The Belgian capital still doesn’t have a regional government more than six months after an election.
Last call’s come early.
Brussels’ beloved guinguettes — the pop-up bars and cafés that appear in parks during the spring and summer months — could be under threat this year due to the city’s political deadlock.
The Belgian capital still doesn’t have a regional government more than six months after an election, with parties unable to agree on forming a coalition.
And with the caretaker government unable to publish tenders to recruit vendors, Brussels’ guinguettes could be on the chopping block, according to Belgium’s French-speaking public broadcaster RTBF.
“We need to do it now, otherwise it will be too late,” said Brussels’ outgoing Environment Minister Alain Maron, referring to the process of hiring vendors to run the pop-up establishments.
“We are going to do everything we can to ensure that they are in the parks at the end of April, beginning of May,” he added. “Because it is an inexpensive policy that keeps the parks alive and creates jobs. We cannot take a policy that benefits the people of Brussels hostage under the cover of current affairs.”
Belgium’s devolved system of governance means its three regions — French-speaking Wallonia in the south, Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north and Brussels sandwiched between them — each have a government separate from Belgium’s national government.
Wallonia and Flanders both formed new governments last year but talks on a Brussels regional government have stalled, threatening funding for some of the city’s projects and local organizations.
