Magistrates threaten action on 14 November if government fails to act

Belgium’s magistrates have given the federal government until 13 November to agree on concrete and substantial measures to improve the functioning of the justice system. If no progress is made by then, they plan to demonstrate in Brussels on Friday, 14 November, after which they may take further action. The announcement was made jointly by several professional magistrates' associations.

The judicial world in Belgium has long been denouncing the chronic underfunding of the justice system. Proposed pension reforms for magistrates and court staff have already sparked waves of protest over the past months, with many courts postponing non-urgent cases in a symbolic gesture of defiance.

The magistrates have expressed cautious support for initiatives by Justice minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V), noting that, unlike her colleague responsible for pensions, Jan Jambon (N-VA), she has opened the door to negotiations.

Acknowledgement of receipt

However, the magistrates also report that prime minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) has so far limited his response to acknowledging receipt of their request to meet with the senior leadership of the Court of Cassation.

If the prime minister and the ministers of Justice and Pensions fail to provide a satisfactory response on issues of investment and the attractiveness of the profession, all magistrates, judicial staff, and other members of the legal community will be invited to gather in Brussels "to denounce the neglect of justice and the rule of law".

1,000 magistrates and court staff protest against underfunding of justice system

At the Justice Palace in Brussels, around 1,000 magistrates and other court staff have on Friday protested against the underfunding of the justice...

belganewsagency.eu

This follows a protest at the end of June, when around 1,000 magistrates and court staff demonstrated at the Palace of Justice in Brussels, demanding better funding and working conditions. During the protest, the presidents and procurators general of the Court of Cassation and the five courts of appeal made a rare joint appeal, calling on the government and parliament to recognise the judiciary as a full state power, as set out in the Constitution, and to provide adequate funding to deliver high-quality justice.

^{© BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND}

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