The consolidation efforts embraced by 26 Flemish municipalities have already led to an expenditure of a quarter of a billion euros for Flanders, as reported by De Standaard and Het Belang van

Limburg newspapers on Friday.

Minister Bart Somers is actively pursuing a reduction in the number of Flemish municipalities from 300 to 100. A few years ago, the government made a commitment to absorb a substantial portion of the debts incurred by the municipalities involved in the mergers. In principle, the extent of Flanders' assumption of debt corresponds to the population size of each municipality. This sum can reach up to 50 million euros per municipality.

The report states, "The Flemish regional government is taking on debts amounting to 255 million euros from the 26 municipalities that have chosen to merge, resulting in the formation of 12 consolidated entities. At this current pace, achieving 100 municipalities in Flanders would take nearly a century. Local administrations are grappling with resource constraints."

Aside from the 26 municipalities that have already committed to the merger initiative, discussions for amalgamation are actively underway in several other areas. However, Flemish Minister of Home Affairs Bart Somers is advocating for an even swifter pace. He remarked, "With the current trajectory, it could take close to a century to achieve the goal of 100 municipalities in Flanders. Local authorities are already encountering limitations, and the mounting challenges related to activation, safety, healthcare, and climate are intensifying."

The process of consolidating municipalities in Flanders, driven by financial and operational considerations, is presenting both opportunities and challenges for the region. Photo by Armineaghayan, Wikimedia commons.