The PS is crying scandal over the Cold Weather Plan… Yet at this stage no official decision has been taken by Minister Van Bossuyt. In fact, this competence was in any case transferred to the Regions during the 6th State Reform, under the Government of Elio Di Rupo. It is therefore a so-called “usurped” competence. The PS forgets that it is itself behind this transfer of powers and is spreading false information. If the Minister confirms this intention, the Walloon Government, under Minister-President Adrien Dolimont, will assume its responsibilities and commit to taking over the €130,000 funding of this policy for the two Walloon cities concerned, Charleroi and Liège.
Once again, the Socialist Party is expressing outrage and crying scandal, accusing the federal government of “abandoning” the most vulnerable by cutting funding for the Cold Weather Plan. But behind these slogans lies a much simpler reality: this matter has fallen under the Regions since the 6th State Reform, led by a socialist Prime Minister, Elio Di Rupo. To speak of federal disengagement is therefore to distort the truth. Our role, as the MR, is to set the record straight, clearly explain the history and division of powers, and show that the PS is spreading fake news to mask its own past political choices.
- The PS is denouncing the end of the federal subsidy (€65,000 per major city) for winter shelters, accusing the government of “abandoning” the homeless. This is false.
- At this stage, no official decision has been taken by Minister Van Bossuyt. It may be that, in time, the federal government will confirm the abolition of this so-called “usurped” competence, transferred to the Regions during the 6th State Reform under the government of Elio Di Rupo (2011-2014). The powers, budgets and resources were transferred, and the federal government was merely providing a symbolic top-up, which the Finance Inspectorate itself deemed inconsistent. Accusing the federal government of disengagement is therefore fake news: the PS is mainly trying to make people forget that it is itself behind this transfer of powers.
- In any case, if the federal government were to abolish this subsidy, Wallonia would take over, for the same amounts (€65,000 for Charleroi and €65,000 for Liège), the policy that the federal government would otherwise abandon.
1. The precise facts
The press reported that Minister Van Bossuyt (responsible for Social Integration and Major Cities Policy) plans to abolish the federal subsidy granted for several years to five major cities (Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Liège, Charleroi). This involved an annual amount of around €65,000 per city, intended to boost winter shelter capacity under the Cold Weather Plan. This abolition would take effect from the winter of 2025-2026. At this stage, no official decision has been taken by Minister Van Bossuyt.
If this were indeed the case, it would be justified by the fact that this competence has been regionalised since 2014. Moreover, the Finance Inspectorate has for several years pointed out that winter shelter provision falls under the responsibility of local authorities and the Regions, and that the federal subsidy was merely optional, one-off support.
Les Engagés criticised the abolition but acknowledged that the competence had indeed been transferred to the Regions. The PS, for its part, immediately demanded the suspension of the measure and the convening of an inter-ministerial conference. But this rhetoric ignores the legal and institutional reality.
2. The competence: what the law and history say
The fight against homelessness and major cities policy were regionalised during the 6th State Reform, negotiated between 2011 and 2014 and enacted under the Di Rupo government. This reform transferred nearly €17 billion in powers and resources to the federated entities. These competences explicitly included major cities policy and support for homeless people.
A cooperation agreement was signed on 12 May 2014 between the federal government, the Regions and the Communities to frame the fight against homelessness and organise the division of roles. The agreement confirms that operational implementation falls to the Regions and local authorities (notably the CPAS), while the federal government may occasionally support certain initiatives. In 2024, this agreement was updated, reinforcing the cooperative approach while confirming the Regions' primary role.
In Wallonia, the Cold Weather Plan is an official regional scheme: it is coordinated by regional services and implemented by CPAS and local associations. Wallonia's official portal explains this very clearly. The competence is therefore unambiguous. The federal subsidy now being abolished was merely a symbolic, residual top-up.
3. Where is the PS's fake news?
The PS is trying to suggest that the federal government is abandoning a competence that would still be its responsibility. That is untrue. Since 2014, the Regions have received not only the competence but also the financial and human resources to organise winter shelter arrangements. Talking about federal disengagement is therefore entirely misleading. What the PS is denouncing today is the direct consequence of a State reform of which it is itself the author. It was under the leadership of Elio Di Rupo, then Prime Minister, that the competence was transferred to the Regions. Accusing the federal government today amounts to pretending to have forgotten this historical and institutional reality.
4. Mini FAQ
- Q: Is the federal government cutting humanitarian aid?
A: No. It is ending an optional subsidy in a matter that has been regionalised for more than ten years. - Q: Who should fund the extra beds?
A: The Regions and the municipalities, as provided for since the 6th reform. - Q: What does the MR propose?
A: Maintaining continuity of shelter provision through regional budgets: not a single bed lost this winter.
5. Conclusion
The abolition of federal funding is not an abandonment but compliance with the division of powers as defined under the Di Rupo government. This is a reform that the PS itself wanted and voted for, and for which it took responsibility at the time. Today, the socialists are crying scandal to mask their own choices and are misleading the public. The MR, for its part, stands by the truth: the Regions must take responsibility and ensure that no one sleeps outside this winter. We want structural solutions, not political point-scoring.