“Brussels deserves cooperation, not stagnation”

To the members of the future Brussels government,

As a physicist, I have a particular area of expertise: so-called ‘complex systems’. Yet today, I have the impression that our political scientists are outdoing the physicists, studying a phenomenon even more complex than quantum mechanics itself — the formation of a Brussels government.

That scientific distance disappears the moment we stop looking at it purely as a research topic, and start experiencing it — as I do — as a resident of this city, and as rector of a university that is deeply connected and intertwined with Brussels.

The VUB has its main campus in Ixelles — which, in true Brussels fashion, is better known as the Etterbeek campus — and a medical campus with a university hospital in Jette.

When I spoke at the opening ceremony of our sister university ULB at the start of the academic year, spontaneous applause broke out when I said: “La politique bruxelloise pourrait aujourd’hui mieux s’inspirer de la façon dont nous, l’ULB et la VUB, arrivons à travailler ensemble.”
(Brussels politics could learn a great deal from how well the ULB and the VUB manage to work together.)

Five hundred days without a new government means more than a quarter of the legislative term lost. And this, in a region that urgently needs not only decisive governance, but above all unity among coalition partners to tackle the challenges faced by residents, students and visitors alike.

This political paralysis may well have undermined Molenbeek for Brussels 2030 — a project many believed in, and one that both free universities actively supported.

A government without direction breeds distrust. Among higher authorities such as the European Union, among rating agencies, companies and organisations — but also among ordinary citizens.

Brussels is yearning for a government. Only through a united, dynamic and forward-looking approach can the Region begin to confront its many challenges — and its soaring debt. Previous generations of politicians always managed to reach an agreement swiftly. Admittedly, the voters didn’t make it easy this time, but that is, after all, democracy.

Universities, too, need a functioning government. Without political support, we cannot tackle the pressing issue of student housing. Without new collaborations with the Region, we cannot provide the accurate data needed to map out Brussels’ challenges. Without a government, there can be no innovation policy for universities to build on.

The VUB is an urban engaged university. Our scientific expertise in areas such as mobility, energy, sustainability, urban development and smart cities is there to serve the city and its people. The future of Brussels depends on cooperation — in every sense.

So to the members of the future government: work together, and let’s make sure we can soon drop the word ‘future’. That way, ‘complex systems’ can once again remain the domain of the physicists.