A court in Brussels has ruled that the Belgian State must lift “all coronavirus measures” within 30 days. This is as a result of the court ruling that the legal basis for them is insufficient. The court made its ruling yesterday on a lawsuit filed by ‘The League for Human Rights’ which challenged Belgium’s system of implementing the measures using Ministerial Decrees. This has meant that measures have been implemented without any input from parliament.
The judge’s ruling means that the Belgian State now has 30 days to provide a sound legal basis, or it will face a penalty of €5,000 per day for every day that the period is exceeded, with a maximum limit of €200,000. In Belgium, their coronavirus measures are based on the Civil Safety Act of 2007, which enables the State to react quickly in “exceptional circumstances”. However, the judge hearing the lawsuit has now ruled that these laws cannot serve as a basis for the Ministerial Decrees.
Kati Verstrepen of the Human Rights League has said: “The judge ruled that the principle of legality has been violated because the current way of working is not foreseeable enough”. UNN’s Oliver Down understands that the office of Belgium’s Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden is currently studying the verdict.
Several legal experts had previously warned the Belgian state over the legality of their coronavirus powers as they feared that judges would begin cancelling fines written out for violations of the measures. This latest ruling will only serve to heighten those concerns.
Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!
[sibwp_form id=4]
