The Chamber and Senate of Belgium's Federal Parliament will merge their human resources departments.
After the Chamber administration had already approved the fusion in mid-December, the Senate's governing body is now also giving the green light.
While the Chamber and Senate are sharing one building, they still have their own – permanently appointed – staff. For example, this means that there are two teams of handymen and departments of communications, as well as interpreters, lawyers and ushers.
The Senate's powers have been greatly reduced in recent decades, but its staffing levels have not quite followed that movement.
Specifically, the Chamber and Senate departments will merge into a single administration. This means that from now on, the staff will work under one employer (for which another legal entity will be created) and the staff regulations will be harmonised. Budgets will also be merged.
According to Chamber President Peter De Roover (N-VA) and Senate President Valérie De Bue (MR), this is "an important step in the modernisation of the Federal Parliament" and the merger is "more responsive to political reality."
Modernisation
While there have been calls to abolish the Senate for years, this merger is independent of what the next Federal Government may decide on the future of the Senate.
"This constitutes a necessary step in the modernisation of parliamentary functioning," De Roover explained. The implementation of the merger will be worked out in the coming months, "with respect for the rights of staff members and the autonomy of both assemblies."
For the time being, there is no intention to reduce the staffing levels of the Chamber and Senate. However, it is possible that this will be done in the medium term by no longer replacing those who retire.
The previous Senate president Stephanie D'Hose (Open VLD) already undertook several attempts to merge the Chamber and Senate staff during the last legislature, but to no avail. "Attempts in the previous legislature did not yield the desired result. It is gratifying that this is now possible due to the positive approach of both presidents."
