Beci calls on the start of the political season: to support economic activity, rules must regain meaning and breathe again. Here are some principles for clear and predictable regulation in service of Brussels’ economy.
In Brussels, the political rentrée often raises the same question among entrepreneurs: when will the rules finally be allowed to breathe? Over the years, the regulatory maze has grown thicker: too many texts, too many procedures, sometimes even contradictory. The result: energy is wasted on forms rather than invested in projects.
Beci has chosen this pivotal moment to send a signal to the authorities. The aim is not to bypass the law, but to restore its original purpose: to provide a framework, to protect, while still leaving room for initiative. Rules should not suffocate those who create. Here is a set of principles to bring clarity and confidence back, as budgets and new regulations are being prepared.
The burden of paperwork
No one disputes the need for regulation. It frames activity, prevents abuses and guarantees fairness. Yet when rules accumulate, they lose their meaning. In Brussels, slowness and complexity create legal uncertainty, which in turn holds back entrepreneurial drive.
Every new rule should start with a simple question: is it really necessary? Rules should pursue their objective and not drown in annexes. Above all, they must be clear. Clear texts create trust and legal certainty — the best fuel for the economy. In short, rules should strike a balance between protection and economic dynamism. Beci also stresses the importance of consistency between municipalities, the Region, the federal level and Europe.
Predictability and the right to make mistakes
The problem does not lie solely in the content of rules, but also in the way they are applied. Beci calls for a right to make mistakes: a company acting in good faith should be able to correct a declaration or incomplete document without facing an immediate penalty.
Predictable timelines are just as vital. Waiting without knowing when a response will come kills projects in the cradle. Three months to obtain a decision, with tacit approval if no reply is given, would put an end to the logic of permanent waiting. Elsewhere, this principle is already working.
The same logic applies to digitalisation and the well-known “only once” principle: provide information once and let it circulate between administrations. Fewer unnecessary back-and-forths, more time for guidance. Rules must also remain focused on their purpose: supporting projects, rather than obsessing over form or procedure.
Taxation and permits
Simplification goes beyond paperwork. Taxation, urban planning, environment: everywhere there is a pressing need for stability and predictability. Beci suggests several avenues: introducing a fiscal moratorium, harmonising municipal taxes, easing certain charges to encourage renovation and sustainable mobility, and allowing the transferability of registration duties.
On permits, procedures must be streamlined: lighter application files, coordinated timelines between urban planning and environment, and uniform administrative practices. Every adjustment counts in giving projects visibility. Above all, there must be genuine “fiscal peace”: no improvised reforms or unpleasant surprises, but prior consultation and a clear long-term course. Stability attracts investment; instability drives it away.
Osiris, a symbol of excess
It is impossible to talk about simplification without mentioning Osiris. The platform for managing construction sites has become the very symbol of administrative burdens — a nightmare for entrepreneurs. Disproportionate fines, repetitive procedures, lack of coordination: the tool irritates more than it helps.
Beci proposes an in-depth reform: remove small sites from the system, standardise procedures, and centralise everything on a single interface. Others have done it: in Estonia, a single platform is enough to handle all building procedures. Why not Brussels?
From constraint to support
Ultimately, the issue is not less regulation, but better regulation: moving from a logic of constraint to a logic of support, and viewing businesses not as potential sources of abuse, but as actors of development and prosperity.
These principles do not claim to solve everything, but they do set a course: clarify rules, simplify procedures, restore predictability, and refocus regulation on its purpose. The political rentrée is the moment to choose: either let regulation hold back those who keep Brussels alive, or make it a tool that supports their energy.
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