Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Hundreds of magistrates in Antwerp warned of a collapsing justice system. Guido Vermeiren and Bart Willocx urged urgent budgets, staffing, digitisation, and prison reforms through 100 proposals.
As VRT News reported, Hundreds of magistrates gathered outside the Antwerp courthouse to raise alarm over the state of Belgium’s justice system. They mentioned that the protest is part of a national wave of actions that has been taking place for months.
Judges and prosecutors say the system is under severe strain and warn it could collapse without urgent measures. In response, the courts and public prosecutor’s offices of Antwerp and Limburg have drawn up 100 proposals aimed at solving the crisis. Their top demand is a clear long-term vision supported by proper budgets.
They argue that many courthouses are unsafe and outdated, pointing to buildings in poor condition that put staff and visitors at risk. They call for security upgrades such as scanning lanes, badge doors, and alarm systems, as well as urgent renovations.
Magistrates also stress the need for full digitization. They want case files, rulings, and judgments available online and say that artificial intelligence must be introduced quickly to prevent the backlog of cases from growing further.
What is driving Antwerp magistrates to warn Belgium’s justice system is on the brink of collapse?
The proposals also focus on people and staffing. Magistrates say courts are crippled by staff shortages and slow recruitment. The recent pension reform has added more frustration, with magistrates warning it makes the profession less attractive. They want faster hiring, reserve pools of clerks and magistrates, and measures that improve working conditions.
They mentioned that the situation in prisons is another major concern. Overcrowding, poor facilities, and a lack of care services have created what magistrates describe as inhumane detention. They warn that this leads to problems in enforcing sentences and erodes public trust in justice.
Belgium’s top magistrates have warned that the justice system is on the brink of collapse. Guido Vermeiren, Attorney General in Limburg, and Bart Willocx, Chief President of the Antwerp Court of Appeal, described the situation as “five to twelve.” They said courts are underfunded and risk running aground on several fronts.
Vermeiren stressed that he does not want another incident to occur before action is taken, warning it could cause “untold suffering.” He added that the judiciary does not have the resources to fight the challenges it faces.
The current leverage plan from the justice department, he said, is limited and offers only “appetisers” instead of real solutions. Magistrates are calling for long-term budgets to cover buildings, staff, security, and digital reforms, warning that without investment, the system will weaken.
“We are in danger of getting stuck on all fronts.”
Guido Vermeiren – Attorney General of Limburg
“Some things take time. But we need a long-term vision for justice, with a budgetary plan that spans the legislative periods.”
“If nothing changes, if we don’t get the necessary resources, we’ll face new problems,”
Willocx agrees.
“Then soon it will be five past twelve instead of five to twelve. If you say you want to ensure people’s safety, you have to provide the resources.”
Vermeiren also acknowledged that change will not happen immediately. He pointed to organised crime, particularly drug networks, as one of the main pressures on courts in Limburg and Antwerp. He explained that major cases, once rare, have now become routine, creating a heavy workload that courts struggle to manage. These complex cases demand more staff and more time, and the shortage of trained people is holding back progress.
“What used to be exceptional is now quite normal,”
Vermeiren said.
He warned that courts want to handle these cases effectively, but cannot do so without reinforcements. Magistrates stated that investing in additional personnel and resources on an urgent basis is the only response to stabilise the justice system and ultimately ensure sentences are served with appropriate certainty.
A protest by around 1,000 magistrates and court employees took place at the Palais de Justice in Brussels on June 27, 2025, to denounce years of underfunding, unsafe court houses, and staffing shortages. These protests followed a protest from April 2025, in which public prosecutors refused to accept the pension reform from the government and suspended cooperation with parliament.
In addition to the previous demand from August 2024, where courts asked for an extra 100 million euros to help curb delays in cases, improve and ameliorate working conditions, and hasten digital reform, the unrest in Antwerp was taking place. And also, while a new remand prison is scheduled to be opened in the spring of 2026, there is still an old and dilapidated remand prison built in the 1850s that has multiple detainees overcrowding it.
