Cars, justice and speech therapy: What changes in Belgium on 1 September

A number of changes come into force for Belgian residents on 1 September, including reforms related to the justice system, cars, social benefits and pensions.

Flanders will relax its rules on roadworthiness testing. Following an initial test carried out after four years, private cars will only need to undergo the roadworthiness test every two years. This is not yet the case in Brussels and Wallonia.

Motorists also remain free to choose their vehicle inspection centre, which authorities believe will lead many people to go to Flanders for an inspection certificate that will be valid for longer than if they were to obtain it elsewhere.

Insurance certificates will also no longer be checked at roadworthiness test centres in Flanders and the deadline for rectifying major faults is being extended from 15 days to two months.

In terms of justice, a new scale of penalties, imprisonment increasingly viewed as a last resort, and the introduction of the offence of ecocide are among changes to the criminal code.

A major change is the abolition of the traditional distinction between crimes, misdemeanours and minor offences. This system will be replaced by a graduated scale of penalties comprising eight levels, ranging from the least serious offences (such as slander, contempt of court or the celebration of a religious marriage before a civil ceremony) to the most serious (such as femicide or domestic murder).

Another shift in philosophy is that imprisonment is regarded as an "ultimum remedium", or a last resort. If another sanction, such as community service or a fine, achieves the same objectives, imprisonment should not be the preferred option. A judge who opts for a custodial sentence must give reasons for this decision.

Ecocide is also specifically criminalised as of 1 September, covering environmental damage of exceptional gravity.

Certain offences will also be subject to harsher penalties, such as domestic violence, violence against people in a position of authority - such as police officers, doctors, teachers - and terrorism.

Also from 1 September, the rules governing the reimbursement of speech and language therapy will be modernised "to better meet patients’ actual needs", according to the office of health minister Frank Vandenbroucke.

Patients with head and neck cancer will now be able to receive preventive speech and language therapy even before their treatment begins.

Administrative procedures will also be simplified for children born with a cleft lip, palate or alveolar cleft. For patients with chronic speech disorders linked to a neurological condition, 60-minute sessions may now be arranged where therapeutically necessary.

New Inami health insurance rates will also come into force on 1 September for doctors, particularly for consultations and home visits.

Among other changes, social security benefits, pensions and civil servants’ salaries will be increased by 2%. This applies in particular to various unemployment benefits, incapacity for work benefits, certain family allowances/social benefits and other benefits linked to inflation.