Energy Minister Van der Straeten wants to file a complaint against MR chairman Bouchez for defamation

Earlier this week, Bouchez said that he believes there should be a committee of inquiry into the way in which the extension of the nuclear power stations was handled by Van der Straeten and the then CEO of high-voltage grid operator Elia, Chris Peeters. According to the MR chairman, people had lied in the months before in order to be able to stick to the nuclear phase-out.

“This is slander. Bouchez has said twice that I am lying, that I am instrumentalizing Elia’s analyzes and that a commission of inquiry should be set up. We are talking about a committee with the powers of an investigating judge, who has the ability to conduct searches. And now there should be one, simply because the chairman of the MR has a different opinion about the policy to be pursued?” Van der Straten responds in the interview. “If Bouchez wants to legalize the political debate, I will file a complaint for unfounded statements that are also legally actionable.”

The Green minister accuses the MR chairman of engaging in “bully politics”. “A government is a team, but Bouchez does nothing more than carry out frontal attacks on the person, with statements that are based on nothing. This is a new low in politics.” Van der Straeten is therefore not immediately keen to join a new government with Bouchez’s MR: “I would like to continue my work, but with this MR, with this method? By no means.”