Get The Visibility Your Company Needs
Reduce compliance risks and mobility costs while managing individual and project-related travel with ImmiSMART: the solution that unifies your travel and mobility programs.
BELGIUM: Transposition of EU Directives – State of Play
October 25, 2018
On 19 October 2018, the Council of Ministers approved a draft royal decree on the issuance of single permits. This represents the last major piece of legislation to fully implement the Single Permit Directive (2011/98/EU).
The draft amends certain provisions of the Royal Decree of 8 October 1981 and introduces new provisions.
Note: The Single Permit Directive should have been transposed at latest by 25 December 2013. On 13 July 2017, the EU Commission referred Belgium to the Court of Justice, for failing to fully implement the said directive (a previous referral was put on hold in April 2016).
Intra-Corporate Transfer (ICT) and Researchers Directives – A Step Forward
On 19 October, the Council of Ministers agreed on the submission to the Cooperation Committee of a draft cooperation agreement between the Federal State, the three regions (Wallonia, Flanders and Brussels) and the German-speaking community, implementing the Cooperation Agreement on the coordination of policies for the granting of work and residence permit authorisations to third-country nationals.
The Cooperation Committee is composed of ministers from the federal government and the governments of the Communities and Regions, and debates issues that require collaboration between the different levels of legislative power.
The draft cooperation agreement lays down the specific arrangements for the implementation of the Cooperation Agreement of 2 February 2018, and partially transposes the ICT Directive (2014/66) and the Researchers Directive (2016/801).
Note: The ICT Directive should have been transposed at latest by 29 November 2016 (reasoned opinion addressed by the Commission on 4 October 2017). The Researchers Directive should have been transposed at latest by 23 May 2018 (formal notice addressed by the Commission on 19 July 2018).
Seasonal Workers Directive
On 19 July 2018, the EU Commission referred Belgium to the European Court of Justice for failing to fully implement the Seasonal Workers Directive (Directive 2014/36/EU).
The Seasonal Workers Directive should have been transposed at latest by 30 September 2016
Our Advice
Employers who may be affected by the upcoming changes to the work and residence permit rules and procedures in Belgium are encouraged to contact their Newland Chase immigration specialist for case-specific advice.
For general advice and information on immigration and business travel to Belgium, please email us at [email protected]
