Auderghem: very good transparency, mandate transparency pioneer

Brussels' only DéFI mayor

Auderghem has 35,000 inhabitants and is led by Sophie de Vos (DéFI), the only DéFI mayor to remain in office in Brussels after the 2024 elections. With 47.1% of votes and an absolute majority (17/31 seats), she opened her majority to MR-Les Engagés.

Transparency: 5 out of 6 criteria

Auderghem achieves an excellent score. The budget and council minutes (dedicated archives) are published, the council is broadcast via livestream, the mandate registry is exemplary (publication of private income of elected officials — a first), and the municipality has the Auderghem 21: Participate! platform. No Open Data portal.

Mandate transparency pioneer

Auderghem stands out by publishing the private income of the mayor and aldermen, going beyond legal requirements. Councillor attendance tracking is also published online.

Recent developments

The municipality adopted a tax on fast-food restaurants generating approximately EUR 12,000/year. The Trois Fontaines viaduct project (road development) is contested by local residents. Auderghem has no school streets, despite regional commitments. The municipality boasts its 50th consecutive balanced budget.

"Safe Places" Pilot (8 March 2026)

Auderghem becomes the first Brussels commune to launch the "Safe Places" project against street harassment. The initiative identifies 10 shops, 3 institutions and STIB Hankar station as refuges where anyone experiencing harassment can seek shelter and assistance. Staff at participating locations were trained by PsyBru (Brussels psychologist network). The project launches on 8 March 2026, International Women's Rights Day.

Source: L'Avenir (5 March 2026).

Tracking the major works (April-May 2026)

The skatepark under the Watermael viaduct project has been abandoned: the concertation commission issued an unfavourable opinion in early March 2026, confirmed at the 23 April 2026 council meeting, resulting in the loss of a EUR 150,000 regional subsidy. The municipality is looking for a new site, according to the municipality.

Works on the underground Tenreuken stormwater basin (Hydria, ~5,000 m³) started on 18 May 2026, expected to last around 21 to 22 months, to protect the Woluwe valley from flooding, according to the municipality.

The Trois Fontaines viaduct redevelopment project received a favourable opinion with conditions from the college (23 April 2026): the municipality states it secured 84 of 94 parking spaces, against 60 removals planned in the original February 2026 project.

Sources: auderghem.be (23 April, 25 June 2026); lesengages.be (25 June 2026); earlier context confirmed by BX1 and La DH (February 2026). Confidence: official for the municipal facts, not independently corroborated by the press for some details (municipal website + majority party only).

Communal appeal against the Triomphe Tower permit (Delta, 25 July 2026)

urban.brussels, the regional planning administration, issued the planning permit for the Triomphe Tower, at the corner of boulevard du Triomphe and rue Jules Cockx, in the Delta district. The project is 80 metres tall, with 19 floors, 114 homes, two office levels and ground-floor retail.

The commune announced an appeal to the Brussels government. It accuses the Region of overriding:

• two negative opinions issued by Auderghem
• one negative opinion from the commune of Ixelles
• around 400 objections filed during the public inquiry
• insufficient guarantees on affordable housing and environmental protection
• unmet public-space commitments under the Herrmann-Debroux master plan

The Ecolo-Groen opposition group on the communal council announced its support for the appeal in a statement on 24 July 2026.

This case puts the commune in direct opposition to a regional processing decision, on a project located within the perimeter of a master plan it had negotiated.

Source: La Libre (25 July 2026). Confidence: unconfirmed (permit and appeal reported by the press and by a communal political group statement; decree not consulted, appeal announced but not yet lodged).