MOLENBEEK, BRUSSELS – A special meeting convened on March 12, 2025, in Molenbeek addressed concerns over significant delays in local government services, particularly at the Population and Civil Registry.

The meeting, initiated by Team Fouad Ahidar (TFA) and supported by opposition parties Mouvement Réformateur (MR) and Les Engagés, highlighted the frustrations of residents dealing with long response times for civil applications.

Councillor Hamza Zibouh (TFA) reported that residents often wait weeks or even months for replies to their inquiries.

Within the civil registry, staff receive 100 to 150 emails daily, leading to a substantial backlog that includes 1,200 pending residence permits.

Acting Mayor Amet Gjanaj (PS) acknowledged these difficulties but did not provide concrete solutions.

Gjanaj explained the limitations in addressing the backlog, noting that existing resources do not allow the opening of additional counters to manage the volume.

He indicated that increasing staffing without additional funding poses a challenge, reiterating that the long wait times are not unique to Molenbeek but are reflective of broader trends in major cities across Brussels.

Currently, calls to the Civil Registry face complications, with the system disconnecting after a 30-minute hold, forcing residents to call back and rejoin the queue.

The acting mayor indicated plans to restore the phone system, though he did not specify a timeline for its reactivation.

In addition to the administrative issues, the acting mayor pointed out that the Immigration Service is overwhelmed with processing 1,200 temporary residence permits, a number that notably includes applications from Ukrainian refugees.

This increasing workload complicates the handling of other civil requests, contributing to public discontent.

Zibouh expressed dissatisfaction with Gjanaj's responses during the meeting, asserting that the mayor failed to outline actionable steps to resolve the services' inefficiencies.

Concerns over city management have intensified following the resignation of the city secretary in May 2024, who cited a lack of involvement in staffing decisions as a key factor behind her departure and raised issues of transparency within the local government.

In September 2024, municipal cleaning staff participated in a strike, citing poor working conditions, an inadequate number of personnel, and excessive labor requirements.

City officials have acknowledged that these operational challenges have negatively impacted efficiency and emphasized the need for better resource allocation and management strategies to enhance service delivery.

Molenbeek's leadership currently faces scrutiny over their approach to mitigating these ongoing service challenges while balancing budgetary constraints.