The Federal Planning Bureau’s Economic Outlook makes it possible to outline a future ‘at unchanged policy’ of the Belgian economy for the next five years. The 2017-2022 Outlook takes into account a modest economic recovery in the euro area and is characterised by economic policy measures at the Belgian level that lead to more labour-intensive growth.

According to our “Economic Outlook for 2016-2021” , Belgian economic growth is expected to rise from 1.2% in 2016 to 1.5% per year on average over the period of 2017 to 2021. Employment is assumed to increase at a sustained pace (creation of more than 38 000 jobs per year on average over the 2016-2021 period).  The fiscal deficit is forecast to increase from 2.5% of GDP in 2015 to 2.8% in 2016, to decline to 2.2% of GDP in 2017 and subsequently to remain almost stable. The economic weight of general government, in particular with regard to employment, should be declining.