In Brussels, foreign drivers who receive parking fines do not pay them in 90% of cases. This is according to figures from the office of outgoing Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen).
According to BRUZZ, the Brussels-Capital Region is now investigating whether wheel clamps can be used to force non-payers to pay. The Region, which is struggling with debt, could use the money: on October 1st, the amount of fines still to be collected stood at 25 million euros.
431,572 fines in 2024
In 2023, 301,289 fines were imposed, averaging between €35 and €40. In 2024, this rose to 431,572. However, only 29,346 and 39,144 of these fines were collected, representing 9.74% and 9.07% respectively. As a result, more than 25 million euros in unpaid fines remain outstanding: 9.3 million euros for fines issued in 2023 and 15.8 million euros for those issued in 2024.
Most of these unpaid fines are issued to drivers with foreign licence plates. Drivers with Belgian licence plates are much better at paying their fines, with a collection rate of 80% in 2023 and 76% in 2024.
‘Disturbing political inertia’
For Team Fouad Ahidar, which requested the figures from Van den Brandt, this situation shows “disturbing political inertia” and is “incomprehensible, unfair, and expensive for the people of Brussels.”
The party points to the Netherlands as an example. When a Belgian driver commits an offense, they receive several warnings before legal proceedings are initiated. If they cross the border again without having paid, their vehicle can be immobilized. “We are asking the Region to apply the same degree of strictness and fairness to foreign drivers as it does to Belgian citizens,” says Ahidar.
International follow-up much more difficult than planned
However, the Brussels-Capital Region does not have the authority to negotiate bilateral agreements with other countries, Van den Brandt says. The minister has therefore asked the federal government to conclude recovery mechanisms with countries other than France and the Netherlands to collect traffic fines.
But in any case, most foreign drivers in Brussels come from neighboring countries, with the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, and Germany leading the way.
If Belgium currently has bilateral agreements with its northern and southern neighbors to collect traffic fines, it appears that collection mechanisms are not working perfectly either. Or that international follow-up is much more difficult than planned, as barely one in ten parking fines for vehicles with foreign licence plates in Brussels are actually paid.
Various measures
To address this issue, Parking. Brussels will collaborate with a company specializing in collecting European traffic fines. In addition, the agency will soon be authorized to immobilize vehicles with wheel clamps or have them towed in the event of repeated non-payment. “A decision is currently being prepared to enable the start-up,” said the minister.
The Region is also investigating whether it can use wheel clamps itself against non-payers. Under Belgian law, any vehicle commonly used in Belgium by a person residing in Belgium must also be registered with the Vehicle Registration Service and issued a Belgian number plate.
However, foreigners with a foreign licence plate and a Belgian residence do not always do so, even though they risk a fine or penalty, and, in some cases, the vehicle may even be impounded. Now, investigations are underway to determine how they can be compelled to do so.
Finally, consideration is also being given to whether foreign drivers can be fined for violations in the LEZ, which is rarely, or not yet, done automatically because technical and owner data are not automatically available, which makes collection difficult. And work is also underway to create a joint database between Parking.brussels, Brussels Taxation, and Brussels Environment to better track down persistent defaulters.
