The Consultation Committee, is that now the new Security Council? In the previous government led by Sophie Wilmès, the big decisions always seemed to come after a National Security Council. Although that was not always the case. Certain urgent decisions, such as the mouth mask obligation in the shops or the famous color codes for travel destinations, were taken by the Consultation Committee. But now it seems to be over and out with the Security Council and from now on it is the Consultation Committee that is drawing the outlines of the corona policy in our country.
Why the turnaround? And is there actually a lot of difference between the two organs? The Security Council was established after the attacks in our country, on March 22, 2016. The federal government in particular is represented in it, and experts can also be invited to give advice. The Consultation Committee, on the other hand, is a purely political body that brings together the federal government and the state governments. The difference seems to be minimal, because there are often the same people in both organs. But according to the government, the Security Council is a “superfluous step” and from a legal point of view, the choice of the Consultation Committee seems more logical.
Who is actually sitting around the table? Naturally the Prime Minister of our country, Alexander De Croo (Open VLD), the regional Prime Ministers and certainly also the Ministers of the Interior and Health. These are Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) and Frank Vandenbroucke (SP.A) respectively. Today, the Federal Deputy Prime Ministers and Deputy Prime Ministers are also likely to be in attendance. And the new Corona Commissioner Pedro Facon would also join the table.
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