> This might seem trivial, however to me this is part of a larger problem. The political class does not really care about improving the system as it is too busy with infighting.
He left Belgium because some politicians he tagged on LinkedIn didn't reply to his post? Lol
He can't force a vote. He also doesn't have to stay. So he packed up and left. Sounds like a great way of dealing with people in power. Imagine if we all had that flexibility.
'We'll just pack up and leave. Good luck with your bullshit and governing over nothing.'
There is a certain point where lobbying and advocacy can be futile, and emigration is a stronger option. For example, in Venezuela's recent history, it went from a prosperous country to an economically devastated one, and the population fell in the 2010s as a result [0].
However, Belgium is in a much better place in terms of political stability. It's far more likely that advocacy can be effective. However, it takes a lot of time, and you can give up a lot of potential earnings by staying and trying to advocate. If one has an attachment to a country, especially as a citizen, one can find a lot of value in trying to introduce reforms instead of emigrating.
[0] https://www.google.com/search?q=Venezuela+population+over+ti...
Without constantly talking directly to politicians in a political party, it will be very hard to change political topics.
And really, he left because he felt that Belgium wasn't a good place for startups and decided to move rather than try to change Belgium, which is completely his choice.
Honestly, yes. From the social media post in the article, it's quite easy to interpret the question "How come I can’t find something similar for Belgium?" as rhetorical, and intended to raise awareness more than to get a response. The tone is also accusatory (nothing wrong with this, but it's less likely to get a response on social media), so there's less benefit for an official response on social media that will invite further scrutiny.
The post also tags multiple representatives. If he tagged just one, there would already be a greater likelihood of a response, otherwise each person can deflect the question to the rest of the group.
If he sent a personalized email or letter to a single representative with a question or proposal (then waiting, and emailing a new representative if they didn't respond), then he could have been redirected to the most appropriate person. It's generally recognized that calls/emails/letters are quite effective. You can see it in campaigns where people are asked to "call/send an email" to their representative, instead of getting asked to tag them on social media.
Belgium is a net beneficiary of the EU, because the European institutions housed there.
The reason that you don't know high value services is likely because drivers of the Belgian economy are not hyped products.
Take a peek at the BEL20 and you'll see some internationally influential businesses.