Mr. Zapatero's proposed changes include more flexibility for collective wage bargaining, reducing working hours to preserve employment and improvement of job-placement services.
They come as Spanish banks are sending signals that their interest in public debt is on the wane, putting further pressure on the government to rein in one of Europe's biggest deficits.
The prime minister said his labor-market proposals would pre-empt the need for more controversial steps, such as a reduction in Spain's high dismissal costs. Economists say those costs discourage hiring as well as the creation of a new type of contract they say would simplify hiring and firing. Read the complete article in the WSJ here.
Vooral Open VLD en LDD toonden zich kwaad over de aankondiging van minister-president Kris Peeters (CD&V) dat de regering de komende drie jaar 800 miljoen euro extra zal lenen. Het geld moet dienen om in de economie te investeren. Daardoor zal de overheidsschuld eind volgend jaar oplopen tot 5,9 miljard euro. Maar daar houdt het verhaal allesbehalve op, bleek gisteren. Minister van Begroting Philippe Muyters (N-VA) gaf ook inkijk in de Vlaamse overheidsschulden die buiten de balans staan. Lees het volledige artikel in De Tijd hier.
