Schaerbeek: good transparency, no dedicated Open Data

North Quarter: Council of State auditors reject the emergency appeals (10 August 2026)

On Monday 10 August 2026, the Council of State heard two appeals against the compulsory night-time closure of shops in the North Quarter, between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.:

• an emergency suspension appeal brought by Schaerbeek shopkeepers;
• an appeal against the same measure on the Saint-Josse side, brought by a sex worker and by the organisations Espace P and Utsopi.

Both applications alleged shortcomings in the measure's justification, particularly on proportionality.

What the auditors' reports say

The auditors reject the urgency in both cases, finding it insufficiently established. In the Schaerbeek file, the auditor also ruled on the merits, on an extremely urgent basis, in the municipality's favour. No analysis on the merits was issued for the Saint-Josse file.

Both municipalities therefore get a first favourable signal, but with reservations: according to the press, the report is markedly less clear-cut on the merits than on urgency, and leaves doubt about a possible extension beyond the end of September 2026.

Why the distinction matters

An auditor's report is not a judgment. The auditor investigates and proposes; the court decides, and may depart from it. At this stage no judicial decision has been handed down on the measure's legality.

Timeline reminder: the night-time closure was adopted by Schaerbeek and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode in March 2026, took effect in early April, and was extended in June to the end of September 2026. Schaerbeek relaxed the hour to 3 a.m. on Friday-to-Saturday and Saturday-to-Sunday nights and on the eve of public holidays; Saint-Josse did not follow that relaxation.

Sources: L'Avenir (12 August 2026); La DH (12 August 2026). Confidence: unconfirmed. The hearing, the thrust of the auditors' reports and the distinction between the two municipalities are reported by two titles from the same press group; no auditor's report or judgment could be consulted.

Louis Bertrand avenue: 108 plane trees at risk, a permit already annulled by the Council of State (5 August 2026)

The redevelopment scheme for Louis Bertrand avenue and the adjoining square provides for felling the 108 plane trees on the central reservation, more than sixty years old, replaced after the works by 77 new trees. The net loss would therefore be thirty-one trees.

The municipality justifies the felling by the plane trees' susceptibility to disease, costly maintenance and what it describes as limited ecological value.

The governance point lies elsewhere, in the procedural history:

• about 300 residents and organisations filed objections;
• a neighbourhood committee brought the case to the Council of State, which annulled the permit issued in June 2023;
• as that permit had meanwhile expired, a new application must be filed. The annulment therefore does not close the file, it sends it back to the start.

In August 2026 the protest revived after a resident's video circulated widely, relayed notably by a French tree campaigner. The competent alderwoman announced consultations from mid-August 2026 to examine alternatives.

Sources: BRUZZ (5 August 2026). Confidence: unconfirmed. The number of trees, the number of objections, the annulment of the permit by the Council of State and the consultation timetable are reported by a single newsroom; the Council of State ruling was not consulted.

Rue Verte fire: the municipal reception plan activated (6-7 August 2026)

On Thursday 6 August 2026 at around 9.20 pm, a fire broke out in a three-storey warehouse holding mattresses and fabrics, between rue Verte and rue de Brabant, in the Brabant quarter. The fire was largely under control by around 2 am, with the operation ending around 5.30 am.

The institutional fact is the acting mayor's decision to activate a municipal reception plan for evacuated residents unable to return home. All were able to go back after the operation. No injuries were reported. Carbon monoxide checks were carried out in neighbouring shops. The warehouse is a total loss and the cause remained to be established.

Activating a municipal reception plan falls under the mayor's administrative policing powers. It mobilises municipal emergency rehousing resources, distinct from the intervention of SIAMU, the regional fire and emergency medical service, whose understaffing is tracked in the Security Plan dossier.

Sources: La Libre (6 August 2026); L'Avenir (7 August 2026). Confidence: official for the sequence of events and the activation of the municipal reception plan, based on statements by the Brussels fire brigade spokesperson, cross-checked by two newsrooms.

The second most densely populated municipality in Brussels

Schaerbeek is the second most populated municipality in the Brussels-Capital Region with nearly 130,000 inhabitants on only 8.14 km², making it one of the densest municipalities in Belgium (~16,000 inhabitants/km²).

Transparency: 4 full criteria, 1 partial

Schaerbeek achieves a good transparency score. The municipal budget is fully published online (PDF and Excel annexes), council minutes are accessible, the council is broadcast via livestream on YouTube with archives, and the mandate registry is published with individual declarations since 2011.

However, Schaerbeek does not have its own municipal Open Data portal (only regional data is available via opendata.brussels). Citizen participation is classified as "partial": the municipality does not have a dedicated platform such as Decidim, but offers citizen interpellation mechanisms (25 signatures) and a localised participatory budget (Pogge neighbourhood, ~40,000 EUR/year).

Late formation and mayoral instability

The municipal elections of October 2024 were followed by 7 months of negotiations in Schaerbeek, a record for the municipality. The new MR-Engages + PS + Ecolo-Groen + LB (DeFi) majority was installed in May 2025 with a mayoral rotation agreement.

In February 2026, the appointment of Audrey Henry (MR) as regional Secretary of State triggered an unexpected change: Martin de Brabant (MR), alderman, succeeds her as acting mayor. The rotation to Hasan Koyuncu (PS) remains planned for January 2028. Schaerbeek thus faces an unprecedented situation with three mayors in six years.

On 6 March 2026, the first alderman (Ecolo) publicly demanded Henry's definitive resignation as titular mayor. Henry currently retains the status of "hindered mayor" (similar to Bart De Wever in Antwerp), creating a three-tier structure (hindered titular, acting, designated successor) described as "harmful to local democracy and the mayoral function".

The 2026 budget provides for EUR 60 million in investments, a high level for the municipality.

Brabant neighbourhood: night-time closure extended and eased (June 2026)

Schaerbeek extends by three months, until end of September 2026, the regulation on the night-time closure of businesses (1am-6am) in the Brabant neighbourhood, a sector of the North Quarter shared with Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. The regulation is renewed but adapted: the closing time is eased to 3am at weekends and on the eve of public holidays, in response to feedback from traders. The vote at the municipal council is scheduled for 26 June 2026.

The college justifies the extension by a decline in the share of violent incidents committed between 1am and 6am (from twenty-three per cent in the first quarter to seven point seven per cent in May according to the municipality) and extends the accompanying tax exemptions. The mirror measure of Saint-Josse, put to the vote on 30 June, maintains the hours but excludes Rue Royale. Full security context on the Security domain card.

Source: RTBF (23 June 2026). Confidence: unconfirmed (municipal announcement, vote and order to come).

Environmental cease-and-desist action against the RNP-07L approach route (23 April 2026)

On 23 April 2026, the acting mayor announced that Schaerbeek will launch an environmental cease-and-desist action against intensive use of the RNP-07L approach route at Brussels Airport, which concentrates noise pollution on several Brussels municipalities. The college of mayor and aldermen has given the green light; the formal decision still has to go through the municipal council.

Figures cited for the previous day (22 April): more than 200 flights over Schaerbeek, including 99 % of landings over the municipality.

Schaerbeek thus joins Molenbeek-Saint-Jean and Koekelberg, already engaged in a similar procedure against the RNP-07L route (March-April 2026). Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, for its part, is pursuing a separate action against the "left turn" — distinct case, not the same route.

Sources: BX1 (23 April 2026), BRUZZ (21 April 2026). Confidence: unconfirmed (mayor's statement, municipal council vote to come).

Brussels Deal: federal cut to reception places, concern in the North Quarter (17 July 2026)

The federal government (Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt, N-VA) cut a further 700 places from the "Brussels Deal" reception scheme on 16 July 2026, after an initial cut of 300 places in late June, for a total of around 1,000 places removed, reducing capacity from around 2,000 to around 1,000 places. On 17 July, acting mayor Martin de Brabant voiced concern about a worsening situation in the North Quarter, citing the risk of people being left on the street and exposed to trafficking networks. He described the situation as "extremely tense" and said he intended to contact the Van Bossuyt cabinet and put forward a "North Quarter plan".

Sources: Le Soir (16 July 2026); BX1 (17 July 2026).

Explosion on avenue Albert Giraud (13 March 2026)

On Friday 13 March 2026, a detonation occurred in the evening on avenue Albert Giraud. It was a pyrotechnic device according to the Brussels-North police zone. A judicial exclusion perimeter was established, the federal police laboratory and a fire expert were called in. No injuries were reported. The investigation is ongoing.

Source: La Libre (14 March 2026).

Citizen participation: localised mechanisms

Without a dedicated digital platform at the municipal level, Schaerbeek nonetheless offers several participatory mechanisms: citizen interpellation at the municipal council (minimum 25 signatures), a participatory budget in the Pogge neighbourhood (as part of the Sustainable Neighbourhood Contract), a youth council, and neighbourhood committees.

Fatal fire on chaussée de Haecht: municipal emergency phase activated (26 July 2026)

During the night of Saturday 25 to Sunday 26 July 2026, at around 2.30am, a fire broke out on chaussée de Haecht. Toll: two dead and eight injured, two of them seriously, according to the Brussels fire brigade spokesperson.

The fire started in the common areas of the furthest stairwell of a building containing several flats served by a common entrance and several stairwells.

Municipal phase activated. The acting mayor activated the municipal phase of the emergency plan, given the number of people affected. In practice:

• opening of a reception centre at the town hall, in collaboration with the Red Cross
• provision of a STIB bus to transport displaced residents to that centre

The cause of the fire remains unknown. The public prosecutor was notified and appointed a laboratory team and an expert to examine the scene.

Sources: La DH (26 July 2026) ; L'Avenir (26 July 2026). Confidence: unconfirmed (toll and arrangements reported by the Brussels fire brigade via the press; investigation ongoing, cause not established).

Removal of the Vergote tunnel announced (25 July 2026)

The Brussels mobility minister announced the removal of the Vergote tunnel, located under boulevard Brand Whitlock, on the boundary between Schaerbeek and Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. The measure is part of the redevelopment of boulevard Reyers, where pedestrian crossings will be brought back to street level. The decision was welcomed by the mayor of the neighbouring commune concerned.

Neither the decree nor the works timetable has been published at this stage.

Source: BX1 (25 July 2026). Confidence: unconfirmed (ministerial announcement relayed by a single press source).