Road Safety: 254,745 euros granted to Vias Institute for Trendline+

The Belgian Official Gazette of September 29, 2026, publishes a royal decree of September 7, 2026, granting Vias institute a maximum subsidy of 254,745 euros to cover the costs of its national and European coordination of the road safety project Trendline+ (2026-2027). The text, referenced C − 2026/006855 and signed by King Philippe, appears on page 52214 and originates from the Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport. The subsidy is charged to the basic allocation 33 56 80 320001 “Subsidy to Vias institute” of the 2026 budget law.

The decree is based on the law of May 22, 2003, regarding the organization of the budget and accounting of the Federal State (articles 121 to 124), the law of June 28, 2026, containing the first adjustment of the general expenditure budget for the 2026 budget year, and the opinion of the Finance Inspector of August 18, 2026. It is adopted on the proposal of the Minister of Mobility, J.-L. Crucke.

The government justifies the choice of the institute by its longevity — 40 years of activity — and its status as the Belgian reference center for road safety, as the FPS Mobility and Transport does not have the means to take over this role. Vias institute ensured the general coordination of the European project Baseline (2019-2022) and participated in the follow-up project Trendline (2022-2025).

Funding backed by a European call

The Trendline+ project is part of the call “EU-call for proposals CEF-T-2025-TAGENEA-IBA — Technical Assistance to Member States in Road Safety”, for which the European Commission grants Belgium, specifically the FPS Mobility and Transport, a maximum lump sum of 254,745 euros intended for the activities of this two-year project. The federal subsidy is paid subject to obtaining this European grant.

Two distinct activities

The subsidy from the FPS Mobility and Transport to the Vias institute is intended for:

• a first activity of 226,287 euros for the collection of data around several key performance indicators (KPIs) defined by the European Commission;
• a second, smaller activity of 28,458 euros for European coordination by a technical secretariat.

Vias institute may partially subcontract the first activity regarding behavioral measurements; for the second, subcontracting to a European partner is mandatory.

Payment in two installments and financial control

The payment of the maximum subsidy is made in two installments:

• 60% of the total grant, paid within 30 days following the signature of the grant agreement, to the institute’s account BE02 3630 4373 7340, whose company number is 0432 570 411;
• the balance, corresponding to a maximum of 40% of the total envelope, after the completion of the Trendline+ project and after approval by the European Commission of the Belgian final report and the balance due.

For this balance, Vias institute shall submit to the FPS Mobility and Transport, before the end of February 2028, a claim for payment as well as a detailed financial report on the costs incurred, including supporting documents (invoices) and records of hours worked. Payment shall occur within 30 days following the receipt of this balance from the European Commission.

Designation of the coordinator and administrative framework

Vias institute has been designated by the FPS Mobility and Transport and by the three regional authorities as the national coordinator of the second Trendline+ follow-up project (2026-2027), following discussion of the file in the inter-cabinet working group on November 25, 2025, in preparation for the Interministerial Conference. The missions resulting from the decree, the financing and payment modalities, as well as the sanctions in case of non-compliance, are the subject of a grant agreement between the Belgian State and the institute. In accordance with Article 3, 3°, of the Law of January 12, 2007, on gender mainstreaming, Article 2.1 of this agreement is strictly applied. The Minister responsible for Mobility is charged with the execution of the decree.

For the readers, this text secures the federal funding of a road user behavior measurement system that feeds European road safety performance indicators. However, the first payment remains subject to the signature of the grant agreement, and the balance to the approval of the Belgian final report by the European Commission.

Source: Belgian Official Gazette of September 29, 2026, royal decree of September 7, 2026, reference C − 2026/006855, p. 52214.