Groen halts government formation negotiations with MR in Brussels

Flemish green party Groen has halted the negotiations with the Francophone liberals of MR on the formation of a new Brussels government. Groen took the decision after the MR refused to back down on the postponement of the tightening of the low emission zone (LEZ) and furthermore threatened to end the Good Move mobility plan in parliament. The green party also hands over the initiative to form a coalition on the Dutch-speaking side in Brussels.

At a press conference, Groen condemned the way the MR – which leads the formation of a coalition on the French-speaking side – is treating the Dutch-speaking negotiators in Brussels and, in particular, Dutch-speaking formateur Elke Van den Brandt of Groen.

The green party amongst others referred to the fact that the French-speaking coalition partners - MR, PS and Les Engagés - jointly tabled a proposal in the Brussels Parliament to postpone the tightening of the environmental zone by two years, from 1 January 2025 to 1 January 2027. They did so without consulting Van den Brandt, who said they "stuck a knife in my back".

Van den Brandt called for the postponement to be revoked and pleaded for a negotiated solution that might involve temporarily freezing fines in the meantime. But that demand was rejected on the French-speaking side. MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez furthermore threatened on X that he would “end the Good Move [mobility plan] in parliament in the coming weeks”.

"Twitter politics"

For Groen, this threat was the last straw. According to the green party, MR thereby proves that it wants to “break down” Groen's policy around road safety, healthy air and public transport. “Behind the scenes, it was already clear that they wanted to do this, today they are saying it openly AND they want us to go along with it. That is unthinkable,” said Van den Brandt. She pointed to Bouchez as the culprit, whose “Twitter politics set everything on fire”.

The green party also hands over the initiative to form a coalition on the Dutch-speaking side in Brussels. “If there are other parties that can live with this MR and this method, they should negotiate,” Van den Brandt said.

Van den Brandt however remains “combative”. “We achieved 23 per cent on 9 June. I am curious to see what majority Bouchez wants to find on the Dutch-speaking side because for a new Brussels government, you need a majority not only on the French-speaking side but also on the Dutch-speaking side.”

^{#FlandersNewsService | Groen co-chair Nadia Naji and Groen's Elke Van Den Brandt at a press conference regarding the formation of the Brussels government, 13 September 2024, in Brussels © BELGA PHOTO TIMON RAMBOER}