By Meab McMahon &Alice Carnevalli
Release date
As of Saturday, December 20, the Brussels Capital Region, which governs the Belgian capital, has been without a government for 560 days.
Why are European Union (EU) capitals in this situation and what does it mean for nationals and foreign residents?
Brussels, my dear? We sit down with Euronews journalist and senior producer Lauren Walker to find out the answers to these questions and more.
Why is forming a Brussels government so complicated?
Belgium’s last local and federal elections took place in June 2024.
After negotiations in February 2025, a national federal government was officially established, and Flemish conservative leader Bart de Weber was appointed Prime Minister.
As for local elections, the developments were quite different. In July 2024, the French-speaking region of Wallonia was the first to form a government, followed by the Flemish-speaking region of Flanders in September 2024.
However, a coalition government has not yet been formed in Brussels, leaving the region without a government.
Mr Walker said this happened during the 2011 Belgian federal election, adding: “This actually breaks the previous record of 541 in the Guinness Book of World Records.”
One reason Brussels has a harder time forming a government than Wallonia or Flanders is that the Brussels-Capital region is bilingual, with both Francophone and Flemish parties.
“That makes it very complicated because the parties need to either get a majority in their respective languages or form a coalition government, so the Flemish-speaking side and the French-speaking side have to work together to form a government,” Walker explained.
What will be the impact on the residents of Brussels?
“People living in Brussels are very concerned,” Walker explained.
Particularly in recent months, protests have piled up across the Belgian capital.
The absence of government affects many sectors of the economy and society.
“This is very worrying for organizations that are trying to help homeless people, for example, because social support organizations are losing their grants,” Walker explained.
Other effects, such as construction work postponed or delayed due to lack of funding, are more pronounced among those less invested in political debate.
According to Walker, the situation has not yet had a major impact on EU institutions or the people who work there, but if the situation persists it could have an impact on the EU’s public image.
“I think that not taking responsibility for forming a government would not only be damaging to the people of Brussels, but it would also be very damaging to its international reputation,” Walker explained.
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Additional sources of information • Georgis Leivaditis, sound editor and mixer.
