The Court of Audit confirms: Brussels has become Athens on the Senne River

Last week, the Court of Audit published its 26th Brussels book on the accounts of the Brussels-Capital Region and the Brussels public institutions. Just like last year, the Court of Audit’s opinion is damning. Cieltje Van Achter, N-VA group chair in the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region, points to the responsibility of the Open Vld ministers who have held the budget portfolio for 20 years.

“You can now call the damning report of the Court of Audit an annual tradition,” Cieltje Van Achter says. “I don’t understand why budget minister Sven Gatz and his predecessor Guy Vanhengel - both of Open Vld - don’t understand the seriousness of the matter. If the Court of Audit says that the accounts are so flawed that it cannot judge them, then you are not doing your job as a budget minister.”

Financial chaos looms

Cieltje Van Achter is also concerned about the rising debt in Brussels. “I have been pointing out for some time that the Brussels debt mountain is really starting to take on problematic proportions. It will also continue to grow in the coming years. If a rating downgrade comes on top of that, as the Court of Audit warns, financial chaos will certainly be looming.”

Who still believes Sven Gatz?

During the government declaration, the Brussels government also did not want to submit a budget table to parliament. The Brussels government is nevertheless announcing cuts, but the MPs are apparently not yet allowed to know what those cuts entail. The N-VA group submitted a motion to protest against this. “Parliament is not getting any figures, and according to the Court of Audit, the budget is a mess. And yet, Minister Gatz remains committed to a balanced budget by 2024. Who believes that man anymore?” Cieltje Van Achter concludes.