President of the Socialists & Democrats Group in the European Parliament, Gianni Pittella, expressed his deepest concerns over a Belgian government Minister and Secretary of State who openly frequent former Nazi collaborators and their associates, people convicted for their crimes in post-war Belgium.
“The presence of these people in the Belgian government, and worse still, in sensitive areas such as home affairs, and asylum and immigration policy, is particularly worrying. Furthermore, the absence of a clear and firm reaction from the Prime Minister, Charles Michel, reinforces our concern,” declares Gianni Pittella.
“Belgium has always been a staunch defender of democracy and of the founding values of Europe. This is why we hope that the new Belgian government will be as vigilant in defending democratic values as Louis Michel, former Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, did when Jörg Haider’s nationalist party came to power in Austria,” adds the President of the S&D Group.
