Mayor of the City of Brussels

Mayor of the City of Brussels
S. Solberg J. and autors of source files · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Post	Mayor of the City of Brussels
Native name	Bourgmestre de la Ville de Bruxelles
Incumbent	Philippe Close
Incumbentsince	2017
Appointer	City Council
Termlength	6 years
Formation	Middle Ages
Inaugural	Everard t'Serclaes

Mayor of the City of Brussels is the chief executive of the City of Brussels municipal administration, presiding over the Brussels-Capital Region's central municipal council and coordinating with federal, regional and community institutions including the Belgian Federal Government, Government of Flanders, French Community Commission (COCOF) and Common Community Commission (COCOM). The office operates within the legal framework established by the Belgian Constitution, the Law on the Special Jurisdiction of the Brussels-Capital Region, and municipal codes influenced by historical practices dating to the Duchy of Brabant and the County of Leuven.

Role and responsibilities

The mayor represents the City of Brussels before bodies such as the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the Association of Netherlands Municipalities and multinational entities like the NATO headquarters in Brussels, while interacting with institutions including the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, the Senate of Belgium and the European Parliament. The office coordinates crisis response with agencies such as the Belgian Federal Police, the Brussels Fire and Emergency Medical Service, and regional bodies like the Brussels Regional Public Service, while engaging civic actors such as the Union of Cities and Municipalities of Wallonia and Brussels, Brussels Airlines, the Port of Brussels and cultural institutions like the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.

Selection and term

Mayoral selection follows outcomes of municipal elections regulated under the Electoral Code (Belgium), with appointment formally proposed by the City Council of the City of Brussels and sanctioned by the King of the Belgians on advice of the Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region. The mayoral term coincides with municipal council terms established by the Law of 1831 amended through legislation associated with the State reform of Belgium and lasts six years, aligning with practices of municipalities such as Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi and Liège.

History

The office traces to medieval civic institutions of the Duchy of Brabant and municipal autonomy in Brussels with figures like Everard t'Serclaes and guild-linked magistrates during periods involving the Burgundian Netherlands, the Habsburg Netherlands, the Eighty Years' War, and the Austrian Netherlands. Under French rule (1794–1815), revolutionary municipal reorganization reshaped the role before the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and later the Kingdom of Belgium established the modern municipal framework. The 19th and 20th centuries saw mayors negotiate urban projects such as works by Victor Horta, the Cité Administrative proposals, reconstruction after World War I and World War II, and interactions with figures like King Leopold II, Paul-Henri Spaak, and Henri Sampers.

Powers and duties

The mayor enforces municipal regulations, oversees public order with the Local Police Zone Brussels-City/Ixelles and coordinates public safety with agencies such as the Federal Public Service Justice and the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons. Responsibilities include urban planning decisions affecting projects like Mont des Arts, the Brussels North–South connection, heritage protections for the Grand-Place (Brussels), and environmental measures tied to the Brussels-Capital Region's climate plans in concert with organizations such as Agence Bruxelles-Propreté and the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (STIB/MIVB). The mayor administers municipal budgets approved by the City Council, supervises municipal services including schools linked to the French Community Commission (COCOF) and the Flemish Community Commission (VGC), and signs municipal decrees within frameworks established by the Cour constitutionnelle/Grondwettelijk Hof and the Council of State (Belgium).

List of mayors

Notable occupants of the office include medieval figures like Everard t'Serclaes, 19th-century municipal leaders during industrialization, and modern incumbents such as Guy Cudell, André Vander Vreken, Yvan Mayeur, and Philippe Close. The chronological roster reflects shifts during administrations influenced by political parties including the Parti Socialiste (PS), the Mouvement Réformateur (MR), the Christelijke Volkspartij (CVP), the Partij van de Arbeid van België (PVDA/PTB) emergence, and coalitions shaped by events like the Brussels bombings (2016) and the 2018 municipal elections.

Notable mayors and initiatives

Guy Cudell oversaw late 19th and early 20th-century urban expansion linking projects by Victor Horta and infrastructure tied to the Belgian State Railways, while Yvan Mayeur focused on social initiatives connecting to welfare policies debated in the Belgian Senate and controversies intersecting with organizations like Samusocial. Philippe Close has engaged on security and tourism initiatives involving the European Commission, the Belgian Federal Government, the Brussels Airlines sector and heritage restoration for sites such as the Grand-Place (Brussels) and the Mont des Arts. Other mayors collaborated with cultural institutions including the Bozar, the Royal Theatre of La Monnaie, and the Centre for Fine Arts (Palais des Beaux-Arts), and negotiated urban plans with stakeholders such as the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund, the World Health Organization and private developers during events like the Brussels 1897 World Fair and contemporary redevelopment schemes.

Category:Politics of Brussels Category:Local government in Belgium