Government launches plan to strengthen Belgian industry
The federal government has on Friday launched the “Make 2025-2030” competitiveness plan, a strategic plan to strengthen the Belgian industry. The plan provides for close cooperation between the federal and regional levels.
With the plan, which is part of the coalition agreement, the federal government aims to improve the competitiveness of Belgian companies, one of its priorities. “Our industry is currently in a difficult situation,” stated prime minister Bart De Wever. “That is why we must move quickly to implement a decisive policy.”
The plan provides for close cooperation between the federal and regional levels. The aim is to deploy various federal levers around taxation, the labour market, energy, administrative simplification and legal security.
First of all, a steering committee will be set up to coordinate the plan. The committee will this year be chaired by the prime minister and economy minister David Clarinval. The first meeting will take place before the summer. The steering committee also includes representatives of the regions and private players. The chairmanship changes annually between the different levels of government.
Reindustrialise the economy
The steering group will in turn set up working groups to formulate concrete measures. The key is to safeguard competitiveness and accelerate productivity growth, invest in promising sectors and consolidate open strategic autonomy. The working groups have a mandate of six months, renewable once, to formulate measurable recommendations. The steering committee must then approve and follow up on those recommendations.
“Make 2025-2030 should become the face of an ambitious inter-federal plan to reindustrialise our economy,” said minister Clarinval. “The strategic objectives, set at a high level, will have to be translated into concrete measures that should allow Belgium to strengthen its competitiveness and consolidate its industrial base by the end of the legislature.”
Petrochemical factory in the Port of Antwerp © BELGA PHOTO IMAGEBROKER
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