BRUSSELS, MARCH 8, 1949.

Today, the Governor-General of the Congo, Monsieur Eugène Jungers, has written a letter addressed to the Minister of Colonies. The minister soon decided to hold a meeting with the Prime Minister, P.-H. Spaak. The letter was presented to the Prime Minister as follows:

To His Excellency, the Minister of Colonies, Pierre Wigny,

Your Excellency,

I extend my salutations to you and the government of His Excellency, Prime Minister Paul-Henri Spaak. The current state of affairs in the Congo has been eventful due to the recently approved reforms, an excellent initiative that is the fruit of our combined efforts. It is with due diligence that I bring to you a matter of concern that has been brought up to me by a series of letters of the Fédération des associations de colons du Congo Belge et de Ruanda-Urundi (FEDACOL). Their concerns are as follows:

1. Concerns over the expertise of the workforce - FEDACOL has argued that the usage of unskilled Congolese personnel may impact the quality of harvests and the efficiency of management with the approval of lower-level management to évolues. They request the ABOLITION of the clauses approved in the latest regulation regarding their work in enterprises that are participating in the The Bas-Congo Agricultural Encouragement Scheme.

2. Concerns over the quality of the agricultural yield - FEDACOL has argued that the presence of Congolese in the lower management, combined with a lack of skilled technical personnel, may contribute to unsuitable products which will reduce Belgian eminence on the global stage. They request a greater amount of subsidies towards these endeavors, as well as request no. 1.

3. Concerns over the complex regulatory landscape - FEDACOL has argued that the substantial array of regulations governing the Congolese economy, present in a series of trade boards, decrees, and bureaucratic forms, may constrain production in the long-run. They request a complete overview of these regulations and boards.

Due to these concerns, I submit a formal request for a series of cabinet meetings where I, the Governor-General, would be present, alongside a representative from FEDACOL, my deputy Governor-General, Your Excellency, and the esteemed Prime Minister, His Excellency Paul-Henri Spaak. The objective of these deliberations would be to address these concerns in a comprehensive and collaborative manner.

With the utmost respect,

Eugène Jungers.

Governor-General of the Belgian Congo.

Léopoldville, March 6, 1949.

It was soon addressed, with Eugène Jungers participating in a series of meetings from March 10, 1949, until April 15 of the same year. Thereafter, a combination of decrees were published into a single act of parliament, the Wigny Act (L. 22-04-1949).

The Wigny Act

The Wigny Act received approval in the Chamber of Representatives on April 17, and was introduced to the Senate on April 22. It had widespread support from most political parties - except from the Communists. The Liberal Party was noted for applauding the legislation as a step forward towards the construction of a sophisticated legal framework for commercial interactions within the Congo and Ruanda-Urundi. It was perceived as a balanced compromise, satisfying the aims of both the PSB/BSP, which sought to enforce a series of regulations pertaining to native and Belgian labor, as well as quality standards, and the PSC/CVP, which wanted to benefit FEDACOL and implemented several other requirements, detailed below:

In replacement of specific product boards, such as the Tea Board of the Agricultural Products of Kivu or the Special Borders for Coffee, the Belgian government will implement the Board of Importation, Exportation, and Trade (CIEC/RIUH). It will be created as a department within the Ministry of Colonies with headquarters in Léopoldville and a secondary building in Usumbura. This department will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of regulations, inspecting all enterprises and commercial entities in the Congo, producing certificates for these entities, and approving the exportation, importation, and overall trade between Belgium, Congo, and Ruanda-Urundi. Many in FEDACOL are highly critical of this creation, but the Belgian government has staunchly defended it, arguing that the consolidation of all previous legal decrees into one organization with specific regulations for products within it is the best way of ensuring a streamlined process.

The CIEC will have a wide range of secretariats with department heads and a comprehensive civil service. It will have a total of fifteen departments, although the notable ones which shall be emphasized include:

1. Board of Cotton;
2. Board of Tobacco;
3. Board of Tea;
4. Board of Coffee;
5. Board of Rubber;
6. Board of Minerals;

These departments, called boards, are the most important ones that have been emphasized by the Belgian government. Within these boards, the government will consolidate and implement robust legislation in regards to: work safety, quality standards, and employment of natives. Some examples of the robust legislation include, for instance, thorough grading for the cotton and restrictions to marketing outside of the Congo in all products based on quality standards.

The CIEC leadership and its boards will all be staffed by Belgian nationals appointed by the Minister of Colonies with the written consent of the Governor-General of Belgium and the King, with the Prime Minister countersigning the designations. The Belgian nationals will need to have at least three years' experience in working in trade boards in any Belgian colony prior to selection. Other management and functionaries will be approved by exams, to be done in Brussels and Léopoldville according to the needs of the CIEC, which will request an exam to the Ministry of Colonies.

The CIEC has also been granted the legal power to perform inspections. For Belgian-owned commercial enterprises, the CIEC will perform an inspection every two years - plus a series of unannounced inspections on the premises - in order to oversee mistreatment of employees, quality of the product, work safety, healthcare, production standards and so forth. Following this overview, which is supposed to be moderately stringent, the Belgian companies will receive a Certification of Quality (CO/CK) which allows it to import, export, and trade between the Congo, Ruanda-Urundi, and Belgium. It is valid until the next inspection. It has a grading system, which goes from A to C. This was a request by the Liberal Party, which argued that a more flexible system will allow companies to still export goods and be profitable.

A grading of A means that the company has passed all requirements and has no constraints imposed on it. A grading of B means the company has failed certain requirements and requires inspections every two months for a year, as well as constraints imposed regarding buying, selling, and trading, which means it has to be approved by a civil servant. A grading of C means the company has failed the vast majority of requirements, suffering from fines, a formal warning, and monthly inspections at unannounced times.

For Congolese/Rwandan/Burundian-owned enterprises and farms that export cash crops, minerals, or other goods of large value, the inspections are annual and occur unannounced as well, to perform the same duties as on Belgian-owned enterprises. However, inspection here has been ordered to be far more stringent, but with different opportunities as well. Pending a review that is countersigned by a civil servant and their superior, a Congolese, Rwandan or Burundian company may be eligible for minor reforms such as the introduction of better farming techniques, a government-mandated visit by a technician, and so on.

To conclude, the CIEC will have internal differentiation of quality standards for goods which are fit for domestic consumption and for those that are fit for exportation. Domestic consumption goods are less closely monitored in order to avoid a strict reduction of their production and commercialization, while export goods are closely monitored to ensure they do not harm Belgium's international prestige.

SUMMARY

• The Belgian government has decided to create the Board of Importation, Exportation, and Trade (CIEC/RIUH), an organ of the Ministry of Colonies. This board will oversee all exportation, importation, and trade, within the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi;

• It possesses a total of fifteen departments and is staffed by civil servants who have passed an exam. The leadership is appointed by the Belgian government;

• It has different quality standards for goods fit for domestic consumption or exportation.