A new Brussels government has been formed, and Écolo has been sent back into opposition. Dirk De Smedt (Anders), the Brussels minister in charge of Public Service, has raised an important point dear to the PS in the government’s agenda. “I brought up this point because it’s the only mandate on which the previous government did not make a final decision,” said Dirk De Smedt, as reported by La Libre. “So, we will make a decision to avoid remaining in this legal vacuum. The point is on the government’s agenda for this Thursday.”
“This once again shows that the PS-Anders axis is stronger than ever. On certain decisions, it feels like there’s a third socialist minister within this executive,” said a source from Brussels, also mentioning the recent agreement on not collecting fines for low emission zones (Lez).
There aren’t many options to solve the issue, confirmed Dirk De Smedt’s entourage, who deny any deal with the PS: either one of the winners of the competition is appointed (not necessarily Marie-Pierre Fauconnier), or the procedure needs to be canceled and restarted.
According to a Brussels MP, the new government wants to move quickly and the PS aims to gain control of the Energy (Note: Brussels Environment handles energy in the Brussels-Capital Region), currently overseen by the MR party, which lacks experience to fully grasp it (Note: Audrey Henry is the new State Secretary for Energy). With Marie-Pierre Fauconnier, the socialists would have a real ‘warrior’ to defend their positions.
However, a major obstacle remains as Groen, the Dutch-speaking counterpart of Écolo, remains very reluctant.
A growing PS-Anders axis
“Marie-Pierre Fauconnier topped the selection by a large margin, ahead of a green candidate. Any other appointment would risk being overturned by the Council of State,” argue her supporters.
The former deputy chief of staff to Laurette Onkelinx, described as a “contest beast” with undeniable technical skills, has significant support. In 2022, Rudi Vervoort, then Minister-President, refused to pronounce a “civil death” against her.
Will this case turn into a new crisis? A political resolution is not out of the question. To secure this nomination, the PS will likely need to compromise on other issues with Groen and MR. As summarized by David Leisterh in La DH on Saturday: “Ahmed Laaouej is a dealmaker. That’s how he operates.
