support from opposition parties.
The U.N. pact, which is non-binding, sets out a “cooperative framework” for dealing with international migration. Signatories agree, for example, to limit the pressure on countries with many migrants and to promote the self-reliance of newcomers.
Several European countries including Poland, Hungary, Italy and Austria have pulled out of the U.N. migration pact. Others, including Denmark and the Netherlands, struggled to deliver full-throated support for the deal.
Michel had previously committed to signing it, even mentioning it in a speech at the United Nations in September.
“Our credibility is on the line,” Michel said Tuesday. “We’re a member of the [U.N.] Security Council. We have a strong reputation in Europe.”
If the N-VA was to leave the government, it would leave Michel without a majority in parliament and potentially trigger an early election in the new year. Belgium currently faces regional, federal and European elections in 2019.
https://www.politico.eu/article/bel...mid-political-crisis-government-un-migration/
