Last week, the Flemish government reached an agreement on subsidies for regional airports – a long-standing “headache” because these airports have been operating at a loss for years despite receiving operating subsidies. Pursuant on this agreement, the Flemish Parliament was provided with documents for debate in the Finance Committee.
However, the document also inadvertently included the top-secret settlement between the Flemish government and Egis, the French operator of the Antwerp-Deurne and Ostend-Bruges airports. That settlement resolves a long-standing legal dispute and also establishes a new subsidy agreement that runs through 2039.
Both coalition partners and the opposition expressed frustration with the actions of Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA), but, as she did recently with the Tesla case and the series of setbacks surrounding De Lijn’s budget cuts, she remains firmly behind her decision.
Dropping of mutual claims
It was the newspaper De Standaard that reported on the settlement after reviewing the strictly confidential settlement document that the De Ridder cabinet had mistakenly distributed to all members of Parliament via the parliamentary intranet.
In the document containing confidentiality clauses, Flanders and Egis settled a long-standing legal dispute just before the decision on cutting subsidies for the regional airports.
Specifically, the airport operator was still demanding 14,83 million euros in overdue subsidies from the Flemish government. At the same time, the French company still owed Flanders 12,1 million euros for staff members it had made available to the airports.
In the settlement, both parties agree to drop their mutual claims, and a new subsidy arrangement is also established: Flanders pledges to continue paying subsidies to Egis through October 26, 2039, to keep the airports open – a commitment that is binding on future governments. In turn, Egis promised to pay 2 overdue invoices from 2025 to the Flemish Region by January 2028, and to pay all invoices from 2026 onward on time.
Flanders also promised to renovate the aircraft parking apron at Deurne using taxpayer funds and to cover the additional costs of soil remediation.
Undemocratic
“You’d almost think they have an airport fetish in that Flemish government,” said Anders chairman Frédéric De Gucht on social media. “If you enter a settlement at the municipal level, it must be approved by the city council.
If you’re throwing around millions in Flanders, citizens must rely on a cabinet staffer making a mistake to stay informed.” Or, to put it another way: It is precisely at the level where the largest sums are involved that democratic oversight is weakest.
Coalition partner CD&V also expressed frustration along those lines. Member of Parliament Mien Van Olmen said she did not understand why they were not allowed to review the overarching memorandum, which she believes undermines Parliament’s oversight function.
The PVDA and others, on the other hand, are wondering why taxpayer money continues to go to loss-making private airports, while Groen believes the airports are getting a very good deal and doubts that the Finance Inspectorate would approve of this.
“Not a matter of buying off a lawsuit”
Minister De Ridders emphasizes that she is not handing out “blank checks”. She believes that the airport “remains crucial for Antwerp and its major port” – Antwerp is De Ridder’s hometown, where she also served as alderwoman for the Port.
“In such circumstances, a settlement agreement is a common legal instrument for definitively resolving mutual claims and litigation risks,” says De Ridder. “It is not a matter of ‘buying off’ a lawsuit, but of creating legal certainty and avoiding further proceedings whose outcome remains uncertain.”
“It is also important to note that a court has previously ruled against Flanders. By bringing these long-standing disputes to a close, we can also move on to current subsidy agreements with a clearer and stricter framework for the future. The settlement does not deviate from the public statements made in committee or from the proposed terms of the agreements, which run through 2039.”
Familiar pattern
Or how De Ridders continues to stand firmly behind the settlement, despite the strong criticism of the deal’s content. This is becoming a familiar pattern: De Ridder consistently defends her policy decisions vigorously, even when criticized for a lack of transparency or justification.
Earlier this month, it emerged that she had approved the use of self-driving Teslas on public roads in June, even though an official advisory report raised several critical concerns regarding traffic sign recognition, reaction times, and speed limits. There, too, she stood by her decision – despite the criticism – citing positive statistics from the Netherlands.
De Ridder also recently faced heavy criticism after De Lijn announced it would cancel more than 200 bus routes for student transportation in special education. Following widespread outrage, the Flemish government intervened and allocated additional funding to maintain all routes.
The contrast is striking; on the one hand, guaranteeing millions of euros to a loss-making private airport operator that serves jets for the elite with flights to Cannes and Nice through a secret settlement that runs until 2039; on the other hand, cutting funding for bus transportation for children with disabilities because the budget must be “strictly” adhered to.
One more thing: electrification could give smaller regional airports a new role, but the realistic timeline for commercial regional flights is sometime around 2028-2030 – at least if certification goes smoothly. New aircraft certification typically takes five to seven years. Plus, the charging infrastructure at airports is largely lacking and requires significant investment.
