The city of Genk has announced plans to take legal action in the Constitutional Court if the Chamber of Representatives approves a bill that grants extra financial support only to the ten largest cities for covering their municipal pension costs, Mayor Wim Dries (CD&V) stated on Monday’s broadcast of De Ochtend.
Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s government pledged to ease the pension cost burden for local authorities upon taking office, yet budget constraints have limited the funds to €75 million by 2027, increasing to €125 million by 2029, according to a report by De Standaard on Monday, while a parliamentary vote on the bill is expected in the autumn.
The government’s proposal focuses on aiding larger cities that face higher salary and pension costs, setting the threshold at 100,000 residents, benefiting only the cities of Antwerp, Ghent, Brugge, and Leuven in Flanders, with Schaerbeek, Anderlecht, Brussels, Charleroi, Liège, and Namur included elsewhere in the country.
“If this law is passed, we will go to the Constitutional Court,” responded Dries on De Ochtend. The mayor of Genk, who also chairs the Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities, argues it is “unfair” to provide additional funds to only a few cities while other municipalities bear similar rising pension costs.
Dries criticizes the 100,000-resident threshold as “an odd parameter,” noting that other cities and towns actually pay more per resident. He believes this violates the principle of equality and is bolstered by a critical opinion from the Council of State.
