New restrictions on alcohol sales in hospitals, petrol stations and vending machines come into force from Monday 1 July, the FPS Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment said in a press release published on Friday. These measures are part of the 2023-2025 interfederal plan to combat harmful alcohol consumption.
From July 1, the sale of alcoholic beverages in vending machines will be banned, as well as in hospitals, except for non-refrigerated beer and wine. As for motorway service stations, they will no longer be able to sell alcohol between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Roadside restaurants will be allowed to continue.
Checks will begin on July 1. In the event of non-compliance, fines ranging from 208 to 24,000 euros in the event of repeat offenses are provided for.
These restrictions are part of the 2023-2025 interfederal plan to combat harmful alcohol consumption, which includes 75 actions inspired by the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the Superior Health Council. Prevention and awareness of the links between cancers, road deaths, advertising and alcohol consumption, particularly among young people, are among the points of attention. In this sense, the plan provides in particular that “minors aged 16 and over will no longer be able to buy alcohol with the exception of unfortified wine and beer”.
“Alcohol, which is often associated with moments of conviviality and relaxation, can have harmful repercussions, both for the consumer, those around them and for society at large when consumed in a harmful way,” recalls the FPS. According to the 2018 Sciensano health survey, 14% of Belgians drink alcohol in excess, i.e. more than 10 units of alcohol per week, a threshold that should not be exceeded to limit health risks.
The indexed kilometer tax in Flanders and Brussels
The kilometre tax for heavy goods vehicles will be indexed in Flanders and Brussels from 1 July, announced Viapass, the public body responsible for this levy.
In order to encourage less polluting logistics transport, the preferential rate of zero cents/km already granted to zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) on the entire Flemish road network will also come into force in the Brussels-Capital Region on this date. The software of the OBUs (On Board Units), devices that record the kilometres travelled by trucks, will be automatically updated with the new rates.
The kilometre charge has been in force in Belgium since April 2016, based on the simple principle of the user pays: users of motorways and main national roads pay according to the kilometres travelled, the weight and the pollution rate of their vehicle. It concerns heavy goods vehicles intended or used for the transport of goods and whose maximum authorised mass exceeds 3.5 tonnes.
In Wallonia, the kilometre tax rates will remain unchanged, as they were already indexed on 1 January 2024. No new toll roads (kilometres) will be added in Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region, Viapass specifies. In the Walloon Region, part of the N246 in Tubize will no longer be subject to the kilometre charge for trucks.
Walloons who use family help will pay less
Walloons who use family help will pay less from 1 July. In April, the regional government adopted a reduction in the contributory share of beneficiaries of 1.5 euros per hour worked, thus increasing Wallonia’s contribution from 0.4 to 1.9 euros per hour worked.
Family and senior support services employ family carers, senior carers and home carers who provide support to isolated, elderly, disabled or sick people. A financial contribution is requested from the person receiving these services based on income and family situation.
“The situations of beneficiaries of SAFA (support services for families and the elderly) are increasingly complex, particularly due to the aging of the population,” explains the regional Minister of Social Action, Christie Morreale. “Moreover, these services are overwhelmed by demands. It was essential to allow those who need it most to benefit from the support of family help.”
The amount of the mobility allowance exempted by the ONSS will be revised upwards
The amount of mobility allowance exempted by the NSSO will increase from July 1, 2024, according to the human resources service provider Acerta. The maximum exempt amount will thus increase to 0.1929 euros per kilometer.
The mobility allowance consists of a flat-rate reimbursement of travel expenses in sectors of activity where the place of work is not fixed, such as in the case of workers who have to regularly travel to construction sites, for example.
Since 2020, the exemption ceiling has been 0.1579 euros per kilometer. The amount has therefore not followed the same increase as salaries, indexed several times in recent years. To correct this, the maximum amount will increase to 0.1929 euros per kilometer.
The increase in the ceiling will, however, not lead to an automatic increase in the amount provided at the sectoral level, since it is not obligatory to grant the maximum exempt amount.
The royal decree formalizing the increase in the maximum exempt amount was published in the Belgian Official Gazette on May 28, 2024. The measure will come into force on July 1.
Federal authorities will only purchase electric service vehicles
From 1 July, the federal authorities will only purchase or lease electric service vehicles. This measure is part of the European ambition to achieve climate neutrality in Belgium by 2050.
The obligation to switch to “zero-emission” company cars arises from a European directive, but the federal government intends to get a little ahead of the curve, by changing its purchasing behavior from summer 2024 (rather than January 2026) .
The federal authority’s vehicle fleet currently consists of 920 vehicles, not including those of the police or the Defence. These are mainly service vehicles for customs or the social inspection, as well as company cars for some staff members, although this is limited to management positions. Out of a total of 65,000 civil servants, 170 have such a car.
Social tariff for electricity decreases, natural gas tariff increases
The social tariff for electricity will fall from July 1, while that for natural gas will increase, according to calculations by Creg, the federal energy regulator.
The social electricity tariff will fall by 5.5% compared to the second quarter. The single-hourly rate (VAT included) will increase from 18.183 to 17.203 euro cents per kilowatt hour. The exclusive social night rate will drop from 16,921 to 15,490 €cent/kWh.
Regarding natural gas, the social tariff will increase by 2.9% on average. It will be set at 4.457 €cent/kWh compared to 4.331 in the second quarter.
The social rate is a reduced price for certain categories of people or households with modest incomes or benefiting from a social apartment. It is applied to new rights holders every quarter and remains granted until the end of the calendar year
