Brussels formation deadlock: Putting principles above responsibility?

(By Imane Belgueneni) The current deadlock in government formation at the Brussels level is unprecedented, writes Imane Belguenani, a Brussels MP and group leader for Dutch-speaking liberals in an opinion piece for The Brussels Times on Thursday 20 February 2025. 

In the summer of 2014, for those who remember, there was a brief moment of friction with Dutch-speaking parties regarding DéFI's participation in the government. DéFI, a party that questions the guaranteed representation of Dutch speakers in Brussels. The dispute lasted only 24 hours. DéFI reiterated that they are legalists and always act within the existing constitutional framework. Period.

Today the situation seems much more serious but the principle remains the same. The Brussels Law of 1989, a sort of amendment to the constitution that regulates the functioning of the Brussels Region, has always assumed that Dutch and French speakers each form their own majority and then come together to negotiate a joint agreement.

This fundamental principle is now being challenged by a PS, Ecolo and DéFI veto against N-VA.

Four Dutch-speaking parties – greens (Groen), liberals (Open VLD), socialists (Vooruit), and Flemish nationalists (N-VA) – have reached a balanced agreement. The choice to bring N-VA to the table came after the Christian Democrats (CD&V) refused to negotiate for five months.

You would expect that when N-VA, the Flemish nationalists whom many French-speaking parties rightly say question the very existence of Belgium, publicly declare that they are legalists and that they want to implement a closed agreement in the general interest, we could proceed.

That is the spirit of the Brussels Law and of the Constitution in general: Flemish nationalists, French-speaking, and Walloon regionalists have regularly governed together at local, regional, and national levels in the past, as legalists, respecting the existing constitutional framework.

How can I summarise in just a few lines how urgent it is for either PS or DéFI and Ecolo to rise above their differences? They need to sit down together now and quickly negotiate a government agreement and, most importantly, a budget. Before June!

• Due to the failure to adhere to the budget trajectory and planned savings in the last two years of the previous legislature, the region's debt has increased, and, more critically, its credit rating by Standard & Poor's has worsened. Without an updated budget trajectory, S&P will further downgrade the rating, pushing the region deeper into financial trouble.
  
• Insecurity has become one of the most visible signs in recent months that the State is failing. The Brussels population in many neighbourhoods is growing restless. This creates an opening for extreme political movements of all kinds, threatening the stability of our local democracy.
  
• Insecurity also harms Brussels' international reputation. The city's international presence is crucial to our economy.
  
• And perhaps most importantly, there is the economic challenge: Brussels urgently needs to ease and clarify its corporate taxation to prevent businesses and jobs from leaving. The region must also anticipate the Federal Government's decision to limit unemployment benefits over time and implement an activation policy for job seekers.

Tick, tick, tick... time is running out. MR, Open VLD, Les Engagés, Groen, Vooruit, and N-VA are at the table... but we are still missing one or two partners. Either PS, or Ecolo and DéFI.

Tick, tick, tick... Do they have a problem with N-VA or do they have a problem with taking responsibility for the tough budgetary, political, and economic decisions we must make together? Do they have strong principles or are they simply afraid to take their share of responsibility? The answer is in the question.

Imane Belguenani is a Member of the Brussels Parliament for the Flemish liberal party Open VLD.