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IMPORTANT INCREASE OF THE PERSONAL LIABILITY OF DIRECTORS, SUBCONTRACTORS AND EMPLOYEES! On February 1, 2024, Book 6 of the New Civil Code was approved by parliament. This new book reforms Belgian extra-contractual liability law. The increase of the liability of 'auxiliary persons', such as directors of companies and associations, subcontractors and employees, is particularly striking. For these individuals, it is crucial to proactively take measures to protect against potential future claims that may be brought against them.

Discover the new rules on financial subcontracting in the construction, meat and house removal sectors from 2025. Find out how this legislation tackles social dumping and what sanctions apply.

Quentin Herbinaux asked for Grant Thornton’s financial advice in order to professionalise chemical company Dequachim. In ‘On a roll’ he shares his experiences.

The new 2024 legislation on private investigations brings significant changes, including mandatory licenses, stricter data protection, and integrity standards. Find out how the new law affects private investigators, HR departments, and compliance teams.

Discover the new sanctions for non-compliance with the procedures for floating work schedules after the reform of the Social Criminal Code, in force since 1 July 2024

Sanctions if articles of association are not adapted to the new Companies and Associations Code (“WVV”) in time.

On 1 July 2024, the register for working partners and assistants was introduced in the Belgian construction and cleaning sectors. As part of the broader fight against social security fraud, businesses in these sectors are required to list their working partners and assistants in this register using a specific application in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE). This will help ensure fair competition and the efficient collection of social security contributions. In addition, a further withholding obligation will be introduced in 2026.

On 21 June 2024, the Law amending social criminal law and introducing various employment law provisions was published in the Belgian Official Gazette. Most of the changes concern measures to combat illegal work and social security fraud. As well as amendments to the Social Criminal Code, provisions are also included on the organisation of the subcontracting chain and joint and several liability for payroll debts. As the latter provisions will not enter into force until 2025, we will discuss them at a later date. This article focuses on the main changes to the Social Criminal Code.

In a new ‘On a roll’ managing director Olivier Waleffe shares how Grant Thornton assisted the dramatic transition of Duferco. Watch the video!

Belgian company law has followed the wider trend towards digitisation in recent years – albeit only gradually. Below we take a brief look at some examples of this and the benefits it can offer in practice.

Employers are now required to register all formal and informal training in a separate database, the Federal Learning Account (FLA).

Discover the significant changes in Belgian insolvency law following the implementation of the Law of 7 June 2023, which transposes the European Restructuring Directive. Key reforms include enhanced roles for the Chamber for Companies in Difficulty, updated extrajudicial amicable agreements, new private agreement procedures, and the introduction of silent bankruptcy. These changes aim to provide more options for entrepreneurs in difficulty, ensuring the continuity of economically viable businesses. Learn more about these developments and their impact on the Belgian insolvency landscape

In the course of 2023, the European Mobility Directive was transposed into Belgian law. As a result of this transposition, a number of new restructuring methods were introduced, including the simplified sister merger, the main features of which are explained below.

Until 1 January 2024, the erection of signboards in Flanders was still subject to rules dating from the 1930s and 1950s. As these rules were very outdated and not adapted to the various modern options, the Flemish Government definitively approved the Regional Publicity Regulation 2023 on 12 May 2023. This regulation has two substantive objectives: the promotion of good spatial planning and road safety. The regulation applies to all signboards put up from 1 January 2024 onwards. Existing signboards therefore remain subject to the old rules. What are the main changes under the new regulation? We will briefly go over them here.

Since 1 September 2023, stricter rules have applied to debt recovery, in order to protect consumers against unreasonably high interest rates and aggressive recovery practices. Companies with B2C activities therefore need to adapt their contractual conditions and recovery process to the new rules. We briefly list the changes.

The new regulations on the mandatory appointment of a confidant came into effect on 1 December 2023 .