Costlier hospital insurance and ban on plastic bags: Changes on 1 September

A number of changes to regional and federal regulations will come into effect on Friday, 1 September. One of the most notable is the ban on plastic shopping bags in Brussels.

Shops and supermarkets will no longer be allowed to pack groceries or other goods into plastic bags in the Brussels-Capital Region, in an effort to encourage the use of more sustainable alternatives. Shops have until November to use up their stocks. The ban also includes plastic bags handed out by non-food retailers, such as clothing shops.

An exception is made for fruit and vegetables, as well as foodstuffs that could leak, although those will also be banned as of September 2018.

Also as of Friday, welfare benefits will increase slightly. Those living entirely on benefits get 0.9% more, the equivalent of €8 a month for a single person, €5 for a couple and about €10 for a family of three or more. The minimum pension is also going up, as well as unemployment and disability benefits.

Hospital insurance policies with DKV, the market leader in Belgium, will cost more – an increase of 5.5% for those who signed up between 2000 and 2015, an average increase of €44 annually for an adult and €14 for a child.

New cars will be subjected to more stringent tests on emissions and fuel consumption, switching from the old NEDC test method to WLTP, which stands for Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure.

The Brussels-Capital Region is adopting a measure already used in Flanders that offers green loans for investments in renewable energy, such as solar panels or heat pumps. The interest on the loans ranges from zero to 2%.

Finally, self-employed women who give birth will no longer have to apply for free service cheques for home help; they will be distributed automatically. Previously, 12.5% of eligible women failed to apply for the cheques.