"In America people are not in this shit," exclaims mayor of Antwerp, Bart De Wever during an interview on Belgian TV.

"They are now exporters of oil and gas, but they certainly weren't twenty years ago. Climate standards are not of much use if all your companies go to America and China to produce, then you are bankrupt and the climate is not yet saved. This is the green dogmatics. People should start realizing this."

The outspoken mayor held nothing back during the Flemish current affairs program De Zevende Dag.

“Oil, gas and coal were no longer allowed. No investments were allowed in reserves. Germany does not have a single LNG terminal (a terminal for liquefied natural gas, ed.). The dumbest countries, Germany and Belgium, have phased out nuclear energy in parallel. We have pushed away all energy sources, making ourselves dependent on Putin. Now we hang on to it.”

The previous government, of which De Wever's party was part, decided that the Belgian nuclear centers Tihange 2 and Doel 3 should close.

 “It's a purple-green law. We now have a purple-green government. That is a recipe for catastrophe.”

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo says the country is 'in an economic war situation'. 

“Everything has to be on the table.”

According to De Wever, it is time 'for bitter truths'...

“This country is bankrupt.”

Somebody's not going to get invited to Van der Leyen's Christmas party this year...

Watch the full interview (in Dutch but you can select translation to English subtitles with the CC section - not available fort Embed) below: