The Brussels Regional Government’s provisional budget and the corresponding comments from Belgium’s Court of Audit are “highly concerning,” according to David Leisterh, the Brussels head of the MR party, and Clémentine Barzin, the leader of the liberal group.
The Court of Audit urgently reviewed the budget submitted by the Brussels Government last Friday. Due to ongoing current affairs and the persistent absence of a fully functioning regional government, the budget must be prepared on a monthly basis using the previous year’s budget as a starting point.
“The independent body’s comments on the proposed budget are very worrying,” said Leisterh and Barzin on Sunday. Firstly, the Court of Audit concluded that the deadlines and conditions under which it was forced to prepare its report were unacceptable, hindering its ability to fully execute its informational duties.
Secondly, the Court highlighted that this budget violates several important principles related to provisional monthly budgets. The entire budget should be based on the initial budget for 2024, yet some sections show significant increases, which the leaders find unacceptable.
The MR leaders believe the budget situation grows more concerning by the day and the current government does not seem to grasp the severity. While public service missions must continue, this budget “is not a 2025 budget.” Leisterh and Barzin stressed that MR will not vote for this budget unless amendments are made to address the concerns raised by the Court of Audit.
