Things are once again over-reaching in the Brussels government. The bone of contention this time is the low-emission zone (LEZ), the measure that was introduced six years ago to gradually keep the most polluting cars off the congested roads in the capital.
According to the agreed schedule, the LEZ will become stricter again next year. From January 1, 2025, diesel cars with Euro standard 5 and petrol cars with Euro standard 2 are no longer welcome in the Brussels Region. These vehicles were first registered between 2011 and 2015. There are still around 850,000 of them on the Belgian road network, 32,000 of which belong to Brussels residents themselves.
But the government parties PS and Défi no longer have much interest in that measure. The French-speaking socialists in particular have fired sharply in recent days. Not only on the announced tightening itself, but also on coalition partner Ecolo. In particular, Alain Maron, Brussels Minister for the Environment for Ecolo, must pay the price.
“We think air quality in Brussels is very important, but we think it is just as important that the ecological transition takes place in a social way,” says Ridouane Chahid, leader of the PS group in the Brussels Parliament. “We have already asked Maron fifteen times what accompanying measures he provides for the thousands of Brussels residents who will soon no longer be allowed to drive around in their current car. He just doesn’t come up with proposals. Let us then postpone the tightening of the LEZ for a few years, just like in Antwerp. Brussels is not an island, it is always better to coordinate these types of measures with others.”
“Unbelievable U-turn”
Maron waves away that criticism. According to him, there is no shortage of accompanying measures. “We hand out premiums of up to 1,010 euros in mobility budget to Brussels residents who get rid of their car. Brussels companies can receive up to 16,000 euros per electric commercial vehicle they purchase. And there are free mobility coaches for those who want tailor-made advice,” he says. “At the same time, the Brussels government invests a fifth of its budget every year in even better public transport.”
Maron: “Every year, 7,000 Belgians die prematurely due to air pollution. Preventive measures are not only good for health, but also for social security. Asking to tinker with the LEZ a few weeks before the elections is a hardly credible U-turn by the socialists. Because it is the socialists themselves who approved the LEZ in 2017, then without a single green person in the government.”
The ecologist is supported by an open letter published on Sunday by De Morgen, Le Soir and The Guardian. In it, 140 scientists, experts and activists call on the Brussels government to take more measures. Research shows that the air quality in our capital remains dramatic. Of the more than 800 European cities surveyed, Brussels even ranks eighth in terms of emissions of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), a harmful gas emitted by combustion engines, among others.
The letter, an initiative of the Brussels non-profit organization Chercheurs d’Air, not only advocates maintaining the LEZ, but also for more car-free school streets, car-free neighborhoods and cycle paths. “The attempts by the PS and Défi to change the agreements made not only put public health at risk, but also show little political courage,” says Pierre Dornier, director of Chercheurs d’Air.
Relationships soured
Does the PS’s sudden resistance to the tightened LEZ stem from fear of the PTB/PVDA, as critics believe? The communists, who are rivaling the PS in the polls, even want to abolish the low-emission zone in Brussels. Chahid denies that: “Residents of deprived neighborhoods are excessively exposed to air pollution, so we share the scientists’ concerns. But the proposed solutions should not hit those who do not have the budget to buy a new car any harder than those who do. We do not want an ecologism that leaves a group to its fate.”
This makes it even more difficult to manage for the team of Brussels Prime Minister Rudi Vervoort (PS). Local socialist resistance to making some neighborhoods car-free has previously soured red-green relations. The ecologists, on the other hand, resisted Vervoort’s construction plans on the Josaphat site, a piece of nature in Schaerbeek, for almost the entire period of his reign. And at Défi they are also furious with the PS, because the latter party, fearing a renewed discussion about slaughter without stunning, postponed the new animal welfare code a few days ago.
