Police zone merger: from 6 to 1, vote expected before summer 2026

Legislative progress: Interior committee (10 February)

The Interior Minister presented the detailed draft law to the Chamber's Interior committee on 10 February 2026. This was a hearing/presentation, not yet a vote. The minister confirmed the national scope of the reform: reducing 176 to ~60 police zones across the country, with the Brussels merger as the only mandatory case.

The plenary vote is expected before summer 2026. The single Brussels zone would become operational approximately one year after the vote, i.e. during 2027.

Reactions in committee:

• PS opposition: "Forced marriages never work"
• Defi opposition: "Purely irrational — a security and democratic power grab"

The merger is also identified as one of the "seven budgetary woes" weighing on Brussels municipalities, alongside pension and unemployment reform.

Sources: La Libre, "a step towards the merger" (10 Feb. 2026); L'Avenir, "the 7 budgetary woes" (9 Feb. 2026).

Field signal: Gare du Midi (17 February)

The minister-president's first field visit, on 17 February to the Gare du Midi, highlighted the fragmentation of security coordination. On a single site, the responsibilities of two local police zones (Brussels-Ixelles and Anderlecht-Saint-Gilles-Forest), the Federal Railway Police, SNCB security and Stib guards all intersect. The observation — "there is room for improvement in coordination" — concretely illustrates one of the central arguments for the merger project.

Regional government agreement: the Brussels position

The regional policy declaration (February 2026) makes the Region's position conditional on the federal Parliament's decision:

"If the federal Parliament votes in favour of the police zone merger, the Region will commit to the principle of federal loyalty and establish this single zone."

In practical terms, the Brussels government commits to:

• Establishing the single zone if the federal law is passed
• Preserving community policing through "local offices"
• Coordinating the transition with municipalities within the integrated police framework

Current situation: 6 police zones

The Brussels-Capital Region currently has 6 local police zones, each covering several municipalities:

Each zone has its own chief of police, budget, and police council. The Police College, composed of the 19 mayors and the Minister-President, coordinates supra-zonal policy.

Federal project: a single zone

On 23 December 2025, the federal government approved in second reading a draft bill merging the 6 Brussels zones into one. Key elements:

• A single chief of police for the entire Brussels territory
• Transition budget of EUR 65 million over 5 years (initially EUR 55M, increased by EUR 10M in December 2025)
• Target implementation date: 1 January 2027 (maximum 18 months after promulgation of the law)
• Revision of the KUL funding norm for police zones (first revision in 26 years)
• The project is part of a national reform to reduce Belgium's 176 zones to approximately 60 (Brussels mandatory, rest of the country voluntary)

Legislative timeline

• July 2025: first reading in the Council of Ministers
• December 2025: Council of State opinion (noted imprecisions in the draft)
• 23 December 2025: second reading approved, budget raised to EUR 65M
• 2 February 2026: Quintin announces the national scope — from 176 to ~60 zones (Brussels mandatory, rest of the country voluntary)
• 10 February 2026: presentation of the draft law to the Chamber's Interior committee (hearing, no vote)
• Before summer 2026: parliamentary vote expected (Quintin's target)
• ~1 year after the vote: entry into force of the single Brussels zone (target 2027)

Stakeholder positions

In favour:

• The federal government — project sponsor
• The SLFP-Police trade union — conditional support, demands objective criteria and structural refinancing
• The Brussels regional coalition — federal loyalty conditional on parliamentary vote

Opposed:

• The 19 Brussels mayors — unanimous opposition expressed in August 2025
  • Argument: the mandatory nature for Brussels (voluntary elsewhere) is deemed discriminatory
  • Concern: loss of community policing and the link between mayor and chief of police
• The Council of State — noted imprecisions and inconsistencies in the draft bill (December 2025)

Issues to follow

• Parliamentary vote: the timeline remains uncertain; a rejection or significant amendment would alter the project
• Local offices: the community policing model within a single zone has not yet been defined
• KUL norm: the funding revision has been pending for 26 years; its outcome will determine the viability of the single zone
• Staff transition: the status of ~6,500 officers and ~1,000 civilian staff from the 6 current zones will need to be harmonised
• Governance: the role of mayors in a single zone (via the Police College or another mechanism) remains to be defined
• Link with the regional security plan: the single zone will need to align with the integrated plan set out in the policy declaration