News

The Omnibus I package, the outcome of a simplification process launched in 2025, raises the thresholds for CSRD application and postpones certain deadlines. The state of Belgian transposition must be confirmed; the information below is current as of 21 October 2026.

The new Criminal Code enshrines ecocide among its new offences. Scope, limits and uncertainties of application for companies.

The new Criminal Code entered into force on 1 September 2026, replacing the framework inherited from 1867. An overview of the main changes, subject to case-by-case verification.

A company and its directors may face prosecution for the same facts. Attribution, penalties and conflicts of interest require separate assessment.

FSMA checks on the AMLCO function fall within the framework of the Act of 18 September 2017 and rely on a risk-based approach, the general logic of which regulated entities should understand without relying on an invented fixed official checklist.

The unilateral closure of a bank account by a Belgian bank, whether affecting an individual or a business, is governed by a precise contractual and regulatory framework that opens specific remedies, including recourse to the Ombudsfin mediator.

Check the legal authority, preserve records and organise the defence: a search requires immediate decisions without obstructing the investigation.

The Act of 26 April 2024, transposing Directive (EU) 2022/2555, imposes a reinforced cybersecurity framework on Belgian companies qualifying as essential or important entities, under the supervision of the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium. The obligations have applied since 18 October 2024.

Since 1 January 2025, Book 6 of the Civil Code has overhauled Belgian extra-contractual liability law. Two major developments — the end of the auxiliary's quasi-immunity and the removal of the prohibition on concurrence — call for a review of companies' contracts and insurance policies.