Brussels parliament to confirm successor to Finance and Budget minister Sven Gatz
At 14:00 on Thursday, the extended bureau of the Brussels Parliament will meet to elect and swear in a new member of the Brussels-Capital Government. This is to replace outgoing minister Sven Gatz, according to an invitation seen by the Belga news agency.
Last Wednesday, Sven Gatz of the Open VLD (Flemish Liberals) announced his resignation from the Brussels government for health reasons. His successor is expected to be Dirk De Smedt, the current director general of Brussels Fiscality and a key Open VLD negotiator in the ongoing budget talks among the six coalition parties. De Smedt is set to take over Gatz’s finance and budget portfolio in the caretaker government.
However, the replacement process has proven to be politically complex. Initially, Open VLD sought to proceed under Article 36 of the Special Brussels Act, which requires only a majority within the Dutch-speaking group of the Brussels Parliament. This approach was opposed by the French-speaking parties, as well as by Groen and Vooruit, who favoured the broader Article 35 procedure, which requires the consent of the entire parliament.
In response to this resistance, Open VLD has now agreed to proceed under Article 35. On Tuesday afternoon, the party invited other parliamentary groups to co-sign the formal nomination act.
"Given our minister's health condition, we want to finalise his replacement as quickly as possible," said Imane Belguenani, the parliamentary leader of Open VLD. "There appears to be a political majority for Article 35, but the signatures must still be confirmed at Thursday's extended bureau."
If all the necessary signatures are secured, Dirk De Smedt is expected to take the oath on Friday during a special plenary session of the Brussels Parliament.
© BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
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