Belgium: "We worry about possible substantial budget cuts to federal research" (K. Verlaeckt, Vlir)

"We worry about possible substantial budget cuts to federal research programmes. These programmes are vital for collaboration between universities across the language border and federal scientific institutions. Another concern related to federal science policy is the danger that all or many existing federal science programmes may be cut", says Koen Verlaeckt, Secretary General of Vlir (Flemish Interuniversity Council) to News Tank on 10/01/2025.

Since the Belgian federal elections on 09/06/2024, negotiations have been underway to form the Belgian federal government. Bart De Wever, the President of the N-VA party, advocating for Flemish nationalism, has taken on the role of "formateur." As part of the process, he has drafted several "super-notes" to serve as a foundation for reaching a government agreement.

"Over the last few months, we’ve been actively engaging with the three Dutch-speaking political parties negotiating for a new federal government: N-VA, Vooruit and CD&V. This was prompted by concerns we had after reviewing different versions of the so-called 'super notes' by Bart…