European Commission calls for stronger Belgian integrity policy in Rule of Law Report

Belgium should make more efforts to strengthen the integrity of its political system, for example with stricter rules on cooling-off periods at the end of a mandate or on gifts and benefits for members of parliament. The statements come from the European Commission in its annual Rule of Law Report for member states.

The Commission gave the same recommendations last year, but it noted that no progress has been made in Belgium. It is disappointed about the lack of action against revolving door politics.

It observes that there are still “no clear or binding rules regarding cooling-off periods or transitory restrictions for either ministers, their staff or members of parliament, thus limiting their effectiveness”. ​ Another shortcoming is the lack of “clear and consistent rules on gifts and benefits” for MPs.

In addition, the efficiency of the judicial system remains a cause of concern and the Commission again urges Belgium to reduce the length of judicial proceedings. “As noted in prior Rule of Law Reports, a lack of adequate human and financial resources remains a challenge for the justice system, which affects the proper functioning of the justice system and is one of the causes for the excessive length of judicial proceedings,” it says.

The Commission does, however, acknowledge that efforts have been made to address structural human and financial resource shortages in the judiciary system, but there remains a long way to go. The Belgian judiciary’s budget remained below the European average, as did, for example, the number of judges per 100,000 inhabitants.

Since 2020, the Commission has published an annual Rule of Law Report for member states, focusing on crucial democratic pillars such as judicial independence, the fight against corruption and media pluralism.

Based on the report, it aims to take preventive action and engage in dialogue with member states, rather than immediately opening infringement proceedings. This method is working, the Commission claims, pointing out that two-thirds of the recommendations issued in 2023 have been fully or partially addressed by the member states.

^{© PHOTO UDO HERMANN / IMAGO}