Hundreds of magistrates and court staff from all over Belgium staged an unprecedented press conference in the Palais de Justice in Brussels on Friday, to speak out against the ongoing underfunding and neglect of the justice system.
The initiative for the protest came from the Court of Cassation and the country's five courts of appeal. The presidents of these courts, together with the public prosecutors at the Court of Cassation and the courts of appeal, as well as the Federal Prosecutor Frédéric Van Leeuw, signed an official appeal to the legislative and executive powers.
"We ask to be received by the Prime Minister and the President of the Chamber, to engage in a respectful and constructive dialogue," said Eric de Formanoir, First President of the Court of Cassation.
For weeks, there has been growing discontent within the judiciary system, partly caused by the Federal Government's plans to reform the pension system for magistrates and court staff.
Press conference of the Court of Cassation in Brussels, Friday 27 June 2025. Credit: Belga/Jasper Jacobs
These plans for budget cuts have been met with protests from virtually all courts, tribunals, public prosecutors' offices and public prosecutors' offices, which have also consistently denounced a number of long-standing abuses, such as the years of cuts that have seriously compromised working conditions within the judiciary, and the failure to enforce court decisions.
This discontent reached a peak on Friday, just before the start of the judicial recess, with an unprecedented press conference by the country's highest magistrates.
They called on the Federal Government and Parliament, the two other constitutional powers, to "fully recognise the judiciary as a state power, in accordance with the status guaranteed to it by the Constitution, by allocating it sufficient financial resources so that it can provide quality justice to those seeking it."
"We ask that the social role of judges and prosecutors be fully recognised, that the necessary maintenance or renovation work be carried out in all courthouses, that all positions be fully filled, that further investment be made in digitisation, and that resources be made available to enforce all judgments," he stressed.
Press conference of the Court of Cassation in Brussels, Friday 27 June 2025. Credit: Belga/Jasper Jacobs
The magistrates stressed that their complaints "of underfunding, dilapidated courthouses and substandard working conditions for magistrates and a flawed penal system" are not new. "In fact, we have had to repeat these complaints for years because the essence is not being heard, or not being taken seriously."
As a result, hundreds of them came to Brussels for the first time today to deliver the same message in their black robes, standing in a courtroom in Brussels' biggest courthouse.
"These are not complaints from what are perceived as people in an elitist profession. These complaints primarily serve the interests of those who are not present here: the fellow citizens of this country," they said. "The only things we are asking for are respect and dignity."
The magistrates stressed that it is the Federal Government and Parliament – the executive and legislative powers, respectively – who hold the keys to making this possible. "Justice is part of everyone, and everyone is part of justice."
