Brussels Region to Place Saint-Josse Under Supervision

The Brussels-Capital Region is on the verge of placing the municipality of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode under coercive supervision — an exceptional measure not used in 50 years — following years of severe financial mismanagement under Mayor Emir Kir. Minister Ahmed Laaouej (PS), responsible for Local Authorities, has formally proposed activating the procedure, with a decision expected at the Council of Ministers on May 28, 2026.

A Municipality in Financial Crisis

Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, the smallest and most densely populated municipality in Belgium, is also the country’s poorest, with a median income of just 20,815 euros. Yet its financial troubles stem not from a lack of revenue but from systemic mismanagement. According to RTBF, the municipality posted a cumulative deficit of over 30 million euros in 2025, with an annual deficit of nearly 14 million in 2024. Cash flow needs are estimated at 57 million euros.

The region has already provided 21 million euros in emergency support to prevent the municipality from defaulting on its payments. Despite this, the situation has continued to deteriorate.

Rejected Accounts and Inspector Reports

On January 21, 2026, the Brussels Region — then under Minister Bernard Clerfayt (Défi) — refused to approve Saint-Josse’s 2024 accounts. The decision cited overestimated parking revenues, incorrectly calculated property taxes, and required corrections to personnel salary revaluations, as reported by RTBF.

An administrative inspector sent to Saint-Josse in September 2025 uncovered further irregularities. Reports obtained by La Libre revealed accounting irregularities, overestimated revenues, and a marked increase in personnel costs. The findings painted a picture of a municipality where governance had broken down.

The “Kir System” Exposed

Perhaps most damning were the governance findings. Saint-Josse employs one municipal worker for every 33 residents — an exceptionally high ratio. Reports described a system where employees worked a four-day week paid as five, and where political influence over the administration was excessive. DHnet described these findings as exposing the “système Kir” — a governance model characterized by patronage and lax oversight.

This is particularly striking given Saint-Josse’s paradoxical fiscal position. Despite being the poorest municipality in Belgium, it is the second-highest recipient of revenue per capita in Brussels (3,376 euros per inhabitant in 2021, versus a regional average of 2,105 euros), largely from office buildings and hotels on its territory. It also receives the highest general municipal grant per capita.

Political Earthquake

The proposed coercive supervision, based on Article 18 of the ordinance of May 14, 1998, would transfer significant decision-making power from the municipal council to the regional government. Minister Laaouej sent a formal note to all Brussels ministerial cabinets the week of May 18-22, outlining the proposal.

The political dynamics are complex. Laaouej has a long-standing political disagreement with Mayor Kir, who was originally elected under the PS banner but now runs his own Liste du Bourgmestre. The MR (Mouvement Réformateur) under Georges-Louis Bouchez reportedly supports Laaouej’s initiative, though Bouchez has shown signs of rapprochement with Kir in recent years, recruiting several of his associates.

What’s at Stake

If approved on Thursday, this would mark the first coercive supervision of a Brussels municipality in five decades — an unprecedented intervention in local autonomy. For Mayor Kir, who has held power since 2012 and maintained an absolute majority in the February 2025 re-run elections, it would represent a severe political defeat.

Opposition leader Philippe Boikete (PS) has long argued that financial supervision alone is insufficient. “We are convinced that financial supervision is not enough,” he told RTBF in March, “that we need to move towards administrative supervision, which is ultimately the only solution to provide answers to the governance problems we encounter in this municipality.”

For the approximately 27,000 residents of Saint-Josse, the implications are significant. Coercive supervision could mean reduced services, increased taxes, or both, as the region imposes fiscal discipline on a municipality that has, according to multiple reports, lost control of its finances.

The decision on May 28 will not only determine the fate of Saint-Josse but could also set a precedent for how the Brussels Region handles financially distressed municipalities in the future.