Barely 1 in 10 parking fines handed out in Brussels to foreign motorists ever gets paid. The value of unpaid fines over the past two years now amounts to more than €25 million.
The figure comes from outgoing Brussels mobility minister Elke Van den Brandt (Flemish ecologist/Groen) in response to a parliamentary question from Fouad Ahidar (minority interest party TFA). The region is now investigating whether it can use wheel clamps to force non-payers to cough up.
Figures from Van den Brandt show that the collection rate among foreign drivers in 2023 was only 9.74 per cent and in 2024 it was even lower, at 9.07 per cent.
In contrast, Belgian drivers are much better at paying their fines. For vehicles with Belgian number plates, the collection rate was 80 per cent in 2023 and 76 per cent in 2024.
Deals with France and the Netherlands
Van den Brandt acknowledges the problem and therefore wants to strengthen collection mechanisms for foreign drivers. Belgium currently only has bilateral agreements with France and the Netherlands for the collection of traffic fines.
‘Agreements with other countries are necessary. However, the Brussels-Capital Region does not have the authority to negotiate bilateral agreements with other countries,’ the minister said. She has now asked the federal government to conclude similar agreements with other countries.
Here comes the wheel clamp
In the meantime, additional measures are being prepared in Brussels. Parking agency Parking.brussels has plans to work together with a company that specialises in the collection of European traffic fines.
The agency will soon be given the power to immobilise vehicles with a wheel clamp or have them towed away in the event of repeated non-payment.