Analysis

Four days after the start of the extraordinary European summit in Brussels, European Union leaders reached an agreement on a 'coronavirus' recovery plan. This plan is designed to address, on a European scale, the forecasted serious economic crisis. The European Union is going to launch a collective loan of 750 billion euro for the first time in its history. This could be an important step towards more solidarity between European countries, but the conditions imposed are challenging.

Inspired by Donald Trump, the far right around the world has adopted the same motto: "It's because of China that we have this coronavirus. China must pay." After an initial joint campaign against the UN pact on migration, the far-right network is now carrying out coordinated attacks against China.

The chairman of the FEB (Federation of Enterprises in Belgium) has been dreaming of a Social Pact for a long time. A dream from before the Covid-19 crisis. He's not the only one. For Georges-Louis Bouchez, the chairman of the MR (Mouvement réformateur, French-speaking liberal party), "it is time to conclude a new social contract". At the trade union level too, some are calling for a Social Pact. This caused a strong controversy at the top of the FGTB (socialist trade union federation). But what would this Pact be made of?

More and more voices are calling for the removal of the statues of Leopold II from the public space. Why? What did he do in the Congo? And what is the link between colonization and racism today? Explanations.

Who has to pay for this crisis? The heroes of everyday life, the healthcare workers, the workers in the distribution, at the post office... or the richest? In our country, the PTB-PVDA started the debate with the proposal of a "corona tax", but the issue is of global importance. French economists feel that a wealth tax is justified in times of crisis. It has already been applied.

Thousands of scientists worldwide are searching for medicines and vaccines against Covid-19. Big Pharma is also pulling out all the stops in order to make the most of the pandemic that is now dominating our lives. However, it is the responsibility of the large pharmaceutical companies that this treatment is not yet available today.

Over the last five years, the Lufthansa Group has made a profit of EUR 9 billion, the majority of which went into the pockets of shareholders such as German billionaire Heinz Hermann Thiele. But now that the airline is in trouble, it is asking for 290 million euros in public aid to save Brussels Airlines. The community is supposed to put its money where its mouth is and pack the shareholders' wallet. This is an outdated model for the PTB-PVDA, who advocates a publicly-owned airline.

Speech by Peter Mertens, chairman of the PTB-PVDA, at the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the victory over fascism, 8 May 2020, Breendonk

May First speech of Peter Mertens, chairman of the Workers' Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA)

Prevention must be a crucial aspect of our healthcare response to the corona pandemic. Both to prevent the spread of the virus and to deal with the social consequences of the corona crisis. The fact that many countries fall short in this respect has a lot to do with the organisation of their health care. This brings the importance of strong public health care back to the fore.