Belgium’s Federal Parliament is investigating how millions of funds allocated to the Brussels-Capital Region for security and prevention have been spent.
On Tuesday, the Home Affairs Committee agreed to question senior federal officials over concerns raised by MP Denis Ducarme (MR) about how Brussels spends its annual €55 million federal security and prevention funds. All of the political groups on the committee supported the hearings.
Ducarme's main concern is whether documents from the Finance Inspectorate show that all the money was spent in accordance with the objectives of the federal funding. He has insisted that officials, not politicians, should provide evidence of where the money was spent.
Some of the questioned expenses include €828,000 that was allocated for social housing, €3 million set aside for a cybersecurity centre that was reportedly never built and even a possible Disneyland trip. Concerns were also raised about how money was spent on Brussels public transport, personnel costs and waste collection.
Former Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort (PS) has publicly defended how the money was spent. Vervoort argued that the federal funding was never restricted to narrowly defined security measures. He said the funding also covers social cohesion and community initiatives meant to improve quality of life in Brussels.
Vervoort added that he cannot confirm that expenses like the Disneyland trip occurred, but if it did, he suggested it could’ve been part of activities organised by a local prevention association.
He also argued that the expenses shouldn’t be viewed individually. Instead, they should be viewed as part of broader prevention efforts.
A date for the hearings has not been announced.
