Koninklijk Circus decision taken to Council of State
The Botanique/Sportpaleis consortium that bid to win the management of Koninklijk Circus in Brussels is appealing the city’s decision to award the contract to Brussels Expo
Concert hall wars
Koninklijk Circus, located on Onderrichtstraat near Botanique, is owned by Brussels-City, but the venue has been run since 1999 by Botanique. Last year, the city council rescinded the contract.
Brussels Expo was then appointed to take over, but Botanique appealed to the Council of State, arguing that there had been no public tender for the management of the venue. When the city council then put the project out to bid, Botanique formed an alliance with Sportpaleis and bid for the contract. But in the end, it went to Brussels Expo.
Botanique/Sportpaleis are claiming conflict of interest, given the council’s links with Brussels Expo, a non-profit chaired by city councillor for tourism Philippe Close. Brussels-City mayor Yvan Mayeur is a member of its board. The appellants are also arguing that the decision lacks transparency.
Based on statements made by members of the council, the consideration of the bids took into account criteria that were not part of the tender requirements, such as the number of artists coming from Wallonia – only 17 in the year leading up to the bid from a total of 230 in the Koninklijk Circus under Botanique management.
Brussels Expo is also unofficially being boycotted by Live Nation, the agency that has a virtual monopoly on booking talent, following a previous dispute.
