The City of Brussels commune approved plans on Monday evening to merge several public hospitals with Erasme under the new “Brussels University Hospitals” label.
The governing majority, along with the Green opposition and Team Fouad Ahidar, backed the proposal.
Etterbeek municipal council also approved the hospital merger unanimously on Monday evening.
The plan still requires approval from the councils of Ixelles, Anderlecht and Saint-Gilles, as well as from the board of the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB).
Erasme, Bordet, Saint-Pierre, the Children’s Hospital and Iris Sud want to join forces to create Brussels University Hospitals from 1 January 2027. The group would become Belgium’s second-largest hospital network after Antwerp’s Ziekenhuis aan de Stroom (ZAS).
City of Brussels mayor Philippe Close (PS) said that from January 2027, the new structure would pool medical expertise, technical platforms, research, equipment and investment capacity.
He said Bordet is an international reference in oncology, Saint-Pierre is known for infectious diseases and major trauma care, Erasme is one of the country’s leading university hospitals, the Children’s Hospital is a benchmark in paediatrics, and Iris Sud brings strong local roots and expertise across several sites.
Close described the project as one of the most significant moments in recent years in the history of Brussels hospitals.
With consolidated turnover of about €1.5 billion, the plan aims to reduce the deficit from roughly €25.1 million in the 2026 budget to €15.2 million in 2027 and €3.8 million in 2028.
The stated goal is to achieve a structural balance from 1 January 2030.
The savings are intended to free up funds for investment, with the plan providing for €64 million in annual spending.
