Brussels: anti-drug measures strengthened in nineteen hotspot neighborhoods

The Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region, B. Dilliès, signed a decree on October 19, 2026, establishing an integrated framework of administrative police measures intended to prevent and stop breaches of public order related to narcotics. The text was published in the Belgian Official Gazette on October 23, 2026, pages 57310 to 57324, under reference C − 2026/007833. It replaces and repeals the decree of September 2, 2026, and distinguishes between three levels of measures: a baseline applicable throughout the regional territory, a baseline applicable by right in all “hotspots,” and complementary measures decided locally.

A response to quantified and persistent violence

The decree is based on data from Brussels police zones: from January 1 to September 30, 2026, 74 shootings were recorded in the Brussels-Capital Region, causing 30 victims, including 2 fatalities and 28 injuries. At least 54 of these incidents, or approximately 73%, are linked to narcotics trafficking. The trend is upward: 56 shootings in 2022, 62 in 2023, 92 in 2024, and 101 in 2025, with the share linked to drugs remaining between 64% and 76% depending on the year.

The system is part of the Regional Strategy to Combat Narcotics Trafficking, approved on February 27, 2024, and March 11, 2024, by the Regional Security Council (CoReS) expanded to include mayors, established by Article 37bis of the law of December 7, 1998. Its governance rests on three levels: political (expanded CoReS), strategic (regional security cell coordinated by safe.brussels), and operational (local task forces).

Scooters, nitrous oxide, and pyrotechnics

In the targeted neighborhoods, the circulation and parking of electric scooters, whether shared or private, are prohibited in public spaces. Users may, however, cross the neighborhood boundaries by pushing the vehicle by hand, as pedestrians. Operators holding a license under the ordinance of November 29, 2018, must ensure that no shared scooters circulate or are parked there.

The measure is motivated by quantified findings: from January 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026, 175 shootings were recorded across the urban area, 125 of which were linked to narcotics trafficking, and 56 of these incidents (including 27 since 2026) involved an electric scooter, or approximately 45%. The King’s Prosecutor of Brussels had reported this modus operandi in a letter dated November 4, 2025.

Across the entire regional territory:

• sale of nitrous oxide prohibited, except to professionals demonstrating such status;
• preparatory acts for ignition, possession, transport, display, and sale of category F2 and P1 pyrotechnic articles prohibited;
• preparatory acts, display, and transport of categories F3, F4, T1, T2, and P2 prohibited;
• category F1 excluded from the scope of prohibitions.

Alcohol, identity checks, and drug purchases

In hotspots, the take-away sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., seven days a week, with the exception of beverage outlets, restaurants, and delivery services. Vending machines for alcoholic beverages are prohibited in public places, and consumption on public roads is prohibited 24 hours a day. The mayor may grant exemptions for activities with limited or occasional impact.

It is also prohibited to cause nuisances by seeking sellers or intermediaries, to be in public space for the sole purpose of purchasing illicit drugs, or to exchange money for this purpose. Police services are authorized 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to carry out identity checks, administrative seizures, and security searches. The decree cites the annual report of the Observatory directorate of safe.brussels, according to which nuisances related to alcohol or drugs concern 41% of Brussels respondents.

Nineteen neighborhoods listed in the appendix

The appendix lists the neighborhoods qualified as hotspots: Chaussée d’Anvers, Matongé, Yser, Querelle, Versailles, Porte de Hal, Clémenceau, Peterbos, Saint-Antoine, Gare du Midi, Gare du Nord, Étangs Noirs, Ribaucourt, Bonnevie, Paal/Kolom, Aumale, Parc Elisabeth, Marbotin, and Gray.

The mayor qualifies a neighborhood as a hotspot based on an analysis of objective data and determines its exact perimeter by police ordinance, published via posting and on the municipal website; safe.brussels maintains a centralized public register of ordinances and perimeters. Each hotspot is evaluated at least once per quarter, with a reasoned request for maintenance or removal addressed to the Minister-President. In the event of a very serious threat, the mayor may add complementary measures: local traffic zone, prohibition of gatherings, prohibition of location, nighttime closure of establishments, curfew, or speed limit.

The measures of Chapter I shall apply until November 15, 2027. Infringements of the prohibitions regarding pyrotechnics and nitrous oxide are sanctioned by the penalties provided for by the law of March 6, 1818. The decree is notified to all Brussels mayors, who are responsible for posting and publishing it the following day, as well as to the National Crisis Center; an application for annulment may be filed with the Council of State within 60 days of publication.

Source: Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur belge) No. 243 of October 23, 2026, p. 57310-57324, decree of the Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region of October 19, 2026, reference C − 2026/007833.