Just before 7pm on Thursday it was announced that the Francophone liberals, socialists and centrists and the Flemish greens, liberals socialists and Christian democrats had reached agreement on the formation of a new coalition government for the Brussels-Capital Region. Brussels had been without a new regional government since the elections that were held more than 20 months ago on 9 June 2024. Since then, the outgoing regional government has assumed a caretaker role. The name of the new First Minister, a Francophone liberal, will be announced today (Friday 13 February).
The negotiators from the 7 parties involved in the coalition talks had been in “lockdown” and the University Foundation, in the municipality of Elsene since Tuesday morning. The man chairing the coalition talks, the Francophone liberal leader Georges-Louis Bouchez said at at the outset that negotiations would only conclude once an agreement had been reached on a path towards a balance budget by 2029.
The Flemish liberal leader Frédéric De Gucht says that this objective has now been met and Brussels will get "the real reform government it needs". Mr De Gucht added that the parties have agreed to implement measures that they say will make the Brussels-Capital Region more efficient, simpler and financially sound. These measures include the merger of various regional government agencies and institutions.
The Flemish green minister in the outgoing regional government Elke Van den Brandt said the controversial Good Move transport plan would remain in place, as would the capital’s low emission zone. Ms Van den Brandt told journalists that "Ensuring that Brussels remains a livable city is the green stamp on this agreement”.
Federal PM is sceptical
In an initial reaction made at the European summit in Alden Biesen (Limburg Province), the Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever (Flemish nationalist) said that he is “a little sceptical” about the new coalition’s ability to put the Brussels-Capital Region’s financial house in order. Mr De Wever’s N-VA is not part of the new Brussels regional coalition government.
At party conferences held on Thursday the members of the various parties that make up the new coalition gave it the thumbs up. The new regional government is set to be sworn in on Saturday.