Failed Belgian Police IT Project Costs Taxpayers Millions
The audit identified substantial spending on software licenses that can no longer be used, alongside major weaknesses in project oversight and heavy dependence on external information technology consultants, according to reports published Thursday.
The final expenditure far exceeds the €75.8 million previously reported to parliament by Interior Minister Bernard Quintin.
Launched in late 2021, the i-Police project was designed to modernize police operations by consolidating separate databases into a unified information system. The platform was intended to help law enforcement agencies identify criminal networks and security threats more effectively.
However, Quintin terminated the €299 million contract with French IT consultancy Sopra Steria in December 2025, citing a lack of tangible results despite years of work and payments.
The Court of Audit found that approximately €30.8 million had been spent on software licenses, of which €21.6 million, representing 70%, is now unusable by police.
Licenses worth around €7.3 million were never used, while another €14.2 million worth had been used during development but became unusable after the project was abandoned.
Auditors warned that the financial burden could continue beyond the initial expenditure, as maintenance, technical support and license renewal fees may generate additional costs for years.
The findings emerge as Belgium faces mounting pressure to improve its public finances, with its budget deficit and government debt remaining well above European Union fiscal limits.
Data published by Eurostat on Oct. 21 showed that Belgium’s budget deficit reached 5.2% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025.
Government debt stood at 108.1% of GDP at the end of that year, placing Belgium among the EU’s most heavily indebted member states.
Both figures exceed the bloc’s reference thresholds, which limit budget deficits to 3% of GDP and public debt to 60%.
Belgium remains under the EU’s Excessive Deficit Procedure, which requires member states to take corrective measures when their public finances breach the bloc’s fiscal requirements.
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