Brussels municipalities offer discounts for changing 'foreign-sounding' first names
In Brussels and elsewhere in Belgium, people can change their first name, but there is a fee for doing so. However, discounts are given for changing "ridiculous or obnoxious" forenames, for people without a forename on their birth certificate or after a gender change. In Etterbeek, however, discounts are also given if a person's original forename sounds "foreign", writes RTBF.
Since 2018, changing a forename has been a municipal responsibility, with costs municipalities can determine. Etterbeek, one of the 19 Brussels municipalities, has taken an unusual approach to this rule, offering a discount for "foreign-sounding" names.
"The fact that some communes continue to set criteria, such as foreign-sounding first names, is worrying," says Ahmed Mouhssin (Ecolo), a regional MP. The rule has also been adopted by the Brussels communes of Evere and Forest, but not by the City of Brussels or Koekelberg.
"If my name is Mohamed, a foreign-sounding name, and I want to be called Pascal, I'm told I can get a discount"
"When we contact one of these local authorities and ask for a list of foreign-sounding first names to qualify for the famous discount, we are told that it doesn't exist," he said. "But what does that mean? If my name is Mohamed, a foreign-sounding name, and I want to be called Pascal, I'm told I can get a discount."
He believes the regulations represent a desire for assimilation "but also a way of keeping part of the population in the category of people of foreign origin, regardless of how long they have lived in Belgium or how many generations have gone before them. The same rate should apply everywhere".
No legal action necessary
According to Bernard Clerfayt (DéFI), the minister responsible for local government, local authorities simply follow the rules. "The exercise of supervisory powers relates to the legality of these rules, particularly in the light of the constitutional principles of equal treatment and non-discrimination in taxation between taxpayers," he said.
"The municipalities that have decided to charge a fee for changing first names have all complied with these principles, ensuring that the fee is not higher for cases involving foreign-sounding first names. For this reason, no legal action against these regulations has been deemed necessary."
Free service for everyone
In the Brussels region, some local authorities, such as Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, have abolished the conditions for granting a reduction and offer a free service for all requests to change a first name. The procedure takes three months, a period given to the applicant to assess the consequences of his request.
2022 was a record year for first name changes, as 5,104 people went to their local council office to change their first name. The procedure is reserved for Belgians, recognised refugees and stateless persons. The first name(s) requested must not confuse and must not harm you or anyone else.
© IMAGEGLOBE
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