Brussels court decides that Prince Laurent will not have access to social security
Prince Laurent’s request to be registered with a social insurance fund was declared unfounded on Monday by the French -speaking labor court of Brussels. Because of that decision, the prince does not get access to social security. « We do not yet know whether we will appeal or whether we are going to try to change the case through the legislative path, » said his lawyer Olivier Rijckaert during a press conference.
Although Prince Laurent receives an annual grant of 397,000 euros as a senior official who performs representative tasks for the monarchy – about a hundred visits and representative missions per year – he also does business as a self -employed person. In that capacity, he is not entitled to compensation in the event of incapacity for work or bankruptcy, or to assistance in certain family situations.
Laurent recently submitted an application to the Social Insurance Fund of the Union des Classes Moyennes (UCM), but when he tried to register at the National Institute for the Social Insurance of the Self -Employed (RSVZ), the registration was refused. According to the institute, the prince cannot be considered self -employed. Laurent then challenged the National Institute for the Social Insurance of the Self -Employed and the UCM to court.
The Labor Court now finds that Laurent’s work cannot be considered an independent activity. Since Prince Laurent of Belgium, the brother of King Filip, has a public function, he cannot be subject to social security for the self -employed. According to the court, Laurent receives his grant to perform specific performance that is strict in a public nature. For those reasons, his claims are declared admissible but unfounded and will have to pay for the costs of the proceedings.
Laurent himself not present
The prince was not present at the hearing. He did not want to put pressure on the judges and wanted to wait for the verdict discreetly, according to his lawyer Olivier Rijckaert. « The court has decided that the prince is not a self -employed person, » says master Rijckaert. « He is subject to a kind of state supervision and has to adhere to certain imposed rules. In fact, the court gives him a status that is comparable to the status of top officials or members of parliament. It must follow that he would be entitled to health care. Because he has not paid any contributions such as parliamentaries – 900 euros per trimester – he has no right to that. »
Read too. Prince Laurent drags Belgian State to judge to access social security: « A migrant who arrives in Belgium and stays legally here, gets it right away. And I don’t? »
At the same time, the court ruled that there are « incomplete points » in the dotation scheme in the field of pension rights. Those gaps can only be solved by the legislator. « It is important that the court finds that the prince carries out a professional activity for the grant he receives, » says his lawyer. « A grant is usually for life, but if the prince no longer wants to perform his duties and retire, it is important that he gets a pension for the years worked. »
« He would be entitled to a pension and Claire to a survivor’s pension, but to get that there must be an initiative from the legislator. Laurent can only get a pension if his status is completely clear and defined. That is not the case now, because his status of ‘state official’ with a dot has been incomplete and still have to look with the prince of the prince, which we will be able to spend this very slowly, and this is still having a prince of the prince, which we will be able to spend this very slowly. Meester Rijckaert. « Prince Laurent thinks this is a positive judgment. It is also a relief for him, but we have to see again if we should appeal. »
