Monitored domains

The 2026 budget (revenue EUR 6.622B, expenditure EUR 7.613B, deficit EUR 957M) was approved in plenary on 27 March (53 for / 32 against). Definitive end of provisional twelfths. S&P confirms A / negative outlook rating. Deutsche Bank grants EUR 250M credit line — a signal of confidence.

The 2026 budget allocates EUR 315M to Bruxelles-Proprete (+2M vs 2025) + EUR 28M for Midi station. The single-use plastic EPR is voted (EUR 51.4M/year). Collection reform: yellow bags biweekly, white bags 1x/week in 11 municipalities. Three-day strike (18-20 March), 38% of trucks at depot on day 2.

The DPR maintains the LEZ and replaces Renolution with zero-interest loans. Vivaqua and Hydria merge (EUR 180M recapitalisation). However, no new CO2 targets are set — an ambiguous signal for the climate trajectory.

The RPD provides for tackling the digital divide, administrative simplification via Easy Brussels and IRISbox, smart city deployment, and positioning Brussels as an AI capital.

Triple austerity shock on attractiveness: Visit Brussels loses ~EUR 6M (trajectory 22→8M EUR by 2029, ~90 jobs at risk). Hub.brussels: international budget cut by ⅔ (10.2→4.2M EUR by 2029), 33 offices threatened — confirmed by Minister Hublet (BX1). Deutsche Bank grants EUR 250M to the Region (confidence signal). Defence cluster Bedex. Hotel VAT doubled (6→12%).

The RPD provides for creating childcare places, tackling school dropout, strengthening vocational education, and coordinating between Cocof, VGC and Communities for Brussels education policies.

The DPR targets a 70% employment rate by end of term, but the real structural rate is only ~55% (Itinera data). With 96,113 jobseekers in March 2026 (15.0%, +0.67 pt year-on-year) and 42,000 exclusions from the unemployment reform, the gap to close is 15 points.

The DPR provides for EUR 400M for the SLRB, 1,000+ public housing units, the doubling of Be Home (EUR 320) and the replacement of Renolution with zero-interest loans (EUR 200M). Brownfield sites are arbitrated (18-month moratorium on 4 sites).

The RPD provides for the most ambitious restructuring of the Brussels regional apparatus: merging 25 structures into 4 pillars (Cross-cutting services, Core missions, infrastructure.brussels, Land coordination). Pillars 1 and 2 must be operational by 2026.

The DPR provides for a successor to Good Move (new Regional Mobility Plan), freezes Metro 3 for 10 years in favour of a tram, maintains the LEZ (pass EUR 350/year, fine reduced to EUR 80) and adds a 2nd car-free Sunday.

Operation Green Shield: 200 soldiers deployed in Brussels and Antwerp (23 March, 3 months, reduction to 90), ~600 personnel in rotation. SIAMU dotation tripled (EUR 15.4M/year). North Station hotspot task force (night closure 1am-6am). CPAS Anderlecht assault (25 March). Anti-drug commissioner and EUR 10M for stations planned in the RPD.

The DPR provides for EUR 10M for station security (Midi and Nord), a regional drug commissioner and protection of social services. The minister-president's security role is reinforced. Kanal saved (EUR 60M).

The RPD provides for accelerated urban planning permits, a planning amnesty for historic violations, the removal of the CRMS binding opinion, and the revival of the Neo project at the Heysel.