2023-08-21 16:55:00
The situation is not new, but it took on dramatic proportions this summer to the point that SNCB itself called for help. On Friday, Sophie Dutordoir, the CEO of SNCB, sent a letter to the various competent authorities with the aim of strengthening both safety and cleanliness. This letter was supported by the Federal Minister for Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) who also calls for coordination of the various actors concerned.
This is how the crisis, which until now seemed to be confined to Brussels affairs, took on a national dimension. On Monday, the Prime Minister’s office brought together the various authorities around the table with the aim of finding a common solution. The problem has been bogged down for years and too many times “everyone has passed the buck”, says the Prime Minister’s Office.
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Alexander De Croo does not take control of the file, but he felt that the urgency deserved to provide a federal response to these persistent problems which tarnish the international image of Belgium. “We take the initiative to get everyone around the table because the problem is complex and deserves to be tackled without passing the buck between the levels of power or the portfolios of responsibilities”, continues his door. -word.
The following were therefore gathered on Monday: the heads of cabinet of the Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden (CD&V), of Minister Gilkinet, of the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor (CD&V), of the mayors of Anderlecht and Saint-Gilles, Fabrice Cumps (PS) and Jean Spinette (PS), as well as a representative of the Brussels region.
Insecurity, noise, drugs, dirt and violence are nothing new in the Gare du Midi district. However, the dilution of responsibilities meant that the authorities never managed to provide a substantial response. A first concrete proposal to emerge from the discussions overseen by the Prime Minister is to appoint a coordinator, as was done at the Gare du Nord. The transversality of his function will allow him to overcome the current blockage, the famous “it’s not me, it’s him”.
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A migratory approach is under consideration because many undocumented migrants have taken up residence near the railway complex. There is also talk of building a new police station in the area, or even, as suggested by the CEO of SNCB, of integrating the police structure “into the station itself”.
At the end of July, Annelies Verlinden promised to organize a meeting with the police authorities concerned, the federal police, the local police and the railway police, as well as with representatives of the SNCB. “Such an approach is also necessary in terms of cleanliness, with Bruxelles-Propreté and the municipalities concerned”, adds Georges Gilkinet.
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