The right-wing party, N-VA, submitted a proposal to the Brussels Parliament to establish an investigative committee to examine the potential misuse of government funds and budgetary fraud related to the Brussels metro expansion.
The proposal comes in response to an article in The Brussels Times suggesting that European funds meant for the metro expansion may have been used to pay off old debts, contrary to the loan agreement.
Earlier this year, the Brussels Region received €175 million from the European Investment Bank and €75 million from the Development Bank of the Council of Europe, intended specifically for the metro expansion and public transport infrastructure improvements.
Instead of releasing the funds immediately to the STIB, the money appears to have been pooled with other liquid assets at the Federal Agency for Brussels Debt and used for general treasury operations. The Brussels Times cites the 2024 annual report from this agency, indicating that earmarked funds were mixed together. N-VA's Gilles Verstraeten suggested that banks and credit rating agencies were deliberately misled.
The urgent consideration of the proposal was rejected at the start of Thursday’s plenary session. Most political groups noted that Sven Gatz, the interim Minister of Budget and Finance, will address questions on the matter during the afternoon inquiry session.
Pascal Smet (Vooruit) cautioned against hastily employing the instrument of an investigative committee, while other groups indicated Gatz could provide further clarification in the Finance Committee on Monday.
However, Ahmed Laaouej (PS), Chair of the Finance Committee, seemed reluctant to convene a meeting of his committee. He urged the caretaker government to be allowed to carry out its duties.
Despite this, Benjamin Dalle (CD&V) had requested Laaouej to call the committee together on Monday, following the Budget Vigilance Committee’s ruling that a 2025 emergency budget was not feasible. Several parliamentarians insisted they have a right to further clarification as the summer recess approaches.
