BGM DigestBGM Digest — Week 34 (17-23 August 2026)
Transitional regime for shared mobility
The Brussels Region announced on 21 August a transitional framework for shared bicycles and e-scooters following the annulment of their licenses by the Council of State. Temporary licenses will be granted until end 2027, with a cap of 7,500 bicycles for the Region and 2,500 per operator. The regime extends until May 2028, then a call for tenders will award two licenses of 4,800 bicycles. The ban on shared e-scooters on 1 January 2027 remains confirmed. This solution unlocks a situation frozen since July 2026 and still requires passage through the Council of Ministers.
Public inquiry into the Josaphat site
From 28 August to 29 September 2026, the Region opens a public inquiry into the zoning permit for the Josaphat site: 537 housing units on approximately 24 hectares between Evere and Meiser. The application is submitted by the SAU, the Region's public development operator. This project occurs amid a regional policy declaration freezing site development until August 2027, creating legal tension. A November 2025 court order further imposes a stop to works on parcels larger than half a hectare; the government has appealed.
See the urban planning sheet →
Shots fired at a police station in Anderlecht
In the night of 21 to 22 August, the police station on Rue Démosthène in Anderlecht was struck by gunfire. Two individuals arriving by scooter opened fire on the façade shortly before midnight and then fled; the building was closed and no one was injured. It is the former central station of the Midi police zone (Anderlecht, Saint-Gilles, Forest), gradually emptied since the new station on Rue des Deux Gares opened, and the commune wants to sell it. The corps chief points to reprisals after the summer operations: that is a police reading, and no arrest has been made so far.
Reception: one thousand places cut, and the protest does not move the timetable
On 18 August, homeless support organisations and the joint trade union front gathered on Place de l'Albertine against the removal of one thousand reception places for applicants for international protection, half the capacity funded since 2022 by the Brussels Deal. The decision belongs to the federal government, not to the Region or the communes. On 19 August, the federal Minister for Asylum and Migration called the situation very complex and said the federal level and the Region are examining together how to better direct certain profiles. No postponement of the closures was announced, while the associations were asking for a delay until 31 March at the very least.
See the social affairs sheet →
Mandate allocation and regional institution restructuring
According to the press, the government finalized in late July the redistribution of approximately 280 mandates in the administrative councils of regional institutions, well beyond the initial estimate of 150. Board sizes: 29 directors at Sibelga and Vivaqua, 20 at Brussels Port, 19 at STIB. This information comes from a newspaper, not an official publication.
Plan Stations: first operation at North Station
A pilot operation of the Plan Stations took place on 21 August at North Station: 5.6 tonnes of waste were removed from the surroundings, under police escort and with additional resources from Brussels Cleanliness drawn from other sectors. The figure for the South Station operation on 16 July has been corrected to 4,990 kilos according to the official regional announcement. These two operations are presented as pilots measuring the resources needed before rolling out the Plan Stations, approved on 18 June 2026 with a budget of ten million euros per year.
Matters concerning education and employment
The Minister of Education at the Wallonia-Brussels Federation stated on 19 August that ending the teacher appointment scheme would likely not occur before the end of this legislature. The obstacle remains the employer contribution rate: 5.26% for tenured teachers versus 23.62% for indefinite-term contracts. An indefinite-term contract is still planned for the 2027 school year.
Economically, Brussels counted 18,174 self-employed individuals aged 18 to 29 in 2025, representing 14.5% of all Brussels self-employed (versus 11.2% nationally) and growth of 32.6% over ten years. This figure contrasts with a 17% increase in the number of jobseekers under age 25.
Radar: citizen movements and legal actions against overflights
The petition counter against overflights of northern Brussels stands at 15,457 signatures as of 23 August 2026, up from around 6,500 at the end of March. Five pilots were dazzled by lasers over Dilbeek in the night of 14 to 15 August; no perpetrator identified and attribution to trajectory opponents has circulated without substantiation.
The glossary gains a new entry: the SAU (Urban Development Company), a public-law company of which the Region is the majority shareholder. Created by ordinance of 29 July 2015 and operational since 1 January 2016, it manages the Region's land and steers major urban development projects: Josaphat, Usquare, Mediapark, and the Anderlecht Abattoirs.
This version was produced by machine translation and has not been systematically reviewed. The French version is the reference version. Read the French version.
Source: Brussels Governance Monitor — independent civic monitoring of Brussels governance.