The municipal council of Charleroi approved an amendment on Monday evening that will allow the Bois du Cazier association to compensate for subsidy cuts and even turn a profit.
The amendment concerns the Glass Museum, which has been housed free of charge at Bois du Cazier for several years. Bois du Cazier is owned by the Walloon Region, and under the new agreement, Charleroi must now pay a monthly rent of €4,375, totalling over €52,000 annually.
Charleroi is trying to cut costs amid budgetary struggles. As part of the Oxygen Plan, designed to aid 27 Walloon municipalities in financial difficulty, the city is reducing subsidies for local associations by 15% in 2025 and 25% in 2026.
However, this amendment allows Bois du Cazier to offset those reductions and make a profit of around €5,000, in stark contrast to other associations facing budget cuts.
Councillor Nicolas Tzanetatos of the MR party expressed skepticism ahead of the council meeting.
"In the current financial climate, it’s surprising to see the city agreeing so easily to such changes in the occupancy terms. I can only suspect pressure happening behind the scenes," referencing the alleged influence of former official Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe.
The city defended the amendment, stating that some of the original subsidy to Bois du Cazier essentially functioned as "implicit rent" and that no alternative accommodation for the Glass Museum is currently available.
