While politics drags on, Brupartners has put forward 48 projects for the 2024-2029 legislative term. Beci, partner in social dialogue, sets out its priorities in a context where the future government is slow to take shape.
In Brussels, politics is taking its time. Too much time, some would say. While the parties keep talking without reaching an agreement, others have decided to take action. This is the case with Brupartners, which has put forward a long-term socio-economic pact. A text of 48 priorities that have been discussed, negotiated and balanced. The idea is that the future legislature should not start from scratch, but should build on a roadmap that has already been agreed upon. Beci has contributed to this collective effort by calling for employment, the region and businesses to be linked together so that Brussels can breathe more easily.
Priorities for breathing new life into the capital
The result of months of consultation between trade unions and employers, the document published by Brupartners resembles a flight plan. It lists 48 projects designed to guide public policy choices for the next five years. Employment, training, housing, governance, climate, health... the list is long and the priorities cover a wide range of issues, but they are all based on the same idea: putting consistency back at the heart of regional policies.
The economic and social council also insists on the method. Too often, major regional policies remain disconnected from the realities on the ground. Brupartners wants to reverse this logic: strengthen consultation, make decisions more transparent, and ensure that commitments are properly followed up." This approach is an invitation to govern differently," reads the text. Behind this sentence lies a call for stability and continuity, two concepts that have become rare in the Brussels institutional landscape. While the Region stands out for its energy and creativity, it still faces fragmented governance. The pact therefore calls for greater coordination between public, economic and social actors.
Beci, the voice of business in social dialogue
As a member of Brupartners, Beci played an active role in developing this pact. The employers' organisation advocates a pragmatic vision: a region where businesses can establish themselves, produce and recruit without encountering administrative obstacles or a lack of space. The issue of land is central; business parks close to city centres must be preserved so that production can continue in the city. This is perhaps an underestimated issue, but it is important for maintaining a diverse and accessible local economy.
Beci also talks about mobility, security and training. In short, everything that makes Brussels both liveable and attractive. One of its key concerns remains the link between employment and skills. Too many job vacancies on the one hand, too many job seekers on the other. What Beci is calling for is a collective effort to bring these two worlds closer together by promoting training, recognising foreign qualifications and giving young people the keys to a professional future here in Brussels. But also, more broadly, by restoring businesses' confidence in their environment.
An eagerly awaited government, momentum to maintain
One paradox remains: this socio-economic pact is ready, agreed upon and signed, but there is still no one to implement it. Without a regional government, its implementation remains on hold. However, Brupartners is calling for no time to be wasted. The council proposes maintaining momentum through an annual social summit and a strengthened consultation committee, to prevent everything from coming to a standstill in the institutional vacuum.
On Beci's side, the tone is one of vigilance, but also of consistency. The organisation advocates for continuous dialogue, even during the waiting period. ‘Brussels cannot afford to wait indefinitely, and we cannot remain frozen until a government is formed,’ it emphasises. For businesses, every month of uncertainty costs visibility, investment and sometimes jobs. Yet they continue to recruit, innovate and adapt, convinced that economic and social transition cannot wait for a political agreement to be signed.
Moving forward despite everything
What Brupartners and Beci point out, each in their own way, is that a region cannot live in perpetual anticipation. Brussels needs a collective impetus, because a pact is only valuable if it benefits the city, its schools, its businesses, its workshops, etc. And this socio-economic pact gives us a glimpse of what that might look like: a region where economic, trade union and community stakeholders move forward together, even before politics forces them to do so.
The Brupartners document is nothing spectacular, but it has a rare virtue: it exists, it is ready and it offers a common framework for working together. It still needs to find takers. In the meantime, the dialogue continues, and this is perhaps the best proof that Brussels, despite everything, is still moving forward.
For Brussels to regain its economic momentum, it needs a functioning Brussels government. For the moment, political deadlock is holding back businesses and jobs. Beci and sectoral federations are sounding the alarm. Read more here