Brussels' cultural scene suffering from lack of regional government

Government inaction in the Brussels region of Belgium is causing financial insecurity for the cultural sector. 

The Brussels region has been operating under a caretaker government for the last 18 months after ministers from 14 separate parties have failed to form a coalition to achieve a majority in the parliament. 

On the first of December, the Brussels region broke the world record for the longest time without a government. It has now been 555 days, and the elected representatives still haven’t decided on a coalition. 

The previous record was set by Belgium’s federal government between 2010 and 2011. It then took 541 days to form a government.

The arts and cultural sector in Brussels relies on government funding and subsidies to stay afloat. Without support from the region, many associations will have to let staff members go, and staple cultural events in the city will be or have already been cancelled.

Some places even had to close, and most have had to change their strategy to survive.

It is what the Halles Saint-Géry did, an emblematic cultural place in Brussels. It is a former inside market now transformed into an exhibition centre. Part of its identity is to be free and accessible for all. 

Its Director, Lucile de Calan, explains how it has been affected by the political crisis.

“In May 2025, we were told that our subsidy would be reduced by 15 per cent. This is a lot, in fact, for a small association like ours, because we have very little room for manoeuvre to stop certain activities or to ask ourselves how we could reduce costs, etc, “ she says.

Later in the year, they found out the subsidies would actually be reduced by 25 per cent, forcing the organisation into debt. It was then already November and most of the yearly budget had already been spent.

“Every day, I ask myself, do I have to lay off my staff? Do I have to lay myself off? What news will I get tomorrow?”

In order to survive, an exhibition had to be cancelled, but there remains greater fear for the long-term future of les Halles.

“Our idea is to return to the original identity of Les Halles, which was a covered market where vegetables, meat, eggs, etc. were sold… That way, we can bring in rental income that allows us to pay our own rent.”

The Halles Saint-Géry could also start working with more private partners, neglecting the artists and the original aims to support the artists. 

That would also mean letting go of their tradition to have a different theme every year. The association has been educating people on a set artistic movement, offering a continuity in its exhibitions that it may now lose.

Aside from the Halles, this organisation also manages an Art Nouveau hotel, which could become a larger part of their work as it is more profit-oriented.

“It's actually a cultural offering that's a bit more upper-class. Not everyone is going to visit an Art Nouveau building like that,” Ms De Calan says.

It also means that access to cultural events will decrease, as many free events and museums exist thanks to the support of the region.

People in lower socio-economic brackets are already struggling with living costs. They cannot afford to pay to attend cultural events that used to be free. Without regional funding for culture, it is very likely that those people won’t have access to culture anymore

Fionn Perry is the cofounder and director of a cultural association in Brussels called Les Voyageurs sans Bagages (voyagers without baggage). As well as putting on theatre shows and plays, they also organise and run a festival every year since 2022. 

Be-equal is a free, three-day festival that promotes diversity and inclusivity. They have approximately 4500 visitors every year, and it costs around 100,000€ to host.

This year the association ran the festival without any guarantee that they would receive funding for it afterwards. It was a huge risk. And they got lucky because the caretaker government was able to approve their grant request and eventually get the money they needed to pay for it. 

Before they got confirmation that they would receive money from the region, they were relying on loans from friends and other associations, plus funding from other festival partners and sponsors. 

Some artists had also agreed on being paid later, understanding that this was a complex and unprecedented situation.

It’s unclear at this stage whether the festival will go ahead next year as “most of our payments come from the region,” Mr Perry says. “Concept number one of the festival is that it’s free.”

Mr Perry says he hopes that a government is formed soon “because it’s a super insecure time for all the actors”.

Amongst other affected organisations is Zinneke, most famous for a biennial parade that champions Brussels’ youths that has been going on for 25 years. 

To ensure that the parade happens next year, Zinneke is asking for donations due to “the uncertainty surrounding public funding” and says that “sponsorship is more vital than ever”.

Without donations the parade cannot go ahead. 

There is no knowing how long it will take for the government to form as the parties elected don’t seem to be any closer to forming a coalition now than they were 18 months ago. 

This situation is not only putting organisations at risk, but also the individual artists and performers who rely on unemployment benefits. 

In Belgium there is something called the Art Work Certificate (AWC). 

Due to the unreliable nature of work for most artists, this benefit allows them to keep pursuing work and projects in their field. Instead of having to apply for regular unemployment benefits when they are between jobs/contracts, they can simply apply for the AWC which will provide them with a steady income when their contracts end. 

The Brussels region is responsible for financing subsidised jobs, which concerns most jobs in the cultural scene and those who are receiving benefits through the AWC. 

If the current political standstill in the Brussels region remains unsolved, tens of thousands of Brussels residents are at risk of losing their unemployment benefits and therefore their social security. 

Dr Caroline Sagesser is a Political Science Researcher at CRISP (the centre of research for political sciences) in Brussels. She believes that even though the process of forming a government in the Brussels region is quite complex, it is not the only reason for this crisis. 

“It's a conjunction of the system, it's difficult, and then the political actors are not making the efforts necessary to make the system work,” she says. 

On average, it takes 28 days to form a government in a European country. According to a study by Thomas M Meyer and Alejandro Ecker, two professors of political science at the University of Vienna, average bargaining times can go from 2 days in France to 200 days in the Netherlands. Belgium usually takes around 49 days to form a government. 

Dr Sagesser says that Brussels residents should be far more worried about the current political situation in their city than they are at the moment. 

“If they were noticing it more, they might come down in the street and request the government,” she says. 

However, it would be wrong to say no one is worrying. A protest was held the day the world record for longest time with no full power government was broken. 

People from all over Brussels gathered to demand action from the elected representatives. Speeches were delivered, conveying the frustration amongst Brusselians. 

Paul Neils has been a Brussels resident for more than twenty years and was one of the protest attendees. He says that the politicians are losing the respect of the Brussels residents, the people who elected them. 

“For 541 days they haven’t taken any serious action to put in place a government. They have a lot of egos and it’s time that they take action,” he says. 

“Brussels deserves better” and “end the political recess” were the statements chanted by the crowd as they compared this political crisis to a long vacation for the politicians. 

Nick De Pauw is another Brussels resident among the protestors. He says he is “tired of waiting for a government”. 

“It’s a bit of a disaster, so it just keeps dragging on and on,” he says. 

The process of forming a government in Brussels is quite complicated, as it requires a double majority. The absence of a national party forces the French and the Dutch speaking sides to form a coalition simultaneously. 

This is what couldn’t be achieved in the last year and a half. 

Dr Sagesser says “There is no mechanism to force people to form government and until now, we hadn’t needed it.” 

In theory, Brussels could be without a government for the whole length of this government’s term. That means for years with a caretaker government. 

And the cultural sector is not the only one facing these consequences. If the lack of government persists, it could lead to people losing their unemployment benefits. 

According to Actiris, there are currently more than 45,000 people in Brussels depending on those and who risk losing their monthly income. 

Mobility could also be reduced, as there is no government to vote on necessary road works. That also means no extension of funding for current infrastructure projects.

Another long-term consequence of the lack of government for the Brussels region could be a potential takeover by the federal government of the region. 

Dr Sagesser says that the federal government doesn’t want to give too much autonomy to Brussels because they have “additional motivation” not to. 

“Brussels will be run by left-wing people, who will have a communitarian, multicultural policy, and this is not what they want,” she says. 

Furthermore, the absence of government means that the financial deficit of Brussels is going up. The state owned bank, Belfius, has already pulled out from funding Brussels in its next budget and others could follow. 

“Politicians need to take their responsibilities seriously. Unfortunately, when the voluntary sector, the cultural sector, the social sector, etc. suffers, basically what are they doing? They're putting people out of work, they're making people anxious and they're putting everyone out on the street,” Ms De Calan says.