Members of the Flemish government, lawmakers and party leaders gathered at Brussels City Hall today to celebrate the Flemish holiday.
During her speech Flemish parliamentary speaker Liesbeth Homans (nationalist) echoed the aspirations of Flemish PM Jambon (nationalist) voiced only yesterday: “Flanders must be able to wield all the levers necessary to remain the prosperous region it is today. We should question whether healthy economic policies are possible in a federal straitjacket”.
In her address the Flemish parliamentary speaker called for people’s trust in politicians to be restored. She pointed to exceptions that allowed lawmakers to enjoy pensions that were higher than those of ordinary citizens and said criticism had been healthy: “No institution should be beyond criticism”.
Ms Homans added the work, role and number of parliamentarians should all be reconsidered.