The Schuman roundabout, at the heart of the Brussels EU quarter, risks being completed without its showpiece steel canopy unless more money is allocated by mid-September.
A spokesperson for Berilis, the city’s building authority, confirmed Friday there were “problems” with funding the canopy, adding, “We have been sending regular letters” to the Brussels government to “ask them to give us a decision on this.”
If more cash isn’t allocated by Sep. 15, the works will have to continue “without the awning,” the spokesperson said, adding this was now the most likely scenario.
“We are nearing this date, the point of no return really … and since we have not received a reply, we have to assume the funding has not been found,” said the Beliris spokesperson.
The Schuman roundabout, which has been under renovation since fall 2023 and was expected to be completed by next summer, is facing ballooning costs. The canopy, which would serve as a stylish touch to a large pedestrian area dominated by greenery and bikes instead of cars, has increased the cost, leaving the government with a €3 million gap to fill.
In a letter addressed to members of the Brussels government, and first reported by BRUZZ, Beliris stated that while they intend to proceed without a canopy, this could also entail additional costs.
The caretaker government for the Brussels region had previously requested that the EU institutions finance the construction of the Schuman roundabout in a letter in June, stressing that it lacked sufficient funds for the canopy.
Brussels city is grappling with a gaping hole in its budget and severe political paralysis, with government negotiations stuck in limbo since elections in June 2024.
Brussels’ Minister-President Rudi Vervoort, Minister of European Relations and Urban Planning Ans Persoons, mobility and public works chief Elke Van den Brandt and Interior Minister Bernard Quintin, in charge of Beliris, did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
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