The 2025 budget of the City of Brussels and its CPAS have been finalised and voted by the new majority. Significant savings are being made. We are talking about €100 million out of a €1.2 billion budget for the city and €25 million out of a €500 million budget for the CPAS. The Liberals wanted every public euro to be spent intelligently and with much greater discipline.
Despite a tight budgetary context, no new tax has been imposed on citizens. Even better: 6 taxes have been scrapped, a sign of commitment to more responsible management,” insists David Weytsman, President of the Brussels CPAS.
A significant effort was demanded of all departments. The city is cutting operating costs, ending non‑priority spending and strictly limiting staff recruitment. Subsidies are being cut by 20%, favouring efficiency over scattering resources. This is a budget of discipline and recovery: 60% of the effort focuses on reducing spending, 20% on optimising existing revenue, and 20% on targeted exceptional operations.
“Every euro is now spent with rigour, because we owe accountability to those who fund the community: taxpayers. Restoring the finances is a duty, not only for the administration, but also for the people of Brussels who work, who pay, and who rightly expect their money to be respected.”
Another essential point for the Liberals: the merger between the city and the CPAS. This reform is based on the principle that public money must be managed with the same rigour as private money.
The aim is threefold: to optimise human and material resources, reduce operating costs and strengthen the quality of service to citizens through more efficient organisation. The first mergers have begun with cross‑cutting functions (logistics, IT, human resources), and this process will continue.
Another priority for us: several streets and filters have been reopened. Brussels city centre is gradually becoming more accessible for all modes of transport. In the north, new parking projects are under study. Furthermore, for years, shopkeepers and residents have complained that paid parking ran too late, harming neighbourhood life and small local businesses. We listened to these requests. From now on, parking meters will switch off at 7pm in residential areas, instead of 9pm today.
At the same time, the number of visitor tickets is being doubled, from 10 to 20, and free parking time is being extended to 20 minutes. It's a start, a common‑sense measure that makes daily life easier!