During the night from Thursday to Friday, the House approved the setting up of a special committee to investigate Belgium’s response to the Covid-19 epidemic. Socialists, liberals, Ecolo-Groen, CD&V, N-VA and DéFI agreed, Vlaams Belang and PVDA voted against because they wanted a parliamentary committee of inquiry. CdH abstained.

The special committee will consist of 17 members. Other groups receive a member without voting rights. The committee is assisted by four experts who are given two months to prepare a preparatory report on the committee’s assignments, so that they can start work immediately after the summer break. If necessary, it can be transformed into a parliamentary committee of inquiry.

The committee’s mission is very broad: preparing for and tackling a large-scale health crisis, the information available to Belgium since the December outbreak in China, the management of strategic stocks of medical equipment and medicines, the coordination and implementation of measures to combat the epidemic, the guidance and support of hospitals, decision-making around the lockdown, the role of the Crisis Center, the non-medical aspects of the crisis, and recommendations for the future.

It is also emphasized that the special committee will consult regularly and exchange information with the similar committee in the state parliaments.

Kristof Calvo stated during the debate that Ecolo-Groen would like to abstain from the motion, but noted that this is not possible by sitting and standing. “We are in favor of a parliamentary committee of inquiry, but if we vote against a special committee, we have nothing,” he justified that the group would approve the motion. He also pointed out that according to the D’Hondt system, the chairmanship of the special committee belongs to the Open VLD. Since several party members have important responsibilities in the file, he asked for guarantees for the independence of the committee chairman.

Open VLD group leader Vincent Van Quickenborne guaranteed the objectivity of the chairman, ‘even if responsibilities have to be laid down’. Like a number of other speakers, he emphasized the commitment that there should be good cooperation between the various special committees because it has clearly become clear that the limits of the division of powers have been clearly confronted during the crisis. The work of the four committees must be coordinated, according to Van Quickenborne.

Vlaams Belang and PTB-PVDA voted against because they demanded an investigation committee. ‘If no investigation committee is set up for 10,000 deaths, for which then’, group leaders Barbara Pas (Vlaams Belang) and Raoul Hedebouw (PVDA) wondered.

Pas also noted that there was no question of responsibility in the founding motion. Hedebouw stated that he had requested contracts from Minister De Block three times, but that she always refused.

CdH group leader Catherine Fonck thought it was incomprehensible that there would be no committee of inquiry, although a majority supported it a few weeks ago. She tabled a series of amendments to replace the word ‘special committee’ with ‘parliamentary committee of inquiry’, but all were voted out. Finally, the group abstained, along with another MP.

Both the greens, as SP.A and DéFI indicated that they actually prefer an investigation committee to a special committee. They therefore emphasized the possibility of transforming the committee with the least resistance.

MR group leader Benoît Piedboeuf pointed out that both the committee of inquiry and the special committee would consist of the same members. “Would they behave differently?” He wondered. ‘Whatever the cat calls, as long as it catches mice,’ responded his CD&V colleague Servais Verherstraeten.

He also noted that a special committee can also invoke the law on public administration. ‘The functioning of a committee depends on the dynamics,’ said Parliament President Patrick Dewael, summarizing his experience in 7 special and investigative committees. “Often loyalty to the majority is inhibiting, and let there be no majority or coalitions now,” said the Open VLD, for whom the committee members can now prove their independence as MPs.

(Belgian)

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During the night from Thursday to Friday, the House approved the setting up of a special committee to investigate Belgium’s response to the Covid-19 epidemic. Socialists, liberals, Ecolo-Groen, CD&V, N-VA and DéFI agreed, Vlaams Belang and PVDA voted against because they wanted a parliamentary committee of inquiry. CdH abstained.

The special committee will consist of 17 members. Other groups receive a member without voting rights. The committee is assisted by four experts who are given two months to prepare a preparatory report on the committee’s assignments, so that they can start work immediately after the summer break. If necessary, it can be transformed into a parliamentary committee of inquiry.

The committee’s mission is very broad: preparing for and tackling a large-scale health crisis, the information available to Belgium since the December outbreak in China, the management of strategic stocks of medical equipment and medicines, the coordination and implementation of measures to combat the epidemic, the guidance and support of hospitals, decision-making around the lockdown, the role of the Crisis Center, the non-medical aspects of the crisis, and recommendations for the future.

It is also emphasized that the special committee will consult regularly and exchange information with the similar committee in the state parliaments.

Kristof Calvo stated during the debate that Ecolo-Groen would like to abstain from the motion, but noted that this is not possible by sitting and standing. “We are in favor of a parliamentary committee of inquiry, but if we vote against a special committee, we have nothing,” he justified that the group would approve the motion. He also pointed out that according to the D’Hondt system, the chairmanship of the special committee belongs to the Open VLD. Since several party members have important responsibilities in the file, he asked for guarantees for the independence of the committee chairman.

Open VLD group leader Vincent Van Quickenborne guaranteed the objectivity of the chairman, ‘even if responsibilities have to be laid down’. Like a number of other speakers, he emphasized the commitment that there should be good cooperation between the various special committees because it has clearly become clear that the limits of the division of powers have been clearly confronted during the crisis. The work of the four committees must be coordinated, according to Van Quickenborne.

Vlaams Belang and PTB-PVDA voted against because they demanded an investigation committee. ‘If no investigation committee is set up for 10,000 deaths, for which then’, group leaders Barbara Pas (Vlaams Belang) and Raoul Hedebouw (PVDA) wondered.

Pas also noted that there was no question of responsibility in the founding motion. Hedebouw stated that he had requested contracts from Minister De Block three times, but that she always refused.

CdH group leader Catherine Fonck thought it was incomprehensible that there would be no committee of inquiry, although a majority supported it a few weeks ago. She tabled a series of amendments to replace the word ‘special committee’ with ‘parliamentary committee of inquiry’, but all were voted out. Finally, the group abstained, along with another MP.

Both the greens, as SP.A and DéFI indicated that they actually prefer an investigation committee to a special committee. They therefore emphasized the possibility of transforming the committee with the least resistance.

MR group leader Benoît Piedboeuf pointed out that both the committee of inquiry and the special committee would consist of the same members. “Would they behave differently?” He wondered. ‘Whatever the cat calls, as long as it catches mice,’ responded his CD&V colleague Servais Verherstraeten.

He also noted that a special committee can also invoke the law on public administration. ‘The functioning of a committee depends on the dynamics,’ said Chamber President Patrick Dewael, summarizing his experience in 7 special and investigative committees. “Often loyalty to the majority is inhibiting, and let there be no majority or coalitions now,” said the Open VLD, for whom the committee members can now prove their independence as MPs.

(Belgian)

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