Liège Crisis: Exams Canceled as Austerity Decree Passes

The Province of Liège has canceled internal June examinations across all 13 of its secondary schools, while the controversial “décret programme” containing sweeping austerity measures for education was approved overnight in the budget committee of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (FWB) Parliament. The twin developments mark a significant escalation in one of the most serious confrontations between teachers and government in recent Belgian history.

Context: A System Under Strain

The crisis unfolds against the backdrop of a structural deficit of approximately €1.5 billion in the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles — spending of €15 billion against revenue of €13.5 billion. Education accounts for roughly 75 percent of the federation’s expenditure, or €10.038 billion in 2024. The MR-Les Engagés government, which took office in autumn 2025, has targeted €300 million in savings by 2029, with education bearing the brunt of the cuts.

According to RTBF, the austerity package includes a 10 percent increase in teacher hours — from 20 to 22 per week — without salary compensation, less generous sick leave for tenured staff, tightened end-of-career arrangements, and an increase in tuition fees (minerval) from €835 to €1,194 for 58 percent of students. Funding for free school supplies and meal programs has also been cut.

Exam Cancellations Spread

The Province of Liège announced on Monday that all internal June exams would be canceled across its 13 provincial secondary schools — instituts provinciaux and écoles polytechniques located in Flémalle, Herstal, Huy, Jemeppe, La Reid, Liège, Ougrée, Seraing, Verviers, and Waremme. RTBF reported that external certification exams (CEB, CE1D, CESS) will be maintained, as will qualification exams for sixth- and seventh-year students. If those cannot be organized, they will be rescheduled.

No new assessments will be held for the third evaluation period. Student results will be based on work completed earlier in the academic year, with the province pledging that the exceptional circumstances will be “fully taken into account” during end-of-year deliberations. Schools remain open and student reception is assured.

The move follows the City of Liège’s earlier decision to cancel all courses and internal exams, raising fears that other school networks across Wallonia and Brussels may follow suit.

Budget Committee Approves Decree Amid Acrimony

After six hours of heated debate that stretched past midnight, the budget committee approved the décret programme on the night of June 1-2, with the majority voting against the opposition. According to RTBF, opposition deputies from PS, PTB, Ecolo, and Lib.res attempted to introduce a new amendment for review by the Council of State — a move that would have triggered a third delay. The MR-Engagés majority rejected the initiative, accusing the opposition of “filibustering” and “misuse of the Council of State.” The opposition, in turn, denounced what it called a “strong-arm tactic” and an “appalling” breach of parliamentary procedure.

Shortly after midnight, as deputies began voting on the decree’s 200 articles, protesters in the public gallery chanted “Degryse, ministre de l’exclusion!” — a reference to FWB Minister-President Elisabeth Degryse — before being evacuated by security.

Procedural Obstacle Delays Final Vote

Despite the committee’s approval, the decree faces a procedural hurdle. Ecolo group leader Bénédicte Linard and the PTB refused to grant confidence to the rapporteur on the text, requiring the Conference of Presidents to reconvene and schedule another budget committee meeting to verify the report’s concordance. That meeting is expected within the week, with a plenary vote likely during the week of June 8-12.

The opposition will have another opportunity to introduce amendments with requests for Council of State review, potentially prolonging the process further.

Mobilization and Wider Implications

Several hundred teachers gathered at the parliament building on Monday evening to protest the decree. The budget committee debate, streamed live on YouTube, attracted thousands of viewers — an extraordinary audience for the normally low-profile assembly.

Teachers have been on strike since May 11, with the CSC Enseignement union calling a 10-day strike from May 18-27, supported by SETCa. The industrial action has included blockades, demonstrations, and symbolic protests. On May 26, 1,300 people demonstrated in Liège alone, while hundreds of school directors gathered in Brussels.

What to Watch For

The coming days will be critical. A new budget committee meeting must be scheduled to clear the procedural obstacle, after which the decree will face a plenary vote. The opposition is expected to continue its amendment strategy, potentially seeking Council of State review that could delay or derail the legislation.

Meanwhile, the question of whether other school networks — including communal and free Catholic institutions — will cancel their own exams remains open. With the academic year approaching its conclusion and no resolution in sight, thousands of students across Wallonia face an uncertain end to their school year.

The crisis also raises longer-term questions: Can the school year be salvaged if strikes continue? What are the educational consequences of incomplete assessments? And will this confrontation between the government and the teaching profession reshape education policy in Belgium for years to come?