The De Croo government based its budgetary policy on the unrealistic 80 percent efficiency rate. The Flemish government-Jambon and the federal government – De Croo both want the same thing: eight out of ten people between the ages of 20 and 64 have to work. The Flemish government wants by the end of the term of office, in 2024, an employment rate of 80 percent, the federal government wants that by 2030.
That 80 percent is crucial, because budgets are based on that: more people working means more tax revenue and fewer benefits, so that there is financial room. When the De Croo government recently presented a new labour market deal with a lot of trumpeting, it was again underlined what was already clear at the start of the Flemish and federal governments: for Flanders it is doubtful whether that 80 percent will be achieved, for Belgium it is impossible.
