Figures provided in response to a question tabled by the Flemish Christian democrat Brussels regional MP Benjamin Dalle (photo above) show that the Brussels-Capital Region’s budget deficit will rise to 2.46 billion euro next year if current policies remain unchanged. In turn, the region’s debt ratio will rise to 265% of revenue. Mr Dalle says that “The situation is untenable”.
New figures show “catastrophic budgetary situation” in the Brussels-Capital Region
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The already dire situation with regard to the budget in the Brussels-Capital Region will become even worse if there is no change of policy on the part of the regional government. The region’s budget deficit is already estimated to be 1.5 billion euro. This is around 20% of the region’s total budget.
If current policy remains unchanged, the deficit will rise to 2.46 billion euro, while at the same time the Brussels-Capital Region will have income totalling 6.3 billion euro. Mr Dalle told the Brussels regional news platform Bruzz that “The latest figure is more than twice as high as the government's pre-election estimate”.
Rising debt ratio
In turn, if current policies remain unchanged the region's debt ratio will rise from 234% (13.9 billion euro) of revenue now to 265% (15.6 billion euro) in 2025. When it presented the 2024 budget a year ago, the Brussels regional government stated that it was aiming for a debt ratio of 210% in 2024.
The amount of interest payable by the Brussels-Capital Region on its debt repayments will rise from 395.9 million euro next year to 632.7 million euro in 2029. Mr Dalle told Bruzz that “One thing should be clear: The outgoing Brussels government has put the region into a disastrous budgetary situation. The people of Brussels will be the ones to suffer as a result of this”.