De Zevende Dag met minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés)

Prévot: "Majority of our parliamentary group wants abortion limit at 18 weeks" The laws regarding abortion, euthanasia for dementia, and surrogacy must indeed change by December. Leaving everything as it is now cannot be the intention. Deputy Prime Minister Prévot (Les Engagés) emphasized this on 'De zevende dag'. The government agreed yesterday, after hours of negotiations, to discuss all ethical dossiers together by December 1st. However, CD&V leaves little room regarding abortion. The party wants to allow abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy and no more. Les Engagés is more aligned with Vooruit, says Prévot. "According to our statutes, every Member of Parliament has the right to take their own position. The majority of our parliamentary group would like to move to 18 weeks. We will see in the coming months whether that is possible or not." Prévot not opposed to "wealth tax": "Logical that strong shoulders contribute more" The government faces tough budget negotiations. Where should that money come from? "We must find a balance between saving and getting a higher return on current revenues," says Minister Prévot. In doing so, he goes against the vision of coalition partner MR, which does not want a tax increase. Prévot himself is considering, for example, a reduction of certain tax benefits. "The efforts must be distributed fairly. Everyone must contribute according to their means." He also says he is in favor of the idea of ​​having "those with strong shoulders" contribute more. A wealth tax, then? "Yes, that is possible, but perhaps with different modalities than in the Vooruit proposal. I am certainly not someone who is against rich people. But in my opinion, it is logical that those with strong shoulders pay more." Prévot thinks that a budget effort of 13 billion euros is "not possible." Ideally, the government would find 13 billion euros during this term to get the budget into somewhat calmer waters, Pierre Wunsch of the National Bank said last week. Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Prévot (Les Engagés) sighs briefly on 'De zevende dag' when he hears that. "13 or 14 billion, that would be ideal. But honestly, I don't think it is possible." "Since the start of this government, we have already made an effort of 32 billion euros. That is the largest effort in our country since WWII. We must reform, but we must also remain attentive to the social cohesion of our country. Otherwise, that is also bad for the economy. We must achieve that balance." According to him, the objective is to find 7 billion euros this year. "That is indeed too little. But this government cannot make all the efforts for all governments and all the coming years. If we can find 7 billion euros this year, that would be great. Of course, we will then have to make additional efforts in the future. And future governments will have to do that too." Prévot: "Difficult to still call Israel an ally" Is Israel still an ally of Belgium? Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot was asked that question on 'De zevende dag'. "Israel is a partner," he said with some hesitation. "But it is difficult to use the word ally when you look at the attitude towards the Israeli government." "Israel's attacks on various countries are unacceptable. The way the Gazans are treated, the expansion of the settlements—that is a disgrace. They no longer respect international law." This explains, Prévot says, why he himself has proposed various measures, including an import ban on Israeli products from occupied territories. "Is that enough? According to some, certainly not. But with those measures, our country is at the forefront of European countries. It would be better to take a measure at the European level, but many countries do not dare to do so, for economic, historical, or ideological reasons." What is the difference between a partner and an ally? "We are still in contact with the Israeli government, with our compatriots there. And there is also economic exchange. But we are certainly not on the same page regarding respect for international and humanitarian law. Their attitude must change completely." Want to see more of our videos? Subscribe here:    / vrtnws   You all have the right to express your opinion, but show respect for one another. Comments containing swear words or personal attacks will be removed.