BGM DigestBGM Digest — Week 30 (20-26 July 2026)
Pre-agreement reached for Brussels firefighters
The strike at the fire and emergency medical services (SIAMU) that paralyzed Brussels since July 21 was suspended on July 25 following five days without full operational capacity. The regional government and the union coalition reached a pre-agreement: new recruitment campaigns starting in 2026 with broader reinforcement in 2027, recruitment reserves to accelerate replacements, and allocation of a federal envelope of 10 million euros (over 8 million for operational staff and the emergency call center 112, 2 million for infrastructure). Existing pay scales and statutory conditions are maintained. On the eve of the agreement, operational availability had fallen to 17 % of workforce. The union membership must still validate this pre-agreement; rejection would restart the conflict.
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Leadership vacancies in regional public bodies filled
After just three days of breakthrough negotiations, the Brussels government assigned, on July 23, fourteen board presidencies of public regional bodies: Brussels Housing Society (SLRB), employment office, public transport operator, Port of Brussels, parking company, urban development agency, business support agency, investment company, guarantee fund, tourism agency, Heysel plateau development company, training organization, and audiovisual fund. Approximately 150 mandates remain to be assigned. A controversy arose immediately: the appointment of a Brussels deputy as president of the Urban Development Society prompted an opposition group to announce a draft ordinance forbidding parliamentarians from chairing bodies they are meant to oversee.
Second car-free day scheduled for May 2027
Brussels will have a second annual car-free day on Sunday, May 2, 2027, the schedule now confirmed. This commitment appeared in the government agreement but lacked a specific date. Two reservations remain: the 19 municipalities must still give their approval, and the 2027 date is not the one initially envisaged. The government intended to align this day with the Iris Festival weekend (early May), but that weekend coincided with Mother's Day, which sparked protests from residents and traders. Alignment with the Iris Festival weekend will only occur from 2028 onward. Regarding mobility, the Vergote tunnel (beneath Boulevard Brand Whitlock between Schaerbeek and Woluwe-Saint-Lambert) will also be removed as part of Boulevard Reyers' redesign, with the return of pedestrian crossings at ground level.
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Four in ten Brussels children receive supplementary allowances on family benefits
According to data published by Iriscare on July 22, of 304,966 Brussels children eligible for family benefits, 128,222 also received a supplementary social benefit, or 42.04 %. This supplement is granted to households with income below a threshold. The figure is provisional and will not be finalized until 2027, when the Federal Tax Service transmits tax data. Past precedent is telling: for 2023, the provisional proportion of 42.1 % rose to 57.5 % after consolidation. Highest rates concentrate in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Anderlecht, Brussels-City, and Schaerbeek. The base amount per child ranged from EUR 174.06 to EUR 211.36 per month in 2025.
Yellow alert for drought and stable air quality
The Brussels region moved to yellow drought alert on July 23. The Regional Drought Cell recommends avoiding or postponing non-essential water use: car washing, pool filling, surface cleaning, lawn watering. Moreover, according to Brussels Environment's 2025 annual air quality report, all monitoring stations have respected current European limit values for the sixth consecutive year, and several pollutants already meet stricter European standards that will not enter force until 2030. A geographic caveat remains: along heavy traffic corridors, the future European standard for nitrogen dioxide and stricter World Health Organization recommendations still exceed limits at several locations.
Calls for projects to renovate care homes and disability centers
Iriscare launched on July 22 two calls for projects to finance infrastructure works in elderly care homes and disability centers. For elderly care homes, forty million euros have been allocated (subject to available credits), with a deadline of October 9, 2026 for application submission. For disability centers, three million euros are available with the same deadline. These calls follow two decrees that entered force on September 1, 2024, one modernizing and harmonizing architectural accreditation standards, the other strengthening fire safety standards. Any dossier submitted after the deadline will be rejected.
See the Brussels seniors dossier →
See the PMR accessibility dossier →
SLRB: new president designated
On July 23, as part of the broader release of institutional appointments, the Brussels government designated a former liberal minister as president of the Brussels Housing Society (SLRB). The appointment comes one week after Parliament voted on the twenty-six recommendations of the investigative commission into the Anderlecht Care Home, which directly address governance and oversight of Brussels's entire social housing sector, of which the SLRB is the umbrella body. The government stated that the appointment list is not definitive.
This content was automatically translated. The original version is in French. Read the French version.
Source: Brussels Governance Monitor — independent civic monitoring of Brussels governance.