A new Brussels Government is no closer to being formed: the seven parties convened by the Brussels informators Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) and Christophe De Beukelaer (Les Engagés) left the meeting on Monday evening without an agreement.
The parties – MR, PS, Les Engagés, Groen, Open VLD and CD&V – met to see whether they wanted to start negotiations, but instead decided to meet again on Wednesday afternoon.
"There is no consensus on the next step," said Van den Brandt. The Francophone and Dutch-speaking liberals, MR and Open VLD, were reportedly obstructive. According to Van den Brandt and De Beukelaer, a coalition with the abovementioned seven parties – which leaves out Flemish rightwing N-VA – was the only one that had a chance of success.
However, Open VLD negotiator Frédéric De Gucht continued to insist on the presence of N-VA in the Brussels Government. He stated that the Brussels Government must cooperate with both the Flemish and Federal Governments, both of which are led by N-VA.
Closing the door
The meeting began half an hour behind schedule after the arrival of MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez – who lives in Mons and is not a member of the Brussels Government. He said that the accumulation of vetoes makes the situation impossible.
"The Dutch-speaking parties have a coalition. Anyone who questions that creates problems. Shutting the door on the Prime Minister's party and then asking for money from the federal level is difficult," said Bouchez. He also pointed out that the informators' solution presupposes the creation of an additional state secretary for CD&V. Therefore, he said that PS and CD&V should explore alternative options.
Last week, federal leader of CD&V Sammy Mahdi ruled out his party joining the Brussels Government without a government position. On the Dutch-speaking side, there are only three ministerial posts to divide between a coalition of four parties.
"You have to have a government position. If the intention is to push a button for the budget once a year, then you can't weigh in at all," said Mahdi. This indicates that CD&V will not settle for a government commissioner, something which Open VLD had agreed to in previous negotiations.
Les Engagés' Christophe De Beukelaer and Groen's Elke Van Den Brandt during a press conference on Friday 14 March 2025. Credit: Belga/Hatim Kaghat
Meanwhile, Brussels PS leader Ahmed Laaouej said that the option put forward by the informators is "the only guarantee of stability, since it is supported by 54 of the 89 Brussels MPs and can be set up quickly." He pointed out that five of the seven parties wanted to continue immediately, and only the liberals did not want to.
Laaouej waved away questions about whether it was not up to PS – the second largest group in the Brussels Parliament – to take the initiative. "Let us not go there again," said the PS leader, who also pointed out that his party had been saying for months that it did not want to go into government with N-VA.
Afterwards, Van den Brandt said that the informators presented their conclusions to the seven parties. "There is still no consensus on the next phase. That is why the seven parties have decided to meet again on Wednesday at 12 noon. Groen will participate constructively in that meeting."
89 minutes of protest
On Tuesday morning, Federal PS leader Paul Magnette told LN24 that the formation of the Brussels Government can now "move very quickly." He added that "after nine months, we finally have a solution... practically."
PS believes that the formula with CD&V instead of N-VA could work, stressing that it has a solid majority on both the French-speaking and Dutch-speaking sides. "Five of the seven parties are in agreement. I hope the other two – MR and Open VLD – will say they agree."
On Sunday 23 March, a protest is being organised on the steps of the Bourse building in the city centre. Several people will stand still from 11:00 to 12:29 in protest.
"For 89 minutes: one minute for every elected official who has been abandoning us for nine months now. Angry, but in silence. Our silence as a weapon against the persistent political noise without content."
