Growing number of euthanasia cases prompts concerns from oversight authority

An increase in cases of euthanasia in Belgium has prompted concerns from the country's Commission for the Control and Evaluation of Euthanasia about a lack of resources needed to continue its oversight work.

The commission said that receiving more resources was "essential and a priority", and that the continuity of its activities will be jeopardised without an increase in support.

The commission – which recently published its 11th biennial report – notes an increasing workload from year to year, to the point where it may no longer be able to keep up if matters worsen.

There were 2,966 recorded cases of euthanasia in 2022 and 3,423 in 2023, with a greater diversity of patient profiles.

But the commision said that the resources allocated to it had not changed since 2003 and it is calling for the administrative framework and human resources to be ‘strengthened’.

There are currently just two secretaries who have to "manage more than 3,500 cases a year, in addition to a growing range of administrative, statistical and communication tasks", according to the report.

This is a "striking imbalance" when compared with similar institutions in the Netherlands, for example.

“Without immediate reinforcement, the continuity of the Commission's activities will inevitably be jeopardised in the event of absence or overload,” the report reads.

The report also pointed to the remuneration of members as an issue, saying that it was "totally disproportionate" to the work carried out. Remuneration is limited to meetings (€20 per meeting, after deduction of a professional deduction), while members have to carry out a number of other tasks on a voluntary basis.

Lastly, the commission said the project to digitise the declaration procedures for euthanasia cases in Belgium must be finalised and that the development of an electronic form "has been blocked since 2023".