Flash Itinera Factchecking

The budget debate in our country confronts us with the need for greater fiscal coordination at European level, the think tank Itinera argues. For Belgium the think tank sees but one good remedy: save on public spending at all levels. It has been said that we have an austerity policy, but the statistics show otherwise. Government spending continue to rise, and they do so at all levels: federal and regional and local. Government expenditures have increased more in our country than the euro zone’s average. In difficult times, strong countries such as Germany and the Netherlands can afford the public spending to rise and to stimulate domestic consumption, but Belgium is certainly not in this group of strong countries.