Budget management: Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia in crisis
Regional budget regime after June 2024 elections
| Entity | Value | Date |
|---|---|---|
| BXL | Provisional twelfths (7th consecutive quarter) | 1 February 2026 |
| VLA | 2025 budget voted, 2026 budget in preparation | 1 February 2026 |
| WAL | 2025 budget voted (Dec. 2025), provisional twelfths Jan-Nov 2025 | 1 February 2026 |
| BXL | Estimated structural deficit: ~1.241 billion EUR | 31 December 2025 |
| VLA | Estimated structural deficit: ~2.1 billion EUR | 31 December 2025 |
| WAL | Estimated structural deficit: ~1.8 billion EUR | 31 December 2025 |
Methodology
Comparison of the official budget status of each Region on the same date (February 2026), based on parliamentary documents and Court of Audit reports. Deficit figures are drawn from NBB and Court of Audit estimates.
Comparability limitations
Deficit figures are NBB/Court of Audit estimates using slightly different methodologies per Region. Direct comparison of absolute amounts is delicate as regional budgets do not cover the same scope of competences.
Context
The regional and federal elections of 9 June 2024 opened a period of government formation in all three Regions. The speed of formation directly determined each Region's ability to adopt a full budget.
Brussels-Capital: the budget deadlock
The Brussels-Capital Region still has no fully empowered government as of February 2026. The outgoing government manages current affairs, and the Brussels Parliament has been voting quarterly provisional appropriation ordinances (provisional twelfths) since July 2024.
Concrete consequences:
- No new investment can be launched
- Subsidies and multi-year agreements reaching expiry cannot be renewed
- Cumulative inflation (~6% over two years) erodes the real value of expenditure
Flanders: swift return to budget normality
The Flemish government was formed in October 2024, approximately four months after the elections. The Flemish Parliament voted the 2025 budget within the usual timeframe, allowing investments and regional policies to continue without significant interruption.
Wallonia: delayed recovery
The Walloon Region experienced a longer formation than Flanders, with a regional government installed in February 2025, approximately eight months after the elections. The Region operated on provisional twelfths for nearly a year but was able to vote its 2025 budget in December 2025, ending the provisional regime.
What the comparison reveals
The divergence between the three Regions illustrates a phenomenon specific to Brussels: institutional complexity (linguistic balances, number of parties needed to form a majority) considerably lengthens the formation process. While Flanders and Wallonia have returned to normal budget operations, Brussels remains in an exceptional regime that limits its capacity to act.
Sources
- Court of Audit, 30th Book of Observations to the Brussels Parliament (November 2025)
- Flemish Parliament, 2025 budget documents
- Walloon Parliament, 2025 budget ordinance (December 2025)
- NBB, Regional flows and (im)balances (October 2025)
Source: Court of Audit of Belgium — Regional reports 2025
Last updated: 7 February 2026