The Parliament of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, also known as the Francophone Community, engaged in an overnight marathon discussion to examine a sweeping austerity plan proposed by the MR-Engagés government.
Over a roughly 20-hour session, opposition parties PS-PTB-Ecolo and Libres fiercely challenged the draft decree intended to implement cost-cutting measures announced last autumn by the coalition government to reduce the region’s deficit.
The government, led by Minister-President Elisabeth Degryse (Les Engagés), plans to raise tuition fees to €1,194 for 58% of higher education students, aiming to generate approximately €50 million.
Additional measures target compulsory education, including a 10% increase in the workload for upper secondary school teachers without any corresponding salary adjustment.
The measures also propose altering sick leave entitlements for tenured teachers and cutting budgets allocated to free school supplies and meal programmes.
Hundreds of students went to the Parliament of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation to attend the committee debates on the reform of tuition fees, on Monday 11 May 2026 in Brussels. Credit: Belga
According to Degryse, these structural changes are expected to lower the Federation’s chronic deficit from nearly €1.7 billion in 2023 to €1.2 billion by 2029.
The programme decree, comprising nearly 200 articles, was debated in the Higher Education Commission until 4 a.m. on Tuesday, with discussions in the Education Commission extending several hours longer.
Discussions resumed on Tuesday morning in other thematic commissions, including Childhood and Culture.
Delayed vote
Left-wing opposition parties introduced numerous amendments, with three, initiated by the PS, being referred to the legislative section of the Council of State. This referral delays a vote on the decree until the Council of State provides its opinion.
The Council of State has 30 days to issue a response, though the parliamentary president, Benoît Dispa (Engagés), could invoke urgency, reducing the timeframe to five days.
A spokesperson for Dispa confirmed on Tuesday that he intends to request an expedited review of the amendments.
The majority aims to adopt the decree in committee by 21 May, followed by a final plenary vote in early June, ensuring the measures take effect by the start of the next school year.
The Wallonia-Brussels Federation is the parliament for the Francophone community of Belgium; it oversees the cultural, educational, and social matters for French-speaking Belgians in Wallonia and Brussels.
