Interview | Helena Ruiz Fabra (Ecolo-Groen / Etterbeek)

Brussels Crow | 26.06.2026 | By Kenan Erer

1. What are your main concerns regarding the event planned at Cinquantenaire Park?

We are currently seeking to prevent any disruption to access to the park. The vast majority of park users do not have private gardens, and rely on it as essential shared green space.

Three key principles guide our position: transparency, proportionality, and respect for a major public space that is used daily by residents and already hosts a busy events calendar. Firstly, there remains uncertainty about the overall duration of the park’s occupation and the associated restrictions.

Secondly, there are serious concerns of proportionality regarding the scale of the event: 5,000 invited guests, enhanced security measures, concerts, a 30-minute fireworks display, a drone show, restricted access, and the involvement of multiple public bodies and private operators. This is not a simple one-off celebration, but a significant privatisation of public space with major implications.

Beyond the immediate organisation, the event also sets an important precedent. It raises the question of what level of exceptional and intensive use of a protected and highly symbolic public space is acceptable, and whether similar arrangements could in future be extended to other countries.

The environmental and social impacts are also significant. Cinquantenaire Park is located in a densely populated area and serves as a vital green lung for local residents. Such an event would generate substantial noise and light pollution, affect local biodiversity including sensitive species such as the black swift, and cause considerable disruption for nearby residents. These impacts should not be underestimated.

2. Do you think tensions linked to statements by the U.S. ambassador have influenced perceptions of the event?

We are the Ecolo-Groen local group in Etterbeek, a municipality which manages around one third of the park. At our level, the well-being of residents and park users is what guides our work in the municipal council. It is difficult to measure precisely the extent to which international geopolitical tensions shape public perceptions of this type of event.

That said, as other members of our party at national and European level have also pointed out, Bill White does not act as a traditional ambassador, but rather as a political appointee of the Trump administration, which has been widely criticised for its approach to multilateralism, human rights, and international cooperation, as well as for the increasing polarisation it contributes to globally.

More broadly, the current administration’s foreign policy has generated significant international controversy, particularly in relation to the genocide in Gaza, the war with Iran, and its positions towards countries such as Cuba and Venezuela.

3. What questions or actions do you wish to see addressed at the next municipal council meeting?

Pending the publication and finalisation of environmental protection measures by Brussels Environment, we are calling for clear and comprehensive answers on a number of key points, some of which were not addressed in our previous interpellation or have only been communicated through other channels, mainly the local press.

We are calling for full transparency on both direct and indirect public costs, as well as clarification of what will be covered by the organisers.

We also want to know:

• What is the actual duration of the park’s occupation and associated restrictions?

• Why do persistent discrepancies remain between official communications and what is being reported in the media or observed on the ground?

• Who is responsible for what? Who makes the decisions? And who would be accountable in the event of negative impacts on residents, mobility, or safety?

A wide range of actors are involved — the municipality of Etterbeek, the City of Brussels, police zones, the Buildings Agency, Brussels Environment, private operators, and even the embassy. Finally, we would also like to know whether local elected representatives have been invited to the event and under what conditions any participation would take place.

In short, the aim is to ensure that decisions concerning a major public park such as Cinquantenaire are taken transparently, under proper democratic oversight, and with full respect for residents and the environment.

4. Prime Minister Bart De Wever is expected to attend the celebration. Given the controversy surrounding the event, do you believe his participation is appropriate?

This is not a matter that falls within a level of action that we can directly decide on or influence. For any further clarification regarding the Prime Minister’s schedule or the institutional considerations related to his attendance, it would be more appropriate to contact federal parliamentarians.

That said, as citizens, we believe that, in the context of a North Atlantic Alliance event, limiting the presence of Belgian officeholders to the strict protocol minimum would send a very positive signal.

A local dispute with national implications

Ruiz Fabra’s answers show how the controversy surrounding the U.S. celebration has moved far beyond a simple debate about one event in one park.

At the local level, the central questions are about public access, environmental impact, accountability and the use of shared urban space. But her comments also reflect a wider discomfort with the political context surrounding the event — especially the role played by Ambassador Bill White and the increasingly blurred line between diplomatic representation and political intervention.

As the 28 June celebration approaches, the debate around Cinquantenaire Park is becoming a test not only of Brussels’ event governance, but also of how Belgium’s public institutions respond when diplomacy, symbolism and domestic politics begin to overlap.