Brussels approves first major step of historic administration reform
The Brussels-Capital Region government has approved the second reading of Pillar 1 of its ambitious administration reform, marking the first concrete legislative step in what officials describe as the most significant restructuring of the regional public service in decades. The announcement was made public on Friday, June 5, 2026.
What the reform entails
Pillar 1 consolidates support services — including human resources, IT, procurement, accounting, and facilities management — into a single shared structure serving all Brussels administrations. According to RTBF, the goal is to simplify processes, use resources more efficiently, and eliminate duplication across the region’s fragmented administrative landscape.
More than 100 civil servants from various administrations participated in the preparation of the reform over recent months, contributing their expertise to shape the approved model.
Brussels Minister of Public Service, Finance, and Budget Dirk De Smedt (Anders party), who is leading the reform, described the approval as “a decisive step towards an integrated, more efficient, less fragmented Brussels administration, better prepared for tomorrow’s challenges.”
The ‘Big Bang’ reform
This is the first of four major reform pillars announced in the Declaration of Regional Policy (DPR) of February 13, 2026, which aims to restructure approximately 25 regional entities into four streamlined pillars. As L’Avenir reports, the complete overhaul is designed to create a simpler, more effective, and financially healthier governance structure for the capital region.
“We are taking a historic step for Brussels,” De Smedt said in a statement. “For years, we talked about more cooperation, less fragmentation, and a more efficient administration. Today, we turn those words into action.”
Financial crisis driving change
The reform is being driven by severe fiscal pressure on the Brussels-Capital Region. According to the governance.brussels dossier on the reform, the Court of Auditors issued an unfavorable opinion on the region’s 2024 accounts, citing a deficit of 1.65 billion euros — equivalent to 31.5% of revenue — and a consolidated debt of 15.6 billion euros, which has grown by 76.7% between 2020 and 2024. Interest charges alone have multiplied by 4.4, rising from 91 million euros in 2016 to 399 million euros in 2024.
The regional administration has grown explosively since the creation of the Brussels-Capital Region in 1989, expanding from 243 agents to approximately 12,000 in 2024 — a 50-fold increase. The salary mass now stands at 1.8 billion euros, up 50% since 2018. According to the same dossier, the region now has one civil servant per 100 residents, compared to one per 280 in Flanders and Wallonia.
Savings targets and skepticism
The reform targets 250 to 300 million euros in savings by 2029, with the government aiming for a balanced regional budget by that year. A hiring moratorium has been in place since December 2023 — extended without an end date — with a total freeze in 2026 and a partial freeze from 2027 onward. The government has stated there will be no layoffs, relying instead on natural attrition to reduce headcount.
However, experts have expressed skepticism about whether the savings targets are achievable without compulsory redundancies. Professor Marie Goransson of ULB has noted that without layoffs, savings depend on natural attrition — a slow and uncertain process. The CSC trade union has raised questions about the physical consolidation of buildings and transitional protections for staff, while employers’ organization Voka has said the agreement “contains the right ingredients, but questions remain about the budgetary trajectory.”
What comes next
The government will continue work on concrete implementation in the coming months, with the aim of definitively anchoring the new Pillar 1 structure by summer 2026. The priority merger of perspective.brussels and urban.brussels into “Bruxelles Urbanisme” is expected later this year, followed by Pillar 2 reforms covering organic missions and Pillar 3 reforms targeting infrastructure.brussels in 2027.
As De Smedt stated in his press release: “Whoever wants to sustainably restore Brussels’ finances must also dare to reform. With Pillar 1, we lay the foundation for a government that works more simply, costs less, and performs better.”
The coming months will test whether the Dilliès government — a seven-party coalition that took office in February 2026 after a record 613 days of negotiations — can maintain political consensus through all four pillars of what is being called the most ambitious administrative reform in Brussels’ history.