Schaerbeek: good transparency, no dedicated Open Data

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.

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.