Visions of the Brussels economy. An empirical analysis of consensus and disagreement
Notes de la rédaction
This is the press release related to the article from Sandrine Meyer and Marek Hudon published on 12 March 2026. Read the article.
Economic issues (budget, taxation, employment) are at the heart of current affairs in Brussels, as evidenced by the place they occupy in the Regional Policy Declaration published one month ago. But do the economic stakeholders in Brussels share the answers to these questions?
Last December, Sandrine Meyer and Marek Hudon (CEBRIG, Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, Université libre de Bruxelles) conducted a survey to analyse the consensus and disagreement between the various visions expressed by a series of economic, social and institutional stakeholders in the Brussels-Capital Region. This issue of Brussels Studies summarises the main results of the survey, highlighting the structuring lines of the debate.
The people who took part in the survey were representatives of Brussels public administrations, business or sectoral federations, trade unions, the social economy sector and the economic non-profit sector. They had to rank in order of importance and position themselves in relation to 49 statements formulated on the basis of documentary research and interviews with experts on the subject.
An analysis of the data reveals three main visions: the budgetary and fiscal orientations to be favoured, the balance between the economic viability of companies and social and environmental requirements, and the mechanisms for redistributing the wealth generated in Brussels.
However, the three identified visions converge strongly in their opposition to four statements. None consider the completion of the Brussels metro a budgetary priority. Furthermore, they do not support granting more space to private cars to facilitate economic development, prioritising the development of a defence industry in the Region, or viewing the social economy as unfair competition for the traditional economy in Brussels.
By highlighting points of agreement, we can identify the conditions in which a shared economic framework could emerge, either because opinions converge, or because a theme supported by the proponents of one vision does not encounter deep opposition from the others (for example, greater support for SMEs and the self-employed, or encouraging activities which create local employment). The study therefore highlights the points on which there is a certain level of agreement and outlines a number of possible broad compromises.
References
Meyer, S. and Hudon, M., “Visions of the Brussels economy. An empirical analysis of consensus and disagreement”, Brussels Studies [Online], Fact Sheets, No 214, 12 March 2026. URL: https://journals.openedition.org/brussels/9049
Contact
Tatiana Debroux, Editor in chief:
tdebroux[at]brusselsstudies.be



