Emerging South

Things are not going well in Belgium, yet the country is still in complete denial on the catastrophic future events.  Meanwhile the couuntry is reading Geert Noels while sipping their Cognac and believing the solution for Belgium's problem is:
1. Cheaper and faster broadband
So that we can all watch porn in 1080p while listening to Dolby surround Internet radio stations
2. English as second language from 3d primary year on
And forget about French, Spanish, Portuguese or Chinese... As if knowledge of English is a problem in Belgium.
3. Develop a smart grid
Whatever that is... The poor Geert must have picked it up somewhere, but hasn't been able to translate it.
4. Invest in fashion, design, culture
Belgium has been doing this for years, yet this 'creativity sector -' has nill contribution to Belgian's GDP.
5. Put to value the immigrated populations, they can offer a 10% extra growth potential
While the "native" Belgians sip their cognac

The Wall Street Journal this weekend is more pragmatic.  In an excellent article, John W. Miller writesat the epidemic of healthy sick people in Belgium (i.e. people with hangovers bilking the government and their employers by taking advantage of the country's overly generous sick leave policies). In a Hit & Run post last year, Michael C. Moynihan mentioned that, according to OECD figures, Sweden is one of the healthiest countries in Europe, yet its citizens topped the tables in accrued sick days.

According to the Journal, a number of Belgian government agencies "were averaging 35 days of paid sick leave per employee each year, more than twice the national rate and seven times the U.S. average," before authorities cracked down on the cheats. And remember, Belgian workers are already the beneficiaries of four weeks of statutory vacation.