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In six months, on 8 April 2026, Belgium will implement the brand-new Criminal Code, marking the first comprehensive update in over 150 years. This reform modernizes and simplifies criminal law by clarifying rules and introducing new concepts. For companies and…

As Belgium’s electricity grid(s), at least in certain areas, approaches saturation and grid reinforcements to meet increasing electrification, lags, flexible connections are envisaged as one potential solution.

Belgian labor law fixes the maximum margin by which labor costs may increase in any given period (the “wage norm”). The reason for this wage norm framework is to preserve the countryʼs competitiveness in the international market.

As artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous robots move from research labs to real-world operations, the question for legal departments is no longer if regulation applies,  but how soon and how far it will reach. The EU is leading this transformation with two cornerstone initiatives: the AI Act, adopted in June 2024, and the Revised Product Liability Directive, applicable from December 2026.

Under the Belgian social security regime, employees contribute 13.07% and employers contribute around 27% of the employee’s remuneration to social security.

The Royal Decree of 5 September 2025, published in the Belgian State Gazette on 15 September 2025, announces the abolition of the system of unemployment with company allowance (UCA), previously known as “bridging pension”, except for the regime of UCA on medical grounds. Transitional measures are provided to allow employees to retain their entitlement to UCA.

The Quality Jobs Act, also referred to as the “Roadmap”, is an initiative launched by the European Commission under the leadership of Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu. Announced in February 2025, the project is expected to take concrete shape by the end of the year. Its aim is to fundamentally improve working conditions across the European Union. It is based on the recommendations of Mario Draghi’s 2024 report. Draghi outlined his personal vision for Europe’s competitiveness, at the Commission’s request. He called for sweeping reforms. 

Since 2022, UN member states have been working toward a global treaty to tackle the growing problem of plastic pollution, following the adoption of a resolution at the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA). From 5 to 15 August, delegates met in Geneva for the sixth round of negotiations, hoping to adopt a final treaty text. However, no agreement was reached.

A recent article published jointly by L’Echo and De Tijd[1] about a poll organised by Agoria[2] highlighted a striking paradox in Belgium’s defence industrial landscape. Despite significant political momentum and new financial instruments being mobilised at both national and EU levels, many Belgian, and especially Flemish, (tech) companies remain hesitant (or find it difficult) to position themselves in the defence sector and/or to market dual use products, i.e. goods, software and technologies designed for civilian applications but which can also be used for military purposes. The reasons, according to the report, include access to financing, lack of contacts with governmental entities involved, and the absence of and/or difficulties with obtaining necessary certifications, licences and security clearances.

In 2021, the Commission adopted guidance clarifying that a national competition authority could refer a transaction under Article 22 EUMR to the Commission for review, even if it was not notifiable under national merger control rules. This allowed authorities to “bypass” the system of EU and national merger control thresholds and enabled the Commission to investigate transactions that fell below these thresholds. Previously, below-threshold transactions had escaped any merger review, which was seen as a major loophole, allowing large multinationals to acquire nascent competitors with no substantial turnover.

The European Commission (Commission) adopted its long-anticipated guidelines on the scope of obligations for general-purpose artificial intelligence (GPAI) models under Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act) (Guidelines) on July 18, 2025. The Guidelines closely follow the publication of the Commission’s and AI Office’s GPAI Code of Practice (Code), which outlines several measures that providers of GPAI models can take to comply with their obligations under the AI Act. Further information on the Code, including key provisions for organizations, is outlined in DLA Piper’s summary of the Code.

The Belgian federal government reached this summer an agreement introducing a series of significant labour law reforms. This political agreement was translated into a draft act on diverse provisions. These measures aim to encourage workforce participation and support more flexible employment. Below, we give an overview of the main elements of this draft act. This draft act is not yet submitted to parliament. It is expected that it will be approved and enter into force before the end of the year.