Merging the 19 communes in the Brussels Region would not be a good idea, according to a KU Leuven study published on Wednesday by L'Echo.
In the study, Geert Jennes, a researcher at the department of economic studies (KU Leuven), presented several arguments against a merger of the Brussels communes as he weighed out the pros and cons of the situation.
The diversity of the Brussels network requires more expertise in the services offered to citizens, he noted. A second argument was that economies of scale that could result from a fusion had already been made. Furthermore, an agreement between communes was necessary to sustain the quality of services, the author argued.
Finally, with a merger, financial pressure on rich communes would increase, leading to an exodus of the middle classes to the suburbs, said Jennes.
The observations, however, did not exclude improving the current plan. In particular, mutual financial support between bodies left a lot to be desired, Jennes wrote.
The Brussels Times
