The Dubuisson brewery and its partners active in catering and distribution put this Monday the federal government in default urgently adopt measures to ensure the same level of help businesses in the north, center and south of the country faced with the consequences of the closure of cafes and restaurants. They sent their letter to the Minister of the Interior and Institutional Reforms Annelies verlinden, because their request is based on Article 6 of the special law on institutional reforms of August 8, 1980.

The law requires the Federal government as well as the Regions to preserve the country’s economic and monetary union in all circumstances. It aims, among other things, to prevent, through the powers granted to the Regions and the use they make of them, obstacles are erected to the freedom of establishment, commerce and industry, capital movements, etc. But not only the Federal government itself did not take any action to support the sectors subject to closure on a decision of its leader, but it has in addition left the initiative to the Regions “without any safeguards or restrictions to maintain a balance “at the level of the whole country.

The Dubuisson brewery had already denounced, in a previous letter sent via the press to the various governments, the inequalities between the aid granted in Flanders and in Wallonia. The Flemish Region “has not left behind the actors working in production or distribution”, it read. “Its aid is aimed at all companies without distinction, provided that they have suffered a loss of 60% of their turnover and / or are a company whose turnover is 50% dependent on ‘a sector having been completely closed by the Covid measures. Wallonia, for its part, has set rules depending on the sector of activity. Thus, not all companies are entitled to aid. distribution or production sector … “

As this letter did no reaction, the brewery has decided to move up a gear by issuing a formal notice. “If nothing is done in the coming days, the partners will seize the competent courts in order to assert their rights.”

The brewer’s initiative is far from isolated. A week ago, Belgian Brewers, the federation of the brewing sector, had asked the government to allow the reopening of the terraces. Two days later, 16 CEOs of companies well-known companies in the agri-food sector and the hotel and catering industry had, in an open letter, asked the Federal government to publish a clear plan to reopen the establishments.