Postponement of the LEZ in Brussels is coming

The tightening of the low-emission zone (LEZ) in Brussels will most likely be postponed from 2025 to 2027. The proposal of an ordinance to this effect by MR, PS, Les Engagés, and Open Vld was approved on Wednesday in the Environment Committee of the Brussels Parliament.

The Brussels Parliament’s plenary session on October 4th must also consider the issue. Since there was a convincing majority in the Committee, the proposal will most likely be approved there as well.

Alleged coherency with other regions

Despite that majority – the proposers, PTB-PVDA, and Team Fouad Ahidar voted in favor; Green, Ecolo, and DéFI voted against, and N-VA abstained – the proposers of the proposal received a lot of comments about sloppiness or risks in the text.

The way MR, PS, and Les Engagés proceeded was unanimously rejected, especially from the Dutch-speaking side. By unilaterally submitting a proposal without waiting for a formation on the Dutch-speaking side, Groen and the Dutch speakers, in particular, felt that they had been put on the spot and that confidence had been damaged.

Also, for Benjamin Dalle (CD&V), the proposal “does not show good governance.” He referred to the alleged coherency with other regions. Flanders opted for a one-year postponement instead of two for Euro 5; in Wallonia, the LEZ will be introduced in 2025, and a Euro 5 ban will not apply until 2028.

He also asked for a thorough analysis of the complex dossier because figures and forecasts are missing – the leaked impact study assumes that everything will be moved up by two years, while here, there is only talk of postponing the 2025 tightening.

However, Dalle also had questions about the standstill and questioned whether the LEZ calendar is sustainable. “Will there perhaps be a double tightening in 2027?” he asked.

The committee approved a Dalle amendment. This states that owners or drivers of vehicles subject to the application of the next phase of the LEZ must be informed of the date from which they can no longer drive in the LEZ and what accompanying measures are planned.

Brussels residents’ wallets more important than health

Furthermore, it is also feared that the proposal contradicts the legal standstill principle, which could lead to annulment by the Constitutional Court – although there is a good chance that citizens or civil parties will also sue.

Green floor leader Stijn Bex also pointed to the health problems that a delay in tightening would bring. He wondered whether Brussels residents, who have already purchased a new car in the meantime, as they had already been notified in 2018, would be eligible for compensation. After all, they had to sell their old vehicle at a lower price because it would no longer be allowed to enter the Brussels Region.

Pollution still exceeds the European threshold

Meanwhile, the citizen’s movement BRAL and the Brussels Regional Environment Agency have measured the air quality in the Brussels Region using 24 new measuring points. Measurements from the ExpAIR project³ show that pollution still exceeds the European threshold of 40 μg/m³ in certain areas, including residential streets in Molenbeek, where the population is particularly vulnerable.

Moreover, these standards must be adjusted downward. A new, stricter European guideline of 20 μg/m³ will come into force before the end of the year. All 24 points exceed this future European standard, as well as the limit of 10 μg/m³ proposed by the World Health Organization. If the postponement of the LEZ is maintained, Brussels risks not meeting these new requirements in 2030.

“Brussels Environment has calculated that NO2 concentrations in Brussels have fallen by 30% since the introduction of the LEZ in 2018. ExpAIR shows that despite this improvement in Brussels air quality, there is still much to be done for healthy air,” justifies the civil organization.