Brussels, home to many international institutions, is a Region that is still facing various challenges: increasing poverty, significant population growth, low employment rate … The Brussels Region is also full of opportunities, seized by the public authorities, to become an ambitious capital, safe, with “soft” mobility, with accessible housing, pleasant to live in. The complexity of the distribution of competences pushes the various institutions to find synergies and collaborations, in order to propose to the citizen the best possible services.
The multi-layered Belgian institutional framework
Belgian independence was declared by a provisional government on 4 October 1830. Over the years, the country has developed into a federal State, and has had to divide its competences between different entities.
The Brussels agglomeration was created in 1971 due to a desire to move beyond the municipal boundaries. The Brussels Capital Region was created almost 20 years later. Enclosed by the Flemish Region, Brussels is the country’s third Region, within a federal Belgium. The Regions stand side-by-side with the three Communities (French, Flemish and German-speaking) which take care of “matters relating to people” (Christian Lamouline, Secretary General of the Brussels Regional Public Service): culture, education, etc.
The Brussels Region has a number of regional competences (organic, legislative, tax, housing, transport, energy, environment, economic development and others), in addition to its competences as an agglomeration (emergency medical assistance, firefighting, waste management, etc.). A myriad of public services and autonomous administrative bodies work alongside the Government and the regional Parliament. Certain structures, such as the Brussels Regional Public Service (BRPS), work under the authority of the Government, while others have a certain degree of autonomy.
Christian Gauffin, Secretary and leader of the BEST network, stated that the relationship between the Secretary General of the BRPS and the General Directors was not designed as a hierarchical role, unlike in France. “Each General Director manages their own competence, so I consider myself more as a facilitator and coordinator,” said Christian Lamouline. The SGD of Strasbourg, Pierre Laplane, stated that, “in France, our managerial practices are similar to a collegial method, not organised and well established as they are in Brussels, but the spirit is similar.” The Secretary General is appointed for a five-year mandate which can be renewed once by a Committee of lawyers, professors and management specialists set up by the government.
An ill-defined municipal interest
The Belgian capital has a very disparate population, divided into 19 municipalities that have between 22,000 (Koekelberg) and 180,000 inhabitants (City of Brussels).
With the Mayor, the aldermen and the municipal councillors, there are almost 800 elected representatives for 1.2 million inhabitants, a number that Philippe Rossignol, President of the Federation of Brussels municipal secretaries, considers too high.
Each municipality exercises competences of… municipal interest. The principle is simple, in that all subjects of municipal interest that are not the competence of a different level of power, are the responsibility of the municipality.
It is a simple but much discussed principle. Philippe Rossignol referred to the major debate currently taking place on transfers of competences. Nothing is simple in Belgium; the municipal roads are managed by municipal agents, the regional roads by regional agents and the tram lines by STIB (Brussels Inter-Municipal Transport Company). It is no wonder that Brussels citizens no longer know who to turn to. “My street crosses three municipalities and the lampposts are different depending on the location,” said Philippe Rossignol.
Pierre Laplane questioned this distribution of competences, wondering whether Brussels could eventually become a single municipality. According to Rochdi Khabazi, General Director of Brussels Local Powers, this is a predominantly political question. The Flemish parties are more favourable to a pro-regionalist option, while the French-speakers are more attached to the idea of municipalities. One of the solutions mentioned is the “supra-municipality”, a form of which is already in place, namely the inter-municipal.
Freedom of cooperation, a once controversial freedom
At the time, neither the Constitution nor municipal law authorised municipalities to work together. Yet the first inter-municipal body was created: the Crédit Communal, which merged with the Crédit Local de France to form Deixa. Other inter-municipal bodies were then created in many different areas, such as hospitals, water and energy. “If NASA had been Belgian, it would have been an inter-municipal body,” joked Jean-François Brouwet, legal attaché at Brussels Local Powers.
It was not until 1921 the Article 162 of the Belgian Constitution stipulated that, “several supra-municipal collectivities or several municipalities may reach an agreement or join forces.” And it was not until 2014 that the Regions concluded a cooperation agreement on inter-regional inter-municipalities (Sibelga, Vivaqua, Brutélé, etc.).
The inter-municipal body, an association created by at least two municipalities, is a public body that is not commercial in nature. It adopts the legal form of a cooperative society with limited liability. There are only pure inter-municipal bodies, and there are no longer any mixed inter-municipal bodies with legal bodies governed by private law.
The principle is different in France, as the members of a public establishment can decide by agreement to derogate from the law (François Mengin, DGS of Pau). Here, we are halfway between a local public company and a local public establishment. The presence of administrators is therefore proportional to their share in the capital, with a maximum of 18 administrators. This concept poses a problem, as there is a risk that the smallest shareholders will not be represented. The legality of public establishments is controlled by the prefect, whereas the shareholders play this role in local public companies. In France, the central State says what must be done and imposes constraints, and in Belgium it is the other way round, “do what you want and we will stop you if we need to” (François Mengin).
Brussels, a region of contrasts
The reality of the Brussels Region is different to that of the other two Belgian Regions; it has a younger population, a higher unemployment rate, more social aid recipients, only 43% Belgian by birth in 2017 (versus 79% in Belgium as a whole).
The situation in the Region is a paradox, explained Christian Lamouline, as there is tension in the employment market between an international city, a growth centre, and a population experiencing a high unemployment rate. Despite a 24% population increase in 17 years (11% in Belgium), many jobs are held by Flemish or Walloon commuters rather than Brussels residents.
Furthermore, the cost of property, or simply the scarcity of properties that appeal to families (spacious with garden), and even the impoverishment of certain densely populated districts, is causing some middle- and even upper-class Brussels residents to leave Brussels for a different Belgian Region when they have children; this means that they are not contributing to the economy of the Belgian capital. These different factors have an effect on municipal finances.
It should also be noted that the situation is not the same throughout Brussels, as there are very marked differences between the municipalities. The Brussels-Capital Region is a “region of contrasts”, explained Anne Willocx, Director of local finances at Brussels Local Powers.
The additional money from property tax, the main Belgian property tax linked to the value of a building, is the primary source of income for the municipalities. They also collect a fraction of the income tax of natural persons. Each municipality also receives contributions from the Region, representing an average of 16% of its income.
The highest contribution, the general provision to municipalities, is modulated according to their needs, based on specific allocation criteria (number of inhabitants, income, etc.). The municipalities use analytical accounting harmonised at regional level (it was previously at federal level). The Region reviewed these criteria in 2017 to take account of demographic and economic changes, and to provide further funding for the municipalities. In the end, all municipalities saw their contribution increase to a greater or lesser extent depending on their situation. This was a political choice made without conditions or the transfer of competences (Rochdi Khabazi).
The municipalities are obliged to fund the structural deficits of the Public Centres for Social Welfare (PCSW) and the police zones, added Anne Willocx.
Loan repayments come from the ordinary budget, which must be balanced. There is no specific rule on borrowing conditions, provided that the municipalities can pay them back and remain balanced. The Region intervenes with loans when the municipality can no longer present a balanced ordinary budget. The municipality must then commit to a recovery plan. In the Brussels-Capital Region, just over half of municipalities (10 out of 19) are currently following such a plan.
Over the last few years, the municipalities have gradually managed to restore their financial equilibrium, and the Region has also contributed to this through a range of contributions and subsidies. Despite all this, the balance remains fragile in view of the many challenges they are facing, concluded Anne Willocx.
Vulnerable populations, assisted by Public Social Action Centres
In Belgium, the role of the Public Centres for Social Welfare, or PCSWs, is to provide social aid. In the municipality of Molenbeek, a multicultural area with a number of challenges, the focus is on integration through employment. The aim of social aid is to enable all citizens to live in human dignity, stated Didier Rozen, Secretary General of the Molenbeek PCSW. The aid is not only financial in nature, it can also be medical or housing-related.
The PCSW is a structure that comprises a political entity and an administrative entity, explained Gérardine Bastin, President of the PCSW. The 45 municipal councillors in Molenbeek appointed 13 councillors to sit on the PCSW. It is managed by various committees which deal with disputes, debt mediation, housing, etc. Only 5% of PCSWs income comes from its own revenue, with 95% coming from subsidies. In terms of IT, there are public/public collaborations in the area of social action software, in particular with Charleroi.
A total of 1,000 people are employed at the Molenbeek PCSW (including some 120 social assistants, 150 people in care homes and administrative officials). It should be noted that more than 400 of these employees are covered by “Article 60”, a provision that aims to provide professional reintegration. There is a network of eight social antennae across the municipality.
Most PCSW beneficiaries are people who have never used their right to unemployment benefit, or are former unemployment benefit recipients. In Molenbeek, 37.5% of integration income beneficiaries are aged under 25 and have never been entitled to unemployment benefit. One Molenbeek resident in ten is following a social integration pathway, which comprises a number of stages from the social interview to validation by the financial director. The PCSW provides assistance to 6,300 people every month (out of a municipal population of 100,000).
The Crossroads Bank for Social Security provides access to different registers, e.g. real estate, employment contracts and reversionary pensions. It is consulted daily, in particular to find relocations as quickly as possible so that municipal aid can be withdrawn before debts are formed.
But in Molenbeek, the major challenge continues to be retaining residents who have found employment and live in better conditions, and who often decide to move to a different municipality.
Rochdi Khabazi noted that this aid indirectly helps to make districts safer and thus has a major beneficial effect.
A collaborative approach to security
The typically Belgian feature of having different levels of stakeholders and competences also includes the security sector. A number of different public services work to ensure the safety of Brussels citizens: six police zones, nine municipalities, Brussels Prevention and Security (BPS), the federal State, and others.
Partnerships are essential due to the number of stakeholders involved. BPS identifies areas of complementarity and increases the level of scale, explained Jamil Araoud, General Director of the public institution; this relieves the police zones of functions that would divert them from operational work. There are plans to create a communication centre project that would bring together the police with the fire brigades and STIB.
A regional Security Council has been created to provide this coordination and monitor the implementation of a regional security plan; it comprises the Brussels public prosecutor’s office, the administrative director coordinator and the legal director of the federal police, the presidents of the police academies and the commanding officers of the police zones. There is a regional college of security professions, which aims to recruit locally.
The BPS strategy is based on three principles of “intelligence-led policing”: strengthening synergies and economies of scale, education by anticipation and strengthening the information position and the use of technological innovations. Jamil Araoud gave several examples of innovative projects and tools: video protection with real-time access to images (network that covers STIB public transport and Brussels port), the ANPR camera network, a drone service and a cybersecurity centre.
Not only are there many stakeholders involved, but the situations also vary significantly depending on the municipality. Assault and battery occurs more frequently in the centre of the Region, whereas break-ins happen throughout the territory.
The local police must therefore adapt its strategy to the different districts for which it is responsible. In the Montgomery zone for example, an action plan covers three priorities: road safety, robberies and safety in public transport, according to Michaël Jonniaux, Commanding Officer of the Montgomery police zone.
Brussels is divided into six police zones, each managed by a commanding officer who reports to the Police Council (representatives of municipal elected officials) and to the Police Academy (Mayors of the municipalities in question).
The police itself has two levels: local police and federal police. There is no hierarchical link between these entities, but they tend to collaborate. Together, the 185 Belgian police zones and the federal police form the “integrated” police. Certain mechanisms enhance this integrated nature: training, code of ethics, shared statutes, national security plan, employment at both levels accessible to all, etc. Furthermore, information is dispatched on shared channels, such as the ASTRID radio network, district information crossroads, the general national database and 11 provincial communication and information centres.
The local police want to be close to the citizens, with at least one intervention team and one station open permanently. Day-to-day contact between officers and the population is vital and officers are encouraged to be attentive (Michaël Jonniaux). The mission to monitor residents’ homes allows police officers to visit these homes and gain a greater understanding of the citizens in their zone. Regional and local surveys are also undertaken to discover the priorities and perceptions of citizens.
Pierre Laplane noted that the French police could learn from the operation of their neighbours by simplifying the organisation of its police force. Certain prevention-related coordination actions exist in France, but they remain complex. What’s more, in Belgium there is no dichotomy between the municipal police, which is highly focused on day-to-day issues, and the police in the territories, which has greater responsibility for maintaining order, unlike the French police. To legitimise police activity, it is an essential to look at the safety and quality of life of citizens, and change the opinions of those citizens most excluded from the organisation.
Alternative solutions for housing accessible to all
In Brussels, it is not always that easy for Belgians who want to become property owners to do so. Particularly if they want a detached villa with a large garden, as this type of property is very expensive in the Belgian capital. This means that some people move to the Flemish Brabant or Walloon countryside to find their dream home. But many types of alternative housing, and easier ways of buying a property, are being developed in Brussels to make housing more accessible.
Purchases partly subsidised by the Region
In 1974, following a reduction in economic activity in Brussels, the Region decided to create “Citydev” to support economic development in the city, urban renovation and mixed economic-housing projects.
The Region is facing a number of challenges: flight of the middle classes to other Regions, reduction in investment by private sectors, deterioration of the city centre and the inner suburbs (around the city centre), etc. “The goal of Citydev is to renovate the city by building medium-level housing in districts that do not receive private sector investment,” stated Nathalie Renneboog, acting Director General of the Citydev Urban Renovation Department. To attract people back to certain underfunded districts, Citydev sells new housing at a reduced price in association with private property development, subsidising 30% of the cost of the property (legal framework of the Order of 20 May 1999). Olivier Landel, General Delegate at France Urbaine, is concerned about the cost of construction, which is difficult to assess in advance as it is highly variable. Nathalie Renneboog explained that some of the housing is built by Citydev, and the extensive information about construction is carefully kept in a database. As these specifications were 50% assessed on the financial criterion, the developers were obliged to offer attractive prices, particularly as the market is fragmented (no large institutional investors). For the other half, the projects were chosen based on quality criteria (including 20% urban context, 20% habitability and 10% sustainable development).
This housing is reserved for the middle classes, who are defined as people with a taxable income of at least €64,200 a year for a single person. It is explained that this choice was made so that the eligible population would be symbolic of all those who make the city function; so it was stated for information purposes that in terms of income it ranges from a primary school teacher to a university professor, thus making 90% of the population eligible. The new owners will purchase a property that should normally be their main residence for the next 20 years. In some cases they may sell their property, but without any capital appreciation.
Citydev has sold a total of 4,650 housing units since 1988, which represents almost 8% of the market share on average. These figures are constantly increasing, as 260 housing units found a buyer in 2018. There are approximately 500,000 housing units in Brussels.
Innovative purchase and rental methods
The Community Land Trust (CLT), a system based on long-term leases, allows the sale price of a house to be reduced, as the person is buying only the property and not the land, as Community Land Trusts remain the owners of the land (Nicolas Bernard, Lecturer in law at Saint Louis University and a housing expert). The property may be resold, but any added value is then decreased by 75%, which effectively puts a ceiling on the resale price. Management is participative, with a tripartite management board, the involvement of residents and the goal of multi-functionality to avoid “NIMBY” syndrome. Olivier Landel stated that in France, CLTs are called solidarity-based property bodies and tend to function well. For Eric Ardouin, SGD of Bordeaux, there is a difference in Belgium, namely that the owner of the land gains the building. It should in fact be stressed that the model involves no legacy to children.
Nicolas Bernard also highlighted other innovative types of housing: precarious occupation (in particular for properties subject to a restraint order: pending the payment of an estate, an urban planning permit, etc.), as well as mobile, inter-generational, solidarity-based or modular housing (in this last case, despite the use of light, movable and temporary materials, permits are still required and the regional urban planning regulation should relax the standards in this respect).
As a general rule, the recognition of an unusual housing unit makes a strong case for more flexible standards. “The idea could be to have a core of standards, and then variable standards that can evolve” (Nicolas Bernard). For precarious occupation, the constant challenge is to ensure that the agreements/contracts (innominate as not governed by law) cannot be re-qualified as leases (with, for example, shorter notice periods, or a lack of grounds for termination; in fact, if it means supervising occupation, it also means formalising its precarious nature). The same applies to inter-generational housing, as the non-profit associations grant more flexible “agreements” than leases, which ban direct debits, for example.
On the other hand, with regard to rentals in Brussels, associations called Social Housing Agencies (AIS, Agences Immobilières Sociales) have proposed to owners that they act as an intermediary between them and the tenants and manage the rental risks, explained Nicolas Bernard. The associations promise to make up any unpaid rent, to support the tenant in managing the property and to ensure it is restored to its original condition with each new lease. However, the price of the rent is lower and the owner agrees to give up the management of the property (three-year lease, or nine-year if work is involved).
The phenomenon has grown in scope after around 15 years; the public authorities have now taken an interest and have taken over the concept. There are now 22 agencies (authorised and subsidised) managing 5,500 housing units (out of 38,000 social housing units), and this number continues to grow. AIS’s, which cost less than half of social housing and are more flexible, are regularly quoted as an example in political spheres and are considered a success story (Nicolas Bernard).
In the end, these alternative solutions undoubtedly explain why access to housing is not more problematic in Brussels than in French cities, despite a similar demographic situation and a distinctly smaller proportion of social housing than in France (38,000 out of a total of 500,000, far from the proportions observed and the current minimum targets in France). This model has also inspired the AIVS (socially engaged real estate agencies).
For all that, there are a number of challenges involved in forming partnerships with the private sector, with even advance contacts for projects that have not yet been built, and thus a potential move towards the management of new and larger housing complexes, which may create phenomena related to concentration. As this is the community sector, there is a risk of creating clientele (“our users”). Lastly, the rent scale remains a thorny issue, as it depends only on the number of bedrooms and not the condition or location of the property, which may reduce its attractiveness to owners in certain districts. The Brussels Region has actually just introduced a rent table, but its use is optional.
Focus on the Brussels Canal zone, a high-potential industrial setting
A stone’s throw from the historic centre, the Canal cuts through Brussels from north to south, running through five municipalities over the course of its 14 km. Its industrial setting has enormous potential, which “perspective.brussels”, a regional expertise centre and originator of the territorial development strategy, plans to make the most of through a renovation programme called the “Canal Plan” (in particular through clean-up operations and the planting of vegetation).
This plan brings together several major principles, according to Sven Vercammen, Project manager at Perspective: the rationalisation of land use with a view to relative density, functional diversity (economy and housing), and a public space in the heart of the development (structured, with communal areas and the showcasing of the industrial heritage). A framework agreement, prepared with various partners, sets out the vision and the creation of the public spaces.
The Canal should be a focal point for Brussels residents, and the quays will be lowered to make it more visible. Active forms of mobility will be promoted with cycle paths, pedestrian areas and multifunctional lanes (car, bicycle and pedestrians).
This is a major challenge as it involves preserving the economic activity and housing areas, and retaining a certain social mix.
The mobility of the future
Mobility is currently changing fast; it is highly dynamic and combines social, technological and financial challenges, according to Brieuc de Meeûs, CEO of STIB. Traditional forms of transport are being supplemented by electric, automated and shared transport. The GAFA (Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple) see this as an opportunity to develop a new business.
With its Good Move plan, prepared through a participative process, Brussels Mobility is preparing the capital for the challenges of the future, explained Christophe Vanoerbeek, Director General of Brussels Mobility. More than 170 bodies involved in mobility have expressed their views, and the final decisions were made through consensus and compromise. The vision combines different objectives: managing the demand for travel, reducing car use, developing integrated services for users, effective and well distributed transport networks and a parking strategy.
The Brussels Inter-Municipal Transport Company (STIB), a limited company funded primarily by the Region, and one of the key stakeholders in the Good Move plan, provides transport for Brussels residents on a day-to-day basis. Trams, buses and metro trains take residents to work, back home, to see friends, to see an exhibition or to their favourite bar. STIB is the largest regional employer, with 9,500 employees.
Brieuc de Meeûs mentioned the main work that will be carried out in the area of public transport by 2030-2050. Firstly, carbon reduction, i.e. the use of electric vehicles and green energy. However, there are a number of problems involved in the use of electric buses, such as their storage, as they take up more space than traditional buses, their running time and the huge investment over a short period.
The accessibility of transport will also be crucial, whether for persons with reduced mobility, persons with low incomes or those not used to digital tools. It is the responsibility of the public services, and not private companies, to include as many people as possible.
STIB must also, and most importantly, provide a customised high quality service that enables all residents to find the mobility solution that suits them. Brieuc de Meeûs has developed the concept of MaaS (Mobility as a Service), which involves offering each person a perfectly customised solution by integrating the different modes of transport within a single digital platform. And this customised service will involve an application developed by STIB. This should make it possible to retain control of the algorithms, monitor changing needs (avoiding “Amazonisation”) and be able to charge platform access to private service providers.
For Eric Ardouin, “the energy with the most potential is that which we do not use.” In Bordeaux for example, 50% of car journeys are under 2 kilometres. In the future, the city could integrate signage for pedestrians, showing them the distance to certain points in the city.
In Brussels, transport will soon be free for young people under 25 years of age. François Mengin commented that making transport free encourages short journeys on public transport, “on a network that works well, free transport moves pedestrians towards public transport.” Patrick Lambert, SGD of Dunkirk, stated that no serious study has yet been carried out into this extremely complex issue. Free transport has been a success in Dunkirk, but the city has a specific situation. The level of income linked to transport is actually very low. Christophe Vanoerbeek stated that in terms of electric scooter use in Brussels, there was first of all a noticeable shift from walking these means of transport, but a more in-depth analysis showed a shift from all modes of transport.