Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt, from the Groen party, refuses to scrap the Good Move mobility program despite opposition, emphasizing its importance for a greener city. Coalition discussions ensue amid divergent views.
Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt, leader of the Groen party rejected scrapping the Good Move mobility program– despite this being a fundamental policy that the majority party MR wants to challenge.
Will the Groen Party’s Victory Secure Good Move’s Future?
Van den Brandt’s party succeeded the elections on the Dutch-speaking side in Brussels, with 22.8% of votes. Their victory was partly due to the Good Move plan, which Van den Brandt headed across the Capital Region. “We already acquired a large share of the votes in 2019, but now we doubled that score,” Van den Brandt’s spokesperson Litte Frooninckx, said. “The voters gave us a clear mandate for Good Move.”
Frooninckx clarified that forming a majority on the Dutch-speaking side of the Brussels Government is inconceivable without Groen, and the party will not abandon Good Move. “It is more than traffic circulation plans. It also includes more cycling lanes, more trees… Sunday has shown that Brussels residents want a greener city, a city that breathes.”
In the Francophone part of Brussels, however, the liberal MR party achieved the most votes – putting it in charge of discussions to form a coalition on the French-speaking side. Importantly, the party has largely concentrated its regional campaign on scrapping the Good Move plan.
“Whether MR likes it or not, I am the largest Flemish party (in Brussels) and I cannot be ignored,” Van den Brandt stated, pointing out the need in Brussels to form a double prevalence of both French-speaking and Flemish-speaking MPs to create a regional government.
Will Coalition Talks Determine Good Move’s Fate?
Still, she revealed herself to be open to discussion with the Brussels MR party, stressing that Brussels’ MR supports the objectives of the Good Move but takes problems with some of the project details and implementation.
Interviewed on VRT on Tuesday evening, the head of Brussels MR David Leisterh had altered his tune on the topic after the elections. “The goals are good: fewer traffic jams, better air quality, more public transport. But Good Move ‘as such’ is getting a lot of resistance in certain districts. Mobility policy therefore needs to change.”
In terms of coalition discussions to form the Dutch-speaking majority, Van den Brandt’s spokesperson assured that Groen is organising talks with all parties, from extensive to small. “At the moment, we are not remarking on the course of these talks and guarantee intention to come up with a coherent and powerful project for our city. The people of Brussels deserve that.
