The Brussels government is to give its international residents more decision-making power in the politics and development of the city’s capital-region.
One in three people living in Brussels is a citizen of another country. They are entitled to vote in municipal and European elections but not in the regional elections. The Brussels-Capital Region has recognised this as an unfair democratic deficit and has taken steps to find a remedy.
A previous initiative to find out the priorities of its international residents resulted in the ‘Manifesto of the International Brusseler’, and now the regional government aims to launch a second step in the process – Brussels Voice. The Brussels Commissioner for Europe and International Organisations, in cooperation with Brussels Parliament, will recruit 45 International Brusselers, randomly chosen from those who register for the programme.
The participants, representing Brussels’ international communities, will attend three workshops in autumn, before spending a full day at the regional parliament working and debating alongside MPs.
The goal is to identify the challenges affecting non-Belgians in Brussels, and find ways for the Region to help.
“Brussels is the whole world in one city,” explained Rachid Madrane, President of the Brussels Parliament. “It’s vital that everyone who lives here has a say on its future, whether they have Belgian nationality or not.”
