The Coordination Committee, in meeting the federal government and the executive bodies of federate entities, concluded an agreement on Wednesday. Its purpose: the implementation of an inter-regional transitional organ to transfer the administration of family allowances to the regions. The point was made by the department of Prime Minister, Charles Michel, to the Belga press agency. The participants also agreed to the financial package for the plan.
The sixth state reform transfers family allowances directly to the regions. The new regime will enter into force in 2019, in the case of the entities who are most ready to operate it. At the beginning of the month, the Coordination Committee decided upon the transfer of the main and provincial buildings owned by Famifed, the federal agency for family allowances.
On Wednesday, the Coordination Committee established the implementation of an inter-regional transitional organ. The responsibility of the organ is to ensure the transfer of the family allowances system to the regions takes place as efficiently as possible. It will in particular have responsibility for ending the financial control of the federal coffers, the supervision of complaints procedures and for advice in the process of being provided. The body’s remit will also include the handling of social fraud cases, as well as the maintenance of IT infrastructures.
The federate entities have also agreed to process allowances for foreign nationals (who must be established in Belgium for at least five years to qualify) in the same way.
The agreement also covers the financial struture for the plan. The Famifed reserve fund, totalling €16.7 million euro, and the administrative reserve fund, with a credit of €79 million, will be divided amongst the federate entities according to the number of children within the remit of the given entity. The last point was stipulated by Frédéric Cauderlier, the Prime Minister’s spokesman.
The Brussels Times
