European Foundation
for the Improvement of
Living and Working Conditions

The tripartite EU agency providing knowledge to assist
in the development of better social, employment and
work-related policies

EU PolicyWatch

Database of national-level policy measures

Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.

Factsheet for measure BE-2020-16/421 Updated – measures in Belgium

Support measures for self-employed workers facing difficulties

Ondersteuningsmaatregelen voor zelfstandigen in problemen

Country Belgium , applies nationwide
Time period Open ended, started on 18 April 2020
Context COVID-19, War in Ukraine
Type Legislations or other statutory regulations
Category Supporting businesses to stay afloat
– Deferral of payments or liabilities
Author Dries Van Herreweghe (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) and Eurofound
Measure added 09 April 2020 (updated 20 September 2022)

Background information

Measures have been put in place to support self-employed that face difficulties because of the COVID-19 virus or measures related to it. The purpose is to alleviate the economic pressure and reduce costs related to social contributions for self-employed (and their assisting partners) facing serious financial problems. More specifically these measures allow for delays in payments of social insurances and/or reductions or exemptions from social contributions if necessary to stay afloat.

Content of measure

Self-employed who face difficulties due to COVID-19, may apply for the following three types of measures with regard to the payment of social contributions:

  1. Deferred payment and waiving the increments : the self-employed and assisting partner may submit a form to their social insurance fund to request a one-year delay of the provisional social contributions payment. This measure already applies to the provisional contributions related to the first and second quarter of 2020.

  2. Reduction of the provisional social contributions: The self-employed may apply for a reduction of their provisional social contributions for the year 2020 if their professional income is lower than one of the legal thresholds.

  3. Exemption of social contributions: self-employed may ask for such an exemption if deemed necessary.

Updates

The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.

16 September 2022

The federal government has decided to provide the option for enterprises in need to postpone their payments of social contributions and certain taxes. The measure should support companies in hardship due to increasing energy prices.

Use of measure

It is unclear how many self-employed will make use of the measure as it is upon request by the self-employed themselves. It can be expected that a large number will make use of the measures as social contributions can be a significant cost.

Target groups

Workers Businesses Citizens
Self-employed
Does not apply to businesses Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors Funding
National government
National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

Trade unions Employers' organisations
Role Informed Informed
Form Not applicable Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

  • Unknown
  • Main level of involvement: Unknown

Involvement

The involvement of the social partners is not clear or made public.

Views and reactions

It is to be expected that the social partners were at least informed of the measures. The extent of their involvement is not known to us.

Sources

  • 09 April 2020: Acerta: Steunmaatregelen voor zelfstandigen (www.acerta.be)
  • 16 September 2022: Kernkabinet akkoord over energiepakket (+ reactie NSZ) (www.nsz.be)

Citation

Eurofound (2020), Support measures for self-employed workers facing difficulties, measure BE-2020-16/421 (measures in Belgium), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/BE-2020-16_421.html

Share

Eurofound publications based on EU PolicyWatch

30 January 2023

 

Measures to lessen the impact of the inflation and energy crisis on citizens

Governments across the EU continue to implement policies to support citizens and businesses in the face of rising food and energy prices caused by the COVID-19 crisis and intensified by the war in Ukraine. This article summarises the policy responses as reported in Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch database from January to September 2022.

Article

12 September 2022

 

First responses to cushion the impact of inflation on citizens

Although the worldwide pandemic situation had already disrupted supply chains and triggered increases in energy and food prices in 2021, the situation deteriorated in 2022 with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Article

12 September 2022

 

Policies to support EU companies affected by the war in Ukraine

This article summarises the first policy responses that governments across the EU have started to implement to support companies affected by the rising prices, and those with commercial ties to Ukraine, Russia or Belarus.

Article

5 July 2022

 

Policies to support refugees from Ukraine

This article summarises the first policy responses of EU Member States, including those of the social partners and other civil society actors, enabling refugees to exercise their rights under the Temporary Protection Directive.

Article

Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.