Brussels government plans to loosen rules on entrepreneurship

Brussels government plans to loosen rules on entrepreneurship

The government of the Brussels-Capital Region will ease entrepreneurship regulations in a move that the State Secretary for Economic Transition Barbara Trachte hopes will not only "stimulate the creation of businesses" but also put an end to "unjustified discriminations".

Trachte proposed the ordinance to the regional government, which subsequently approved it on Wednesday. The reform is set to enter into force by the beginning of 2024 and aims to create fairer conditions for potential entrepreneurs in the capital. It rests on three different measures.

Tweet translation: "Facilitating the creation of businesses and strengthening entrepreneurship as a path to greater liberty and integration. These are strong reasons to simplify the rules on access to these professions in Brussels."

The reform will do away with the basic management knowledge exam. In Brussels, anyone looking to start their own business but who has not obtained a higher education diploma is currently obliged to take this exam, which could only be taken in French or Dutch. Trachte explained that "the absence of a recognised diploma or the language barrier was an obstacle" to many people and represented a form of unjustified discrimination.

The exam also made Brussels a less attractive market for entrepreneurs than Flanders, which got rid of the equivalent test in 2018 after finding that it heavily limited the creation of businesses.

Related News

Once again following in Flanders' footsteps, the Brussels government will also drop the technical qualifications needed for five regulated professions in the hope that this will open up access to pedicurists, masseurs, dental technicians, meat wholesalers and dry cleaners.

Regulations on fairgrounds in the capital will also be loosened, making it easier to organise itinerant and fairground activities around the city.


Copyright © 2024 The Brussels Times. All Rights Reserved.