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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-2021-50/2108 – measures in Belgium

Support for HORECA sector to pay end-of-year bonus

Steun voor horeca sector tot uitbetaling Eindejaarsbonus

Country Belgium , applies nationwide
Time period Temporary, 10 December 2021 – 01 January 2022
Context COVID-19
Type Legislations or other statutory regulations
Category Employment protection and retention
– Income support for people in employment (e.g., short-time work)
Author Dries Van Herreweghe (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) and Eurofound
Measure added 04 January 2022 (updated 03 March 2023)

Background information

As the horeca sector is confronted with another series of sanitary restrictions (like obligatory closing at 23:00). The federal government has decided to support the sector via the existing sectoral fund. This financial support to companies within the sector is intended to ensure that employees (who often are faced with temporary unemployment) receive a full end-of-year bonus.

Content of measure

The government has decided to invest €66 million into the sectoral fund of the horeca sector to be distributed by the fund to the companies active within the sector. This intervention avoids employees being financially affected twice, after a period of temporary unemployment. The sectoral fund is managed by the social partners jointly, so it is ultimately their responsibility to distribute the funds to the companies within the sector (which in turn distribute it to their employees).

In 2020 the government also invested €167 million in the sector, a part of that investment was also intended to finance end-of-year bonuses for employees within the sector that year.

Use of measure

Unknown.

Target groups

Workers Businesses Citizens
Employees in standard employment
Sector specific set of companies
Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors Funding
National government
Social partners jointly
National funds

Social partners

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

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

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

  • Social partners jointly
  • Main level of involvement: Sectoral or branch level

Involvement

The sector fund for the horeca sectors (as do all sectoral funds) are managed by the social partners jointly. They are responsible for the management of the fund and therefore the distribution of the funding that the government provided.

Views and reactions

The social partners agree with the government's decision to support the employees and employers that are active within the sector and have been heavily affected by the virus and the accompanying measures.

Sectors and occupations

    • Economic area Sector (NACE level 2)
      R - Arts, Entertainment And Recreation R90 Creative, arts and entertainment activities
      R92 Gambling and betting activities
      R93 Sports activities and amusement and recreation activities

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

Citation

Eurofound (2022), Support for HORECA sector to pay end-of-year bonus, measure BE-2021-50/2108 (measures in Belgium), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/BE-2021-50_2108.html

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