Birth limit policy mustn’t be off-limits

Brussels mayor Freddy Thielemans has argued that limiting the number of births per family is an issue that must be open to discussion. His remark, which his spokesperson insists is not part of any specific project or election platform – nor is it the remit of the communes – came during a live debate last Thursday when the topic of overcrowding was discussed. “It is a fact,” Thielemans said, “that we have many families in Brussels with seven or eight children. They apply for council flats but appropriate flats usually do not exist.” Emphasising that he wasn’t targeting any specific community, he added that this is “a problem you will find just as much with Muslim families as with Jewish or Christian ones”. The population of Brussels, currently totalling 1.1 million, has grown by 16.6 percent over the past 10 years and is expected to reach 1.6 million by 2060.