The French-speaking Community Parliament, officially known as the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, approved major austerity plans for education during a 14-hour marathon session overnight.
The parliament approved the plan following fierce protests over the past few months. The measures include 10% more teaching time for upper secondary school teachers without salary compensation, a stricter sick leave regime for permanent staff, and tighter rules for the end of teachers' careers.
Tuition fees can also be increased to €1,194 for 58% of higher education students starting next academic year. The vote took place after a plenary session marked by heated discussions between the majority and the opposition. A few students seated in the public gallery disrupted the debate.
Students gather for a protest action against the education decree, at the Central Station in Brussels on Thursday, 4 June 2026. Credit: Belga/Merlin Brohez
The approved measures are part of a comprehensive austerity plan announced last year by the French-speaking Community Government to reduce its chronic deficit. The plan is expected to yield savings of approximately €500 million by 2029 on a total budget of around €15 billion.
Thousands of students joined a protest in Brussels to demonstrate against the education reforms on Thursday. Vandalism and violent clashes during the protest led to around 10 arrests.
The majority coalition, made up of the French-speaking liberals MR and French-speaking centrists Les Engagés, voted in favour of the measures, while the opposition voted against.
