Brussels, 25 September, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Belgium’s Federal Parliament is moving ahead with hearings into Brussels security spending after MPs raised questions about how part of an annual €55 million federal security and prevention allocation was used. The Chamber’s Home Affairs Committee formally considered an MR request for hearings on 22 September, with officials expected to be questioned over the expenditure.
MPs scrutinise annual €55m Brussels security fund
The federal government provides Brussels with €55 million each year in connection with security surrounding European summits and the capital’s international role. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin confirmed in Parliament that €35 million goes directly to Brussels police zones, while €20 million is allocated to municipalities.
MR MP Denis Ducarme raised questions about several expenditures. He cited correspondence concerning €2.28 million linked to a cybersecurity centre that was never established. Other questioned expenditure includes €828,000 provided to the Brussels social housing body in 2020, alongside money linked to public transport, municipal costs and prevention programmes.
The parliamentary process has not established criminal wrongdoing or determined that the expenditure was unlawful. The hearings are intended to establish what happened to the money and whether spending complied with the purposes of the federal allocation.
Quintin raises concerns over federal oversight
The investigation has also focused attention on how Brussels security spending has been supervised since the funding mechanism changed.
Quintin said the money has been classified as an allocation rather than a subsidy since 2017, reducing the Interior Minister’s direct oversight.
“Since 2017, it is no longer a subsidy, but an allocation,” Quintin said. He added that the Interior Minister therefore no longer has direct visibility over its use, saying: “I regret that.”
Quintin has requested a report from the relevant services on how the federal money has been spent.
Vervoort defends prevention projects
Former Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort has rejected claims that the disputed expenditure demonstrates improper use of the funding.
Vervoort argues that the money was never restricted to conventional policing and could also finance prevention, social cohesion and neighbourhood initiatives.
“These resources were never intended exclusively for security ‘in the strict sense’, such as the purchase of equipment or the training of police officers,” Vervoort said.
He said agreements dating back to 2002 allowed money to support projects aimed at social cohesion and quality of life. Vervoort also said some irregularities involving individual expenditures were identified through existing controls.
Disputed spending becomes central to inquiry
One of the most prominent questions concerns money originally associated with the proposed cybersecurity centre. Vervoort acknowledged that, from €3 million intended for the project, €717,000 was used for IT investments and said remaining funds were redirected to other police-zone or municipal projects. He maintained that the expenditure was ultimately approved by the Federal Public Service Interior.
The dispute therefore centres partly on how broadly “security and prevention” can be interpreted and whether sufficient federal controls existed over the allocation.
Parliamentary hearings will examine the records
The Home Affairs Committee plans to hear the Finance Inspectorate, the Federal Public Service Interior and other administrative bodies during the first phase of its examination.
Those hearings are expected to provide MPs with documentary evidence needed to assess the questioned Brussels security spending and the effectiveness of federal oversight. No date for the hearings had been publicly announced as of 25 September.
