LEZ: maintained with annual pass and reduced fines

Government agreement: what changes

The agreement of 12 February 2026 substantially modifies the LEZ regime:

• Annual pass: owners of non-compliant vehicles can purchase a pass at 350 EUR/year (social rate 200 EUR) to drive legally
• Reduced fine: the per-infraction fine is lowered from 350 to 80 EUR
• Cap removed: the cap of 4 fines per year is removed

The LEZ is maintained in principle but the penalty system is reformed to reduce the financial impact on motorists.

Enforcement: tolerance confirmed (February 2026)

Minister Dirk De Smedt (Anders) confirmed in the Brussels Parliament on 27 February 2026 that no LEZ fines have been issued for diesel Euro 5 and petrol Euro 2 vehicles banned since 1 January 2026. A 3-month tolerance period is in effect (1 January — 1 April 2026).

• 4,386 warning letters have been sent by Brussels Fiscality
• Fines of 350 EUR will only apply after 1 April 2026
• Deputy Gilles Verstraeten (N-VA) flagged 2 apparent cases of fines sent in error; the minister invited those affected to contact Brussels Fiscality

Legal risk: Council of State opinion (February 2026)

The Council of State issued a highly critical opinion on the MR draft ordinance to reduce LEZ fines, submitted to the Brussels Parliament before the formation of the Dilliès government.

• Standstill principle: the fine reduction constitutes a regression in health protection for Brussels residents, violating the constitutional standstill principle
• Insufficient fines: the proposed amounts (15 to 50 EUR/month) are deemed too low to be "effective, proportionate and deterrent"
• 6-month delay: postponing fines beyond 31 March would contribute to a "harmful effect on the health of Brussels residents"
• Constitutional Court precedent: the opinion follows the court ruling that annulled the previous LEZ postponement

The Dilliès government accord also provides for reduced fines (80 EUR/infraction, annual pass at 350 EUR). The corresponding ordinance or implementing decree has not yet been published. The legal risk is real if the government follows the same rationale as the MR proposal.

Inherited context

Brussels' LEZ (Low Emission Zone) was established in 2018 to improve air quality by progressively banning the most polluting vehicles from the regional territory. The schedule provides for a gradual tightening of access standards, with the goal of banning diesel vehicles by 2030 and petrol vehicles by 2035.

Environmental results

Since its introduction in 2018, the LEZ has produced measurable improvements in air quality:

• NOx: −55%
• Particulate matter (PM): −33%
• Black carbon: −60%

Approximately 400,000 vehicles are affected by the 2026 tightening (diesel Euro 5, petrol Euro 2).

Source: Bruxelles Environnement, 2026.

What was pending (June 2024 — February 2026)

The LEZ continued to operate under the rules already adopted. However, the next tightening phases required political decisions that could not be taken under caretaker government.

Bombshell: fines suspended (27 March 2026)

On 27 March 2026 — 4 days before the new phase takes effect — Budget Minister Dirk De Smedt (Anders) announced that no fines will be issued to diesel Euro 5 and petrol Euro 2 vehicles from 1 April. He instructed Brussels Fiscality not to collect the fines until the legal framework is reformed.

Crisis chronology:

• 26 March: State Secretary Ans Persoons (Vooruit) confirms fines will apply from 1 April — maximum 1 fine of EUR 350 per year
• 27 March: Minister De Smedt contradicts this and suspends fines — no fines from 1 April
• Van den Brandt (Groen): denounces a "PS-Anders power grab" and warns of legal risks (standstill principle)

Consequences:

• ~30,000 vehicles in legal limbo: technically banned but not fineable
• The transitional system (annual pass EUR 350, social rate EUR 200) is not yet formalised — no ordinance or decree published
• First reading of a new ordinance planned, without a precise calendar (March 2026 government position)
• Reformed framework targeted for January 2027
• The episode represents the 2nd visible fracture in the coalition (day 43)

Sources: RTBF, La Libre, BX1 (27 March 2026).

4 April LEZ agreement: fines pushed to 1 July

After the first government crisis (2-4 April, D+50 — see Institutional card), the government reached an agreement on 4 April 2026. On 17 April, Finance Minister Dirk De Smedt (Anders) announced a further delay on BX1: "I cannot guarantee 7 June. At best, it will be 1 July."

Reason for delay (17 April): the minister cites administrative work "still underway" and system adaptations. He stresses the procedure remains compliant with the legal framework, and that 7 June was a "cut-off" target for launch — not a fixed date.

Timeline:

• 27 March: De Smedt (Anders) unilaterally suspends fines from 1 April
• 2 April: government session blocked. Groen furious, PS sets conditions
• 3 April: exceptional meeting. De Smedt refuses BRAL/IEB subsidies
• 4 April: agreement reached. Fines set for 7 June
• 17 April: further delay announced — fines 'at best' on 1 July

A LEZ taskforce must define exempt categories (BIM, professionals, vulnerable groups) before 15 June. The reform ordinance is expected by 15 June, with implementation in 2027.

Sources: BX1 (17 April 2026); RTBF, BX1, La Libre, DH (3-4 April 2026). Confidence: official.

Confirmation: 13,000+ vehicles affected from 1 July 2026 (5 June 2026)

According to Brussels Region data, more than 13,000 vehicles (Euro 5 diesel and Euro 2 petrol) face a EUR 350 fine from 1 July 2026. Warning letters have been sent to affected owners since 1 January 2026. The current cap remains one fine per three months. The full reform (annual pass EUR 350, social rate EUR 200, monthly fine EUR 80 for occasional users) is still being drafted and no order had been published by that date.

Source: BRUZZ / Brussels Region, 5 June 2026.

BIM social exemption: two scenarios in first reading (11 June 2026)

The council of ministers of 11 June 2026 approved in first reading two draft decrees introducing a social correction to the LEZ, ahead of the full reform scheduled for early 2027:

1. Full exemption for all licence-plate holders with the increased reimbursement status (BIM) — they could enter the Region with any vehicle;
2. Conditional exemption: reserved for BIM holders domiciled in Brussels, in employment and with at least three fiscally dependent persons.

Both texts are sent to the Council of State, the Data Protection Authority and the advisory bodies. The second reading is expected after the summer of 2026; a third reading is possible, as the government remains divided over the measure. The State Secretary for Climate sums up the trade-off: air quality remains 'an absolute priority', but 'many households simply cannot buy a new electric car at 40,000 euros'.

This social correction is distinct from the full LEZ reform (annual pass EUR 350, etc.), still in the works for early 2027. Of note: the BIM status, already at the heart of the bim-bruxelles dossier (around 30% of Brussels residents), would here become for the first time a criterion for road access.

Sources: BRUZZ, BX1, La DH, L'Avenir (12 June 2026). Confidence: unconfirmed (first reading, texts not published).

The classic vehicle loophole: automatic exemption unchecked (June 2026)

In response to a parliamentary question (a CD&V member of parliament), the State Secretary for the Environment released figures showing a sharp rise in classic vehicles (« O » plate, vehicles over thirty years old) circulating in the low emission zone. These vehicles are automatically exempt from the LEZ solely on the basis of their age, regardless of actual use.

• Classic vehicles in the LEZ: 3,936 in 2019, 13,799 in 2024 (more than tripled in five years).
• Classic vehicles driving one hundred days a year or more: 17 in 2019, 76 in 2024, 156 in 2025.
• ANPR cameras identify classic vehicles but do not check their actual use: a rarely driven collector's vehicle and a daily-use old car benefit from the same automatic exemption.

Methodological note: the 2025 figure (9,765 classic vehicles) is not comparable to previous years due to a camera replacement operation that took place that year; it does not reflect a real decline.

The full LEZ reform, targeted for early 2027, is identified as the opportunity to revise this automatic exemption regime.

Sources: La DH Bruxelles (25 June 2026) ; BRUZZ Mobiliteit (25 June 2026). Confidence: estimated (figures from Bruxelles Environnement via a parliamentary question) ; unconfirmed (press coverage).

Issues to monitor

• Public health: air quality in Brussels remains below WHO recommendations in several areas
• Social justice: the annual pass and social rate aim to mitigate the impact on low-income households — two BIM exemption scenarios (30% of Brussels residents) have been in first reading since 11 June 2026
• Climate coherence: the reform of the penalty system raises questions about the trajectory for eliminating polluting vehicles
• Tightening schedule: the confirmation or revision of the 2025-2030 schedule remains to be decided