Brussels Finance Minister Sven Gatz (Open VLD) wants to have the possible appeal by Environment Minister Alain Maron (Ecolo) declared void at the next Brussels Council of Ministers, Gatz wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Rudi Vervoort (PS) on Friday.
At Thursday's Brussels Council of Ministers, the Brussels Government's appeal against Brussels Airport's new environmental permit was on the agenda. While the appeal was not approved because of Gatz's obstruction, Maron announced that he himself would appeal against the environmental permit granted by Flanders to the airport in Zaventem.
According to Gatz, however, Maron cannot do that.
'Legally defect'
"Given the rules of the Brussels Government, this is not possible; the Brussels Government can authorise delegation to competent ministers, but with the clear exception of decisions on such appeals," Gatz wrote in the letter, that Belga News Agency was able to view.
"I therefore wish to that this possible decision by my colleague is made void," he said, citing three reasons for his decision: Maron's appeal is "legally defect," it is not politically covered by the full government deciding by consensus, and it undermines the credibility of the Brussels government because every minister has to "legally and deontologically abide by the rules and by the law."
Reacting to Belga News Agency, Maron made it clear that he does not share his colleague Gatz's legal analysis and will discuss the note that Gatz put on the table with the lawyers who have been assisting him for years in legal issues about flights over Brussels.
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Maron regrets that Open VLD in the Brussels Government "seeks all means to weaken the protection of sleep and the health of Brussels residents by deviating from the Brussels consensus that has long prevailed on this issue."
He also pointed out that the demands that the Brussels Government has endorsed several times on its proposal have a very broad consensus, and that the 19 municipalities have unanimously asked the government to file an appeal. These requests must be heeded, Maron believes.
