“Shortening the holiday is open for discussion”: Opposition and majority back proposal for shorter parliamentary recess

A proposal to shorten Belgium’s parliamentary summer recess has found support across political lines, although lawmakers disagree about what the break is for.

Frédéric De Gucht, leader of Anders, wants the recess to run from July 15 to August 15. Parliament currently stops meeting around July 21 and resumes in the third week of September, a break of about two months.

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It is a strange signal that parliament does not meet when the rest of the country is fully back at work.

Vooruit parliamentary group leader Oskar Seuntjens said the current schedule sends the wrong signal when the rest of the country returns to work. “It is a strange signal that parliament does not meet when the rest of the country is fully back at work,” he said.

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This is about democratic control.

Anders lawmaker Arthur Orlians framed the proposal as an issue of democratic oversight. “This is about democratic control,” he said, arguing that lawmakers cannot question ministers when parliament is not sitting. Vlaams Belang opposition politician Francesca Van Belleghem also backed a shorter recess. She said parliament can be recalled in emergencies, but the government itself decides what qualifies as an emergency.

N-VA’s Eva Demesmaeker defended the existing break. “Parliament closing does not mean the files are closed,” she said, noting that lawmakers use the period to prepare dossiers, read and hold meetings. She also said politicians need time to recover from the pressure of committee and plenary work.

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Parliament closing does not mean the files are closed.

Seuntjens agreed that parliamentary work continues outside the chamber. He said he spent a holiday in Italy but read books by tax expert Michel Maus because he expects to follow finance issues soon. The debate combines a call for more visible oversight with a defense of preparation and rest during the recess.

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I read books by Michel Maus by the pool.