On 9 June the people of Brussels will elect a new city parliament. The election is important because the outcome determines who will run the Brussels region for the next five years. So what are the big issues facing voters in the Belgian and Flemish capital?
With its worst budget in years, the Brussels Capital Region is struggling to keep its head above water. Of the 3 Belgian regions, it presents the worst figures. But the Brussels government has more headaches than that: what about the drug war raging in the streets of the capital? And what is the solution for the thousands of asylum seekers and homeless people, who cannot find shelter and are forced to seek out squats or camp in the open air?
19 fiefdoms or 1 city administration?
The Brussels Capital Region consists of 19 municipalities, each with its own mayor. But the capital is also governed by its own parliament and government that help determine the lives of more than 1.2 million Brussels residents. The various municipalities and the region, of course, also each have their own interests. For years, it has been especially the Flemish parties in the Brussels government that have been asking for an end to this administrative fragmentation and for more efficient politics.
This is also what the OECD, the organisation representing the world’s richest nations, advocates: the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, a cooperation between 38 industrialised countries, says that reform is needed in Brussels with municipalities transferring more powers to the region. Only in this way can governance work decisively, it argues.
Asylum seekers and the homeless
In 2 years, there has been a 20 per cent increase in homelessness in Brussels. At the last count 7,000 people were homeless.
The problems surrounding the provision of accommodation to asylum seekers, dubbed the ‘reception crisis’ has not helped. People arriving in Belgium and seeking asylum are usually channelled through the immigration department in Brussels. By law, Belgium is obliged to take care of asylum seekers while their situation is examined and a decision is taken on whether they qualify for protection. At the minute, for male singles no board and lodging is available. So, they are forced to live in a squat or out on the streets.
According to research undertaken by the VUB, the Flemish Free University of Brussels, some 50,000 people are also living in Brussels illegally. These are people living in Belgium without a valid residence permit, and in many cases, they disappear under the radar. "We are basing ourselves on figures from 2017 and earlier," explains demographer Johan Surkyn, "but we know that the number of undocumented people increases more or less in parallel with the number of asylum applications." These rose from over 27,000 in 2019 to 35,500 in 2023. And the number of over-40s and over-50s is also rising. "This indicates that people are staying in our country longer, even after they have been instructed to leave," he says.
Brussels is a crime blackspot
Crime rates in the capital are abysmal. Fears are growing that Marseilles's drug mafia has discovered Brussels as its new haven. In 2023, drug violence killed 7 people in Brussels. This year the tally already stands at 6 deaths. At least 16 people were injured. The number of shootings and stabbings is increasing apace, though a clear link to the drug environment is not always proved.
Still, often rival gangs are involved. They are fighting a drug war and for territory to deal drugs.
The region boasts six police zones covering 19 municipalities. This fragmentation does not make it easier to tackle crime efficiently. In the past, there was talk of merging the police zones, but this was voted down in 2022.
A very Belgian government formation route
The current Brussels coalition government consists of six parties: the Francophone and Flemish socialists of PS and Vooruit.brussels, the Francophone and Flemish green parties Ecolo and Groen, supplemented by the Francophone Brussels democrats of DéFI and the Flemish liberals of Open VLD.
The formation of the Brussels government takes place in 2 unusual steps: first, the French-speaking and Dutch-speaking parties look for a majority among their language group. When that is found on both sides, majority parties then start negotiations on a common coalition agreement and the formation of regional government.