The Francophone Commercial Court in Brussels announced it will defer all cases where the Belgian state or a public authority is the plaintiff, including bankruptcy files, as a protest against underfunding and proposed pension reforms for judges.
According to the court’s spokesperson, the justice system receives €1.4 billion, representing just 0.44% of total government expenditure, while a 2024 workload study revealed judges work an average of 54 hours a week.
Spokesperson Pierre-Yves de Harven explained that, based on these calculations, the Brussels court should have 17.5 judges instead of the current 14, highlighting inadequate conditions across Belgium’s courts, where buildings are in disrepair. Despite demands to achieve more with less, the government plans to reduce judges’ pensions without clarity on calculations or limits.
The spokesperson noted that the uncertainty and frustration among judicial members are profound and emphasised that the issue extends beyond losing so-called privileges, focusing instead on protecting the rule of law by maintaining the quality of justice. Attracting competent professionals will become impossible if the job’s few remaining attractions are removed, they argued.
In line with this protest, the court will no longer handle cases where the state or public authorities are plaintiffs, including bankruptcy proceedings, nor participate in corporate dissolutions. Furthermore, verdicts on the €165 court fee due to the state will not be issued.
The court warns that as long as governmental actions risk citizens’ access to qualitative and timely justice, continue undermining and oppressing the judiciary, it reserves the right to implement additional measures.
