Academics present emergency solutions to break Brussels government deadlock
Several Belgian academics have come together to propose various "emergency solutions" to break the political deadlock in the Brussels-Capital Region. These included a regional unity government, technocratic solutions and intervention from the federal level.
Brussels faces serious challenges. Not only could the absence of a budget result in a possible downgrading of the region's financial rating, but it also faces a housing crisis, drug-related violence and high unemployment.
Despite these problems, the formation of a government in Brussels has been deadlocked since the June elections. The impasse threatens to lead to a total erosion of political trust in the region: it has already fallen to 3.9 on a scale of 0 to 9, according to the latest NLU 2024 panel election survey.
Belgian academics and experts have now come together to work out alternative solutions for the formation of the government. In doing so, they hope to save the region from total derailment on a political, social and economic level.
One emergency solution would be to set up a Brussels government of regional unity. This would be modelled on the Pierlot VI government set up after Belgium's liberation in the Second World War. However, given the ideological contradictions between the parties, this is difficult to implement.
Another possible option is an Irish-style solution, where citizen participation is central. In Ireland, a constitutional convention in 2012 and a citizens' assembly in 2016 were able to break the political deadlock in the wake of the economic crisis in 2008 and the eurozone crisis in 2012. Citizen participation mechanisms already exist in Brussels.
Other options include a technocratic solution, where experts could lead the region or simply have an advisory role. A minority government could also provide relief, but it is extremely difficult to install a minority government in Brussels, because of potential political instability and deadlock.
The academics present federal intervention as the "nuclear option", as it is unprecedented in the history of the Belgian federal state. The Council of Ministers can suspend the ordinances of the Brussels government by royal decree. However, this would mean a significant loss of political autonomy for Brussels.
© BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
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