A special commission set up to examine the management of Brussels’ Metro 3 project on Thursday approved a series of findings and 22 recommendations aimed at tightening oversight of major infrastructure schemes.
The package was adopted at the commission’s 26th meeting by nine votes in favour - all from the majority - with four votes against, from Ecolo and the Belgian Workers Party (PTB), and two abstentions from Team Fouad Ahidar.
The findings and recommendations will now be submitted to the regional parliament in plenary session on 16 or 17 July, depending on a decision by the assembly’s bureau.
Strengthening preparatory work around six themes
Overall, the recommendations focus on strengthening preparatory work before launching large-scale projects.
They are organised around six themes: governance; the quality of studies and environmental impact; management of technical risks and budget sustainability; the legal framework and financing; local impact; and the conditions required to complete the Metro 3 project.
With regard to the immediate transport response, the commission backed the approach set out in the regional policy declaration of the Government of Brussels. To address network congestion quickly, it recommends continuing infrastructure works on the Constitution Hub Tunnel, bringing it into service as a tramway, and publishing a clear timetable for the rapid rollout of that solution.
A single lead authority for each megaproject
In the same vein, the commission called for a reassessment of the usefulness, technical feasibility and financial sustainability of extending the metro line from Gare du Nord to Bordet, before any decision is taken on whether to continue. In the meantime, it said, surface transport should be strengthened, particularly on the Evere–Northern Quarter axis.
This should be done by developing effective tram solutions in the short term, in consultation with the municipalities concerned, the commission noted.
Its first recommendation calls for a single authority to lead any major regional infrastructure project, with full responsibility and decision-making powers concentrated within a single administration. That structure would be headed by a clearly identified project director accountable to the regional government and parliament.
Greater accountability through mandatory reporting and early warning
The commission also wants stronger transparency and accountability through mandatory reporting and an early warning mechanism.
Under its proposal, the project's administration should immediately report any major technical, budgetary or feasibility risk to the government via a steering committee which, it says, should systematically be set up for this kind of project.
Another recommendation is that decisions should be based on complete and objective analysis, including a rigorous comparison of alternatives that takes economic, technical, environmental and operational factors into account.
To prevent conflicts of interest, the commission also called for a strict separation between opportunity studies and feasibility or implementation work.
Risk provisions based on objective analyses, not fixed percentages
It noted that environmental impact assessments and the effects on heritage should be examined before strategic decisions are taken.
It also recommended that no construction contract should be awarded until geotechnical, topographical, heritage and environmental studies have been completed.
More broadly, the commission said, major infrastructure projects should include risk provisions based on an objective analysis of technical uncertainties rather than a fixed percentage.
Speeding up the permit process
Where a project faces major geological, heritage or construction risks, it said the precautionary principle should lead to a stronger budget reserve.
The Commission's majority members argued further that collaborative contract models should be systematically examined in order to share risks more effectively between the contracting authority and companies, and to make public tenders for complex infrastructure more attractive.
On planning rules, the commission called for legislation to create a specific legal framework that would speed up permit applications, reduce constraints and limit blocking appeals for projects of this scale and public importance.
All stakeholders' requests to be handled during a formal consultation phase
On local impact, it said requests from associations, traders, residents and other stakeholders should no longer be handled piecemeal over time. Instead, it wants a formal consultation phase during the public inquiry, with all requests for changes submitted within a set deadline.
At the end of that period, the requests should be assessed together on the basis of their added value and their impact on costs, timelines and technical risks.
Finally, the commission called for a one-stop support service for local stakeholders, with a single contact point to ensure binding response times, individual case follow-up and effective coordination between the various administrations involved.
