Brussels formator Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) and federal Groen co-leader Nadia Naji announced on Friday that the party will no longer seek a majority on the Dutch-speaking side to form a Brussels Government after Francophone liberal MR "stabbed Groen in the back."
Groen no longer wants to negotiate with the current MR for the next Brussels Government after the latter party launched a proposal to postpone the low-emission zone (LEZ) in Brussels without consultation, but also wants to attack the Good Move mobility plan.
"With this behaviour from MR, we can no longer work," Van den Brandt and Naji said during a short press conference on Friday afternoon. "MR, PS and Les Engagés have deliberately dropped a bombshell on the Brussels formation and today it exploded when MR terminated its cooperation with Groen via Twitter politics."
That means Van den Brandt will no longer look for coalition partners for a majority on the Dutch-speaking side and will no longer be leading the talks.
Drawing the line
On the Francophone side, liberal MR, socialist PS and centrist Les Engagés agreed to form a coalition relatively quickly after the 9 June elections, and have been waiting for the Dutch-speaking side of the Government to do the same. However, the Dutch-speaking talks have been stuck for weeks as Groen, socialist Vooruit and liberal Open VLD have been one seat short of forming a majority.
Christian Democrat CD&V refused to join the talks as the fourth and smallest partner (which means the party would not get a ministerial position), and the other options – rightwing N-VA or Team Fouad Ahidar – both come with their own complications, resulting in stalled negotiations.
At the start of the month, however, the process became even more difficult, as the Francophone majority went behind Groen's back and submitted a proposal to push back the stricter Low Emission Zone (LEZ) standards by two years.
Van den Brandt called for the postponement to be revoked and pleaded for a negotiated temporary solution, such as temporarily freezing fines for those violating the strict LEZ. However, that demand was rejected.
.@elkevdbrandt kan #Brussel niet gijzelen. De Brusselaars hebben massaal gestemd voor uitstel van de LEZ en voor de terugkeer van echte mobiliteit in het Brussels gewest. Als deze blokkering blijft duren, zal de @MR_officiel andere parlementaire initiatieven nemen om de…
— Georges-L BOUCHEZ (@GLBouchez) September 13, 2024
On top of that, federal MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez announced on social media that he also wants to do away with the entire Good Move mobility plan. "Elke Van den Brandt cannot hold Brussels hostage. If this blockage continues, MR will also put an end to Good Move through parliament."
Bouchez's social media post was the proverbial straw, Van den Brandt and Naji said. "Yesterday it was about the low-emission zone, today it is Good Move and the liveability of our Brussels. Tomorrow it may be the 30 zone or climate policy: we do not know where it ends and we will not go along with that. Ça suffit, this is where we draw a line."
With this behaviour, MR proves that the party wants to "tear down" Groen's policies 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 take part. That is unthinkable."
Naji stressed that her party wants to negotiate, but that they will not let themselves be threatened by Bouchez. "We cannot and will not participate in a ‘pollution coalition' of French-speaking parties where there is no more room to weigh in on policy."
Provocations and ego politics
With that announcement, Van den Brandt said that she was ceding the right of initiative on the Dutch-speaking side of the formation. "We do not have a monopoly on formation. If other parties can live with this MR and their method, they should negotiate."
Still, she remains "combative," she said. "We achieved 23% 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 one."
In response to Van den Brandt's announcement, outgoing Brussels State Secretary Ans Persoons (Vooruit) wants the formation process to proceed with discretion. "Fighting for a liveable city is best done at the government table, not from the sidelines," she said on social media – a reference to Bouchez, who as federal MR leader and councillor in Mons is not personally involved in the Brussels Government.
Groen's Elke Van den Brandt. Credit: Belga/David Stockman
"Everyone must take their responsibility and form a government in all discretion that addresses the problems of the people of Brussels," said Persoons. She recognised that "political games are being played," with "unnecessary provocations and ego politics," but added that "we have to move on."
In the meantime, Les Engagés wants the two parties to continue to work together "for the good of Brussels," said Brussels leader Christophe De Beukelaer.
"The Region's challenges (budget, health, environment, economy, livelihood insecurity) have never been greater. Its survival is at stake, and with it, the quality of life of Brussels residents," he said on social media. "The general interest is for the two biggest winners of the elections to work together. Let's look at our similarities first, before our differences."
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