New legislation in Belgium as of April 1st, 2018
As the government is set to introduce new laws, here is a guide to the regulatory changes coming to Belgium as of 1st of April.
Enjoying TV apps in the EU
Good news with regard to travels. After the roaming charges have come to an end last year, another EU directive will make your trips more enjoyable. The European Parliament voted for a new regulation on “digital portability” at the end of last year.
Should you have subscribed to Proximus, VOO or Telenet, you now can have access to the TV app across the EU with the same conditions that applies to Belgium. Goodbye geoblocking.
eCall system deployed in all the new vehicles
Road safety has always been a big deal and political measures have kept on being implemented over the past decades to reduce the road accidents and deaths. After the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union found an agreement in 2015, the eCall system is now compulsory for all the new vehicles sold in the EU.
In case you face an accident, the system will automatically call the ‘112’ emergency phone number in the territory of the EU. You also can call it manually. And both Galileo and EGNOS will enable to geolocalise the vehicle all whilst keeping your data private and secure.
New minimum social costs for freelancers
In case you have recently thought about starting a new career on a freelance basis, be aware that the rules on the social costs for the 1st year have changed. The new threshold which serves for the calculation of minimum costs has decreased from €13,550.50 to €6,997.55.
If you earn from €6,997.55 to €13,550.50 during the first year, you will also benefit from a reduced quarterly cost.
The law on fake declaration of paternity enters into force
This new law was adopted last July and aims to fight against the declaration of paternity which allows undocumented people to remain in Belgium. These provisions have been fully led by both Theo Francken, the State Secretary for Asylum and Migration, and Koen Geens, the Minister of Justice.
As of now, a local civil registrar can refuse the declaration of paternity for a child born out of wedlock if they suspect a parent of residence fraud, even if the biological connection is real.
Several organizations, including the ‘Ligue des droits de l’Homme’ (LDH), have brought an action for annulment before the constitutional court to cancel it.
