After 613 days, Brussels has a government: What we know so far

More than 600 days after the elections, Brussels finally has a government after seven political parties reached an agreement on Thursday evening after three days of intense negotiations.

Parties MR, PS, Les Engagés, Groen, Anders, Vooruit and CD&V have formed a new Brussels government, with Uccle mayor Boris Dilliès (MR, pictured) appointed the region's new minister-president.

On the Dutch-speaking side of the government, Dirk De Smedt (Anders) is Brussels' new budget and finance minister, Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) remains in charge of mobility and Ans Persoons (Vooruit) is the new state secretary for environment, climate, urban renewal, heritage and the image of Brussels.

French-speaking ministers announced at the weekend are Ahmed Laaouej (PS), in charge of local government, equal opportunities and health, and Laurent Hublet (Les Engagés), who becomes minister for work and the economy. Schaerbeek mayor Audrey Henry (MR) has been named state secretary for urban planning, territorial development and cleanliness, while Karine Lalieux (PS) is state secretary for housing.

“It’s a compromise that respects the sensitivities of each party,” said MR chairman and formateur Georges-Louis Bouchez. “It is an ambitious agreement, despite the difficult political context.”

The first details are slowly emerging, including that the budget balance will be achieved by 2029 and the Good Move mobility plan will be renamed and adapted with a focus on smoother traffic flow.

Stib preferential fares will remain unchanged and investments in social housing will also remain in place.

Various Brussels administrations will merge and the grants for the municipalities will be tailored to their needs. Railway stations in the Brussels region will receive a targeted security approach and a regional drugs commissioner will be appointed.

Personal income tax will be reduced and the current management contract for Kanal Centre Pompidou will be implemented, allowing the museum to open.

The formation of the government comes following an unexpected final offensive in a marathon conclave over the past three days. Previously, it had been 19 months since the majority partners had all sat around a table at the same time.

Bruzz reports that it was talks under the radar between the MR, PS and Anders that led to the surprising breakthrough. It is not yet clear how much of an impact other parties were able to have on the result.

While details are emerging slowly, the new Brussels government wants to achieve its balanced budget in 2029 through 80% savings and 20% optimising revenue.

The aim is to save €500 million in the Brussels administrations over three years, or about €166 million per year.

Government departments will merge and must become more efficient. There will be no redundancies, but at the same time there will be no new government recruitment. The cabinets and parliament will also have to make concessions.

Funding for some subsidies will be cut, while major multi-year investments will be reviewed. There will also be mergers in the homeless and housing sectors.

Minister-president Dilliès will take on more responsibility for security and the fight against drugs and organised crime will be stepped up.

When it comes to public hygiene, the next administration will gradually introduce underground waste containers. There will be regional cleanliness brigades, more smart cameras and higher fines for littering. The price of bin bags will not increase.

Metro 3 will be put on hold, but the current work on the first section (Albert to Brussels-North) will continue.

The next phases of the low emission zone (LEZ) will remain in place. The fines, which are currently €350 and limited to a maximum of four per year, will be reduced to €80, but there will no longer be a maximum number per offender. Brussels is looking to examples from Ghent and Antwerp for the changes.

Preferential public transport rates for young people and the elderly will not be changed and Stib's resources will also remain unchanged.

A second car-free Sunday per year will be added to the calendar around the date of the Iris Festival in early May. The new government also wants to start work on tram line 15 between Brussels-North and Tour & Taxis.

The new government aims to improve the housing market by, among other measures, simplifying complex procedures so that building permits can be issued more quickly. A credit of €400 million will be made available to keep the Regional Housing Company financially afloat.

The Neo project at the Heysel site will be revived and is expected to create 35,000 jobs as well as housing, sports infrastructure, a conference centre and retail and catering establishments.

For the time being, there will be no construction on the friches, the nine large green zones in Brussels. The Wiels area will also be protected. Investment in social housing will remain at the same level. The Renolution premiums for renovating homes will be replaced by a range of zero-interest loans.

The new government wants to bring about a clear change in labour market policy. The unemployed will be supported more quickly, with compulsory language lessons and training. The ambition is to achieve an employment rate of 70% by 2030.

A masterplan will be drawn up to improve bilingualism, including a stronger guarantee of bilingual services and additional resources for language training in administration and healthcare.

The discount on property tax, the Be Home premium, will be doubled and now amounts to €320.

Measures in the area of taxation are still subject to approval.