Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) -Special courts are planned by the federal government to accommodate consumer legal claims. Vooruit Minister of Consumer Protection Rob Beenders disclosed this information through a Het Laatste Nieuws interview.
The federal authority intends to implement specialised consumer courts which focus on fraud prevention within the construction industry. In his interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, Rob Beenders (Vooruit), who serves as Minister of Consumer Protection, disclosed this plan. The planned tribunals have been created with the objective of simplifying legal processes and shortening timeframes so consumers can more effectively take action against businesses.
This initiative forms part of an initiative to update the Breyne Law, which has managed residential construction and sales since the 1970s alongside enhanced consumer protection in developer-contractor disputes.
For example, people who build or renovate a house and face problems if the contractor goes bankrupt. Or those who buy a new apartment only to find the parking is not watertight,
he explained.
Suing contractors and developers is often difficult because they have time and money and can wear people down. The law currently does not adequately protect consumers.
These courts should ensure quicker and easier procedures so that people are not deterred by threats from the opposing party,
Beenders stated.
What is the history behind the push for consumer courts?
The construction sector in Belgium experienced prolonged difficulties with consumer disputes throughout many years. Construction-related complaints comprised about 20% of total disputes reported to the European Consumer Centre Belgium during 2022 while embracing a wide spectrum of construction-related issues. Modern construction and sales confront serious challenges that exceed the regulatory capabilities of the Breyne Law, which was enacted in the 1970s.
Test Achats, a consumer rights organisation from 2021, studied how 65% of customers gave up making legal claims against contractors because filing suits became too costly and complicated. The construction sector has developed negative press because of its unclear practices, and 30% of construction disputes are composed of delayed projects with unmet contractual requirements. The government’s plan to form dedicated consumer courts backs up EU-wide initiatives for consumer protection, which were set forth in the 2020 New Consumer Agenda.
