Belgian Minister Admits Politics Failed on Heat Deaths

Belgian Climate Minister Melissa Depraetere has acknowledged that politics should have acted much faster to address heat-related deaths, in an emotional admission on the Flemish talk show De Afspraak. The statement comes as Belgium confronts the fallout from its deadliest heatwave in three decades, which claimed 1,747 excess lives between 18 June and 1 July according to Sciensano data.

A Deadly Summer

The summer of 2026 brought one of the most severe heatwaves in Belgian history. Between 18 June and 1 July, the country experienced extreme temperatures with consecutive warm nights that proved exceptionally deadly. According to epidemiologist Toon Braeye of Sciensano, it was “the deadliest heatwave of the last 30 years,” with an excess mortality rate of 47.8 percent.

The deadliest day was Saturday 27 June, when 641 deaths were recorded - more than double the normal rate, representing an excess mortality of 146.5 percent. Wallonia was disproportionately affected, with 919 excess deaths (76 percent excess mortality), compared to 682 in Flanders (31 percent) and 159 in Brussels.

The heat affected all age groups. Some 280 excess deaths were recorded among people under 65, and 498 excess deaths occurred in residential care centers. As VRT NWS reported, many of the victims were elderly or already in palliative care, though the figures also showed significant mortality among younger and otherwise healthy individuals.

A Personal Tragedy Breaks the Silence

The political reckoning was triggered by a deeply personal testimony. Political journalist Bart Eeckhout revealed on De Afspraak that his 80-year-old mother died from the effects of the heatwave. She suffered a severe heat-triggered stroke in late June and died on 5 August after seven weeks in hospital, where she lay in a room without ventilation where temperatures reached at least 27 degrees Celsius.

Eeckhout’s emotional account brought the studio to silence. “I’m doing this because I’m angry about the political silence,” he said, as reported by VRT NWS. He noted that no government party or politician, except Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, had spoken about the heat deaths. “You feel the attitude: summer is over, now we’re going to talk about serious things. While this is exactly serious.”

Depraetere’s Admission

Responding to Eeckhout’s testimony, Depraetere acknowledged that the problem of heat deaths had been underestimated. “Many people underestimated the problem of heat deaths,” she said. “It was only thought that heat deaths had to do with the most vulnerable, but the figures say it’s also about young and healthy people. I saw it myself: there were many more premature births this summer.”

“Everyone should feel addressed,” she continued. “Politics as a collective should have acted much faster. Climate is not only about our planet, but also about our health, economy and security.”

Emergency Numbers Under Pressure

One of the most critical failures during the heatwave was the performance of emergency numbers. During the deadliest weekend of 27-28 June, emergency number 112 had waiting times of up to 10 minutes, while 1733 (the GP on-call triage number) had waits of up to 25 minutes. Healthcare organizations wrote an open letter warning that “non-plannable care threatens to implode.”

Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke was sharply critical of the performance, saying “I think 112 didn’t function well in the last weekend.” He subsequently announced plans to take over the 1733 number from Interior Minister Bernard Quintin, who defended his department by noting there were nearly 19,300 calls on Sunday alone versus an average of 6,000. “I don’t have a 3D printer to print emergency center employees,” Quintin said.

A Case Study for Europe

The international community took notice. The New York Times called Belgium’s experience “a case study into what went wrong” and “a warning to the rest of Europe,” noting that Belgium had the highest excess mortality from heat in all of Europe according to Euromomo data.

Biostatistician Geert Molenberghs of UHasselt and KU Leuven was blunt about the numbers: “The figures are what they are. You simply can’t look past them.”

What’s Being Done

Depraetere said a new heat plan is being developed and should be in force by next summer. She also pointed to her “cooling plan” - the Actieplan Warmtepompen 2030 announced in July, which promotes heat pumps for both heating and cooling homes.

A comprehensive analysis by VRT NWS found that ministers across all policy levels are working on responses. These include a new interfederal heat and health plan to be ready by summer 2027, better integration of KMI weather data, heat-resistant care infrastructure, volunteer corps for vulnerable people, and an interministerial conference scheduled for September to discuss recommendations from the Risk Management Group.

The Risk Management Group has identified key priorities: better communication and coordination between policy levels, real-time risk analysis at the start of each alarm phase, more cool places in cities and buildings, better heat-resistant hospital infrastructure, and stricter worker protection measures.

The Road Ahead

As Belgium prepares for future heatwaves, the question remains whether these measures will be enough. The political admission from Depraetere marks a significant shift in tone, but critics note that the response has been slow. As Eeckhout put it, “It hurts me, because it denies that something happened. It’s being swept off the table that so many victims have fallen.”

The next heatwave will be the true test. Belgium’s experience this summer has been a stark warning not just for the country itself, but for all of Europe as climate change makes extreme heat events more frequent and more deadly. The new heat plan promised for next summer, and the political will to implement it, will determine whether the lessons of 2026 are truly learned.