Belgium's Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden said on Monday that the federal government is continuing to invest in the prison system despite severe budget pressures, but warned there is no quick fix for problems that have built up over decades.
The statements come following the start of a five-day strike in Belgian prisons. The strike started at 22:00 on Sunday across Belgian prisons after talks between trade unions, the minister’s office and prison authorities failed to produce what unions described as concrete solutions.
Unions say the prison system continues to face chronic overcrowding, staff shortages, and serious infrastructure and safety problems.
Speaking on De Ochtend on Monday, ACOD union representative Robby De Kaey sharply criticised the minister, saying two sets of emergency measures had still not delivered any structural improvement.
He also condemned the practice of requisitioning staff during strikes.
In response, Verlinden’s (CD&V) office said the minister recognises the unions’ concerns, but insisted work is under way to address them.
It pointed to a sectoral agreement aimed at making prison work more financially attractive and improving staff welfare and safety.
The office also said new measures will come into force on 1 October.
Longer-term structural steps, including the return of detainees without legal residence rights and the creation of extra prison capacity, are intended to ease overcrowding over the medium to long term.
According to the minister’s office, a large share of the additional justice funding secured at her request is being directed to the prison system.
It also said that, for the first time, several ministers are taking coordinated action within their own areas of responsibility to tackle the issue.
In a written statement, the office acknowledged that the impact of those measures may not yet be sufficiently visible.
But it said all parties should recognise that, in a very difficult budgetary context, the government is investing in prisons and that some measures have yet to take effect.
The minister’s office added that overcrowding, staff shortages and poor infrastructure have been a priority since Verlinden took office.
However, it said there is no “magical solution” that can fully resolve a decades-old problem within a year and a half.
It further described last week’s labour talks as constructive, although it did not lead to an agreement.
The office said dialogue must remain the priority and that the door remains open for unions to continue talks.
