On 18 September, following the meeting our Board of Directors in Brussels hosted by our Belgian member Bouwunie, the delegations of EBC Board members assisted to the event BOUWUNIE op de afspraak (Bouwunie at the Appointment) in Grimbergen.
In front of an audience of over a hundred people, the event featured a series of vibrant panel discussions moderated by VRT journalist Hanne Decoutere, following a warm welcome by Bouwunie President and EBC Board member Koen Kempeneers.
Starting with a political debate featuring politicians from Flemish political parties and Bouwunie Secretary General Jean-Pierre Waeytens, the discussion focussed on questions including how the various political parties want to tackle the administrative burden for entrepreneurs, their positions on renovation obligations and VAT on new built and renovations, and how the construction sector can find more and better skilled workers.
In the second part of the evening, the discussion turned to the European level. EBC President Philip Van Nieuwenhuizen exchanged with Mr. Waeytens on various challenges facing construction SMEs and craftsmen across Europe and in Belgium, such as abusive posting of workers, unfair competition or complex sustainability reporting.
Concluding, political analyst Carl Devos delivered a keynote speech giving an extensive overview of the current political situation and the challenges facing the Flemish (regional) and Belgian (federal) policymakers in their attempts to form government coalitions.
Bouwunie also used the opportunity to unveil its new logo and fresh visual identity for the organisation to continue to robustly represent small construction companies in the years to come.
 | For more information about the event “Bouwunie op de afspraak,” visit the website www.bouwunieopdeafspraak.be For more information about Bouwunie, visit the website www.bouwunie.be |