Future Alliance alive and under attack

Today the Future Alliance was revitalised. Flemish prime minister Jambon tweeted that ‘The Future Alliance around Oosterweel is alive and well after 5 years, despite the many hurdles.’

The alliance, signed by the government of Flanders, the Antwerp city council and the citizens' movements in 2017 was supposed to mark the start of a new model of cooperation for better mobility and quality of life in the Antwerp region. One vital component of the plan was the Oosterweel Link, a construction project to relieve traffic congestion on the Antwerp Ring Road and to reduce "rat running" commuter traffic in the larger urban area.

But the project came under fire because of the PFAS scandal, in which the massive pollution and releases of PFAS – one of the most well-known forever chemicals was actively looked away from by the government of Flanders. According to The Investigative Desk, an independent platform for investigative journalism, all was done in order to allow Oosterweel to go ahead. Building contractor Lantis, for whom completing Oosterweel is a sacred task, was instructed by OVAM to set the PFAS standard itself.

In late 2021, a ruling by the Council of State largely halted earthworks within the Oosterweel project. Following the judgment, the groundwork was temporarily halted. Last week Lantis announced the resumption of the works.

The Future Alliance now wants to invest in the further transformation from premetro to metro, the realization of a fast tram network and new nodes and P+Rs around the city or at station areas. Besides that, the realization of the harbor route with its Second Tijsman Tunnel and the construction of canopies around the northern Ring Road are on the agenda.

Meanwhile environmental organizations Bond Beter Leefmilieu and Greenpeace Belgium, together with environmental activist Thomas Goorden and citizens' movement Grondrecht, are going to the State Council to challenge the resumed earthmoving for the Oosterweel works for the second time. According to Tycho Van Hauwaert of Bond Beter Leefmilieu, "the environmental impact on ground and surface water is not taken into account and no ecotoxicological risk analysis was made for the works. For such a site, located in and next to residential and natural areas, this is unacceptable."

"It remains shocking to see how the Flemish government invariably promotes the interests of Lantis and Oosterweel in this dossier," says environmentalist Thomas Goorden. "While it should be taking the side of local residents by prioritising remediation and holding PFAS polluter 3M accountable."