Each month, at the municipal council, we raise questions and put forward concrete proposals for a greener, fairer municipality.

Question from Ms. Delphine Cordier regarding the livestreaming of municipal council meetings

Mr. Mayor,

Ladies and Gentlemen of the College,

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Municipal Council,

We would like to draw your attention to the need for greater transparency and accessibility of the debates and decisions of Etterbeek’s municipal council for our citizens.

We recall that while council meetings are public, they are not accessible in real time to all citizens. Those unable to attend in person have no way to follow the debates live. This limits citizen participation and falls short of modern expectations regarding transparency and public communication.

Yet in a spirit of participatory democracy, it is essential that the residents of our municipality be able to follow the discussions and decisions, even if they cannot be physically present. Fourteen of the nineteen Brussels municipalities have already adopted solutions such as livestreaming via the internet (e.g. YouTube) or recording the sessions and making the videos available on the municipal website.

Moreover, this practice would help modernize the image of the municipality and send a strong signal of openness and adaptation to digital tools.

During the 2021 review of the council’s Rules of Procedure, our group had already expressed its wish to see this practice adopted in Etterbeek.

Additionally, this request had already been the subject of three interventions by Mr. Vincent Biauce during the previous term, on May 31, 2021, May 30, 2022, and June 21, 2023 (refs. 50801, 56493, 50801). The College had indicated it was working on the matter, which was later confirmed in the 2022–2024 Policy Orientation Note.

We would therefore like to ask:

• Why has this system still not been adopted in Etterbeek? The camera used to broadcast weddings is fully functional. A defective camera has often been mentioned as the main obstacle. Has this issue now been resolved? If the camera is new, was the warranty activated, or was a technician called in?
• What is the planned timeline for implementation?
• What technical conditions are foreseen for live broadcasting and making recordings available?
• Are there any legal or practical obstacles to such an initiative, and if so, how could they be overcome?

We are convinced that this initiative would strengthen the link between citizens and their elected representatives, while also fostering a better understanding of how the municipality works. Even if the audience may remain modest and some fear a dramatization of debates, this practice has become a practical tool for reinforcing the bond between citizens and institutions.

We look forward to your response and hope for a positive development on this matter.