The Brussels Parliament will hold an extraordinary plenary session on Friday at 9:30 a.m. to replace Finance Minister Sven Gatz (Open VLD) with party colleague Dirk De Smedt.
This was announced on Thursday by Assembly President Bertin Mampaka (MR).
Gatz is stepping down due to recurring health problems. His successor has already secured support from a broad majority of 70 MPs and a majority in each linguistic group.
Special Metro3 commission
During Friday's session, a special commission is also to be set up to address the Metro 3 project.
All political groups represented in the broader Bureau, except PTB, endorse the creation of this commission. The PTB has advocated for a separate commission of inquiry.
The Metro 3 project has come under scrutiny following a provisional report by the Court of Audit.
The report highlighted a staggering increase in overall costs—up 255% between 2015 and 2024—and revealed a lack of transparency that hindered the audit process. It also criticised shortcomings involving the tunnel under the Palais du Midi and the management of contracts for transforming existing stations.
Flawed tender procedures
The report noted that there were “multiple dysfunctions” in tender procedures for the Bordet-Nord section.
At a mixed committee hearing on Monday, the Court of Audit pointed out missing documents from the STIB, insufficient preliminary studies, difficulties accessing budgetary information, and administrative failings in handling public contracts.
On Wednesday, the STIB transport company issued a statement addressing these concerns and expressing its openness to the creation of a special commission, which it views as an opportunity to “set the record straight regarding inaccurate and damaging claims.”
STIB denied media allegations that “thousands of documents” were not supplied to the Court of Audit, calling them baseless. It said such claims unfairly discredited a public company known for its integrity and transparency.
STIB wards off criticism
The company stated it had fully cooperated with the audit, providing more than 72,000 documents over two years. While some very old paper archives, dating back more than a decade, could not be retrieved, the missing files were far fewer than claimed. it added.
The STIB also contested statements made during the mixed committee hearing, including claims that no soil studies were conducted under the Palais du Midi, that Metro construction had stalled due to issues at the Gare du Nord, and that a Decathlon store in Evere was located at the proposed site of a future metro station.
According to the STIB, these remarks reflect a lack of understanding of the project and unfairly tarnish the reputation of an organisation experienced in managing large-scale initiatives.
The company emphasised that the Metro 3 initiative involves complex coordination among numerous parties, and criticism centred on a single actor overlooks this reality. It also clarified that it is solely responsible for the southern part of the project, which is “almost complete.”
