Political parties in Belgium received a combined €86.5 million in public subsidies last year, almost €3 million more than in 2024, according to an analysis of all party accounts reported by Het Nieuwsblad.
The newspaper said total subsidies rose from €83.7 million in 2024 to €86.5 million last year. The report was also carried by Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Belang van Limburg.
The increase is notable because the federal government had promised last year to freeze party funding and not index the amounts until 2029, a measure intended to save €5 million.
Herman Matthijs, a lecturer in public finance and expert with parliament’s oversight committee, told Het Nieuwsblad that another factor was driving the rise.
He said party funding is calculated on the basis of the number of voters, and there were more voters in the June 2024 elections than in 2019.
As a result, the overall amount of public funding increased. The effect was already visible in the second half of 2024 and continued in full last year.
The overall rise did not mean every party received more money in 2025.
Parties including Anders, Groen, Ecolo and CD&V, which won fewer votes in the 2024 elections than in 2019, saw their subsidies fall last year.
