One year later, still no Brussels government

One year after the regional elections, Brussels has yet to form a government - without which, a broad range of plans and projects for the Brussels region sit idle.

About 500 protestors took part in a picnic and demonstration on Place de la Bourse on Monday to mark the milestone and once again demand that politicians work together towards a solution.

“Our beautiful but ailing capital is being destroyed by administrative incompetence, contempt, baronial politics and party interests,” said organisers Daniël Verougstraete and Frederik Lamote.

“If our politicians fail, then we, the citizens, must make a difference. Brussels deserves better. Brussels deserves a high-quality government that prepares it for the future.

"There are major challenges in this city, such as drug-related violence, housing shortages and unemployment, but also and above all the polarisation that is being fuelled by the political parties."

The organisers said that the current political impasse proves that the existing structures for Brussels no longer work.

“Democracy isn’t just about voting every few years, it’s also about elected representatives being able to talk to each other, listen to each other and reach the compromises necessary to govern this region,” they said.

“I think all the inhabitants of Brussels, all Brussels residents, are shocked by the current situation and are wondering how it is possible that we still do not have a government after a year.

"The absence of a government has a huge impact on the inhabitants. Associations and companies do not know where they stand, many projects that should be starting cannot, while others that had already started have been put on hold."

This latest protest follows many others, including one in March when more than 200 Brussels residents gathered in silence for 89 minutes on the steps of the Stock Exchange, a nod to the 89 members of parliament who, in their view, perpetuate the status quo.

The absence of a government means an absence of government funding: construction projects involving tunnels, the metro and hospitals cannot move forward with their projects due to a lack of political approval.

The suspension of renovation subsidies has brought 75% of construction projects to a halt and caused a wave of bankruptcies in the construction sector.

The Brussels economy is momentarily holding up, but economic players are urgently calling for the formation of a new government.

The tunnels, for example, are supposed to undergo major works. But without a government, it is impossible to finance them.

“We have problems, particularly with electromechanical systems,” said Camille Thiry, spokesperson for Brussels Mobility.

“We sometimes have technical issues that multiply as the infrastructure ages, and this means more and more tunnel closures, which has an impact on residents.”

Thiry explained that to launch a renovation project worth more than €100 million, Brussels Mobility “needs government approval of the specifications and budgets”.

This means that construction projects in the tunnels are on hold, some of them completely. This is the case for the future line 3 of the Brussels metro. Some sections are awaiting decisions from a government that does not exist.

Public hospitals also depend on political decisions to invest and guarantee quality care.

“We have extremely important infrastructure in the hospital: the pharmacy, intensive care, and emergency services, in which we would like to invest to meet standards and improve the quality of patient care,” said Christophe Soil, general manager of Saint-Pierre Hospital.

“To start this work, we need approval from the regional government. We no longer have anyone to talk to who can give us answers and tell us 'we agree with this, we don't agree with that'.”

Sven Gatz, Brussels’ outgoing budget minister (Open-VLD), told RTBF that the situation was "unimaginable".

“We all thought that a government would be formed after last summer,” Gatz said.

“I still had some hope around St Nicholas Day, but after New Year's, it became clear that it would be more complicated.

"Now, things have been moving in the last two weeks. So that's good. But we're not there yet.

"I feel a bit like we're in extra time, like in football. Here, we're just waiting for penalties. And this extra time? We don't know when it will end.”

Gatz described the mood as a mixture of gloom and fighting spirit.

“We ask ourselves: how can we keep the ship sailing in a certain direction even though there is no defined direction?” he said.

“Civil servants' salaries have to be paid. The continuity of public services must be guaranteed, as must subsidies for many organisations.

"It's mainly this uncertainty, on the ground, I admit, but also internally, within the government, that weighs heavily. It's not necessarily the intensity of the work itself, but the uncertainty."