Debate begins on funding of Flemish community in Brussels

The Flemish minister for Brussels affairs has launched a debate about the future of the financial support Flanders gives to the Flemish community in the capital, known as the Brussels norm. Sven Gatz (pictured) presented the current situation last week to his government colleagues.

According to the latest figures, Flanders paid €883 million to the Flemish community in 2015, for all the areas where Flanders has responsibility, including education, culture, youth matters, sport and mobility.

The Brussels norm, introduced in 1999, states that 5% of Flemish resources should go to Brussels, in order to reach one-third of the Brussels population, although the Dutch-speaking population is far smaller. At the time, the population of Brussels was under one million then but is closer to 1.2 million now. That is ahead of the population increase in Flanders, mainly as a result of immigration from new EU countries and elsewhere.

The funding must therefore be reviewed, Gatz said. “The result is that the number of people who might be encouraged to opt for Dutch-language education has increased substantially compared to 20 years ago. That’s why it’s important to keep talking about the Brussels norm,” he said.

Now that clear figures on the financial contributions from Flanders to Brussels are available, he said, “we have a good basis on which to evaluate the situation and to decide if things have to be adjusted”.

Photo: Aaron Lapierre/Sven Gatz