During the seventies, the Belgian-Zairese relations are characterized by a series of crises and reconciliations. Many facts had an important effect on those relations: the « Zairianisation » of foreign, especially Belgian, companies; President Mobutu's request for economic aid; the Shaba-invasion of 1977; the presence of Zaïrese opponents in Belgium and the hostility against Kinshasa and especially against President Mobutu from the part of particular Belgian circles. All these facts make it very difficult to Belgium to draw a coherent policy in this case.

Although the method of Belgian budgeting and controlling has considerably improved during recent years, there still remain a lot of shortcommings such as: frequently late introduction into Parliament of the budget, inadequate information about expenditure, rarely application of zero base budgeting aften combined with techniques which embellish the budget. Debudgeting is the most important camouflage technique. Debudgeting appears in different manners and influences not only the height but also the evolution of the budget deficit. An improvement of the budgeting technique in Belgium doesn't ask fundamental changes of actual law. Just a switch in applicating the law according to the original spirit and interpretation of actual legislation, would be satisfactory to obtain an efficient and effective budget-policy.

The employers, although small in size, dispose of an important influence in economic decision-making. Before the second world war, economic problems were exclusively dealt with by the government and the employers. After world war II, trade unions came more into relief. They were involved in consultations as athird partner. Consequently the impact of the employers faded somewhat. Currently the employers dispose of various channels to influence economic decision-making; e.g. contacts with civil servants, consultations in study centres of political parties, international relations, etc. Nevertheless the efficacy of employers's power is hindered by internal quarrel, strong individualism, and by the position of trade unions.

As a result of economic crisis, it becomes very difficult to find a solution for conflicts of interests concerning redistribution. Nevertheless agreements between employers and trade unions remain important instruments. The financial and economic debate concerning conception and orientation of National Product is far from being wound up. Conflicts between social partners and government are seldom resolved.Moreover, the problems of « democratic participation » and « economic democracy » are waiting for a solution. In this debate trade unions are an indispensable discussion partner.

Trade Union Mouvement in Belgium has never been an enduring structured entity. In pluralistic political systems, trade unions develop rather pragmatic relations and act as competitors. Economic recession determined the trade union strategy in the seventies: focus of the policy switches towards employment (instead of income and wages). ABVV (socialist trade union) and ACV (Chrisian trade union) cultivated different viewpoints concerning the solution of crisis, which resulted in a tense relationship. In the early eighties, relations sunk to the ultimate point of rare contacts, none or few common statements and many accusations. From 1982 on, cooperation grew again: contacts intensified and common actions got higher frequency again.

The first ten years of the autonomous francophone Christian Democratic Party (PSC) in Belgium has pro and cons. Positive elements are the accession to power of a new generation of leaders, the reorganisation through more participation, clearer relations towards the flemish Christian Democratic Party (CVP), an open mind towards an acceptable regionalization, an active role in creating the European Christian Democratic Party and the restructuring of municipal government. Negative elements are the absence of a federal party-structure between PSC and CVP and of a satisfactory state reform, and the missing of a centrist project of handling the economic crisis and of a decentralization in favour of the local powers.