Sunday marks the start of the final month of 2024. As always, this means new measures and changes to rules come in from December. This month, the changes are related to improving road safety, taxi services in Wallonia and more expensive streaming subscriptions.
Changes in Flanders
Stricter rules for checking tyre wear will be introduced during roadworthiness tests for cars and vans. The changes concern the minimum speed index of tyres, symmetry of tyres, tyre wear and e-marking on tyres. They aim to improve road safety and simplify the inspection.
From 1 December, a minimum speed index of 160 km/h will suffice for all tyres, even if the vehicle can handle a higher speed. The speed index determines the maximum permissible speed at which a car may drive with that type of tyre. A warning label must be placed on the dashboard if the speed index is lower than the maximum speed of the vehicle. Another rule stipulates tyres must only have the same structure and size.
Stricter control of tyre wear will also come into force. The wear indicator (a block in the main groove of the tyre that indicates when the tyre needs to be replaced) will be taken as the reference of the check. If the wear indicator is flush with the tyre, the car will be rejected (red inspection certificate valid for 15 days). If the tread wear indicator shows that the tyre's tread depth is below 1.6 mm, drivers will receive a red inspection certificate with a prohibition from driving.
Finally, tyres on vehicles first registered from 1 January 2004 must from Sunday have an approval mark (e-mark), indicating whether the tyre meets European safety standards.
Changes in Wallonia
UberX will be available throughout Wallonia. UberTaxi has already been available in several Walloon cities including Mons, Liège, Namur and Charleroi since February. However, new regulations coming into force in the Walloon Region on Sunday will allow the platform to offer its Uber X taxis everywhere in the region.
UberX is already available in Brussels and Flanders, but this now means it will now be operating in all of Belgium. The reform of the taxi sector was approved by the Walloon Parliament in September 2023. It places station taxis (using a taximeter) and "street" taxis (such as the services of Uber and Bolt) within a new legal framework.
A protest of taxi drivers in the centre of Brussels. Credit: Belga/ Benoit Doppagne
In practical terms, three categories of transport will be introduced: light vehicles with drivers and shared taxis; station taxis using a taximeter; and street taxis working with an app. Under the reform, the number of taxi ranks and street taxis in each category will be limited to one vehicle for every 1,500 inhabitants of the municipality (compared with the current one for every 2,500 inhabitants). An exemption is provided for taxis equipped to transport people with reduced mobility.
Minimum fares have also been set by the Walloon Government under the reform. Lastly, to enhance customer safety, the certificate of competence, showing the full identity of the driver, his or her experience, the name of the operator, etc., will have to be displayed in a visible place on board each vehicle.
Affecting consumers
Subscriptions to the American streaming service Disney+ will become more expensive for existing subscribers. It now offers a package at €10.99 per month, which will be replaced by two options. A lighter option at €9.99 per month will be added to its offering (which can be used on two screens and has slightly poorer image quality). The cost of the usual package (with which people can log in on four screens) will rise to €13.99 per month (a 25% increase).
Earlier this year, Disney+ also stopped allowing people to share their account passwords outside their own households.
These new rates came into effect at the end of October for new subscribers. For existing subscribers, they will be implemented when they renew. Since the company started offering its services in Belgium in 2020, the cost of a subscription has risen by almost 100%: the price was set at €6.99 per month or €69.90 per year, compared with €13.99 or €139.90 per year now, for the same options.
Credit: Pexels
This price increase makes Disney+ one of the most expensive streaming platforms on the market in Belgium. Apple TV+ costs €9.99 a month (for up to six screens), as does the basic Netflix subscription (for a single screen). For superior image quality or more simultaneous screens, Netflix customers have to pay up to €19.99 per month.
Finally, HBO Max, which launched its services in Belgium on 1 July, offers a premium package at €13.99 a month or €139 a year (for four screens), or a basic package (with ads and two screens) at €5.99 a month or €59.90 a year.
Employment
Sex workers in Belgium will be eligible for work contracts from 1 December 2024. This means men and women sex workers will be able to work under an employment contract, like any other employee. This will guarantee social security coverage and compliance with the rules governing working hours and pay. The new law will also protect them against risks in the workplace.
Until now, they operated in a grey area where their work was tolerated but not recognised. The legislation is the result of years of consultation between the Ministries of Labour, Social Affairs and Justice and grassroots organisations, including the union for sex workers in Belgium (UTSOPI). The law on the status of sex workers was adopted on 3 May and grants social status to sex workers. Read more about the changes here.
People qualified to work at holiday camps in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (FWB) will also be recognised in France. In the opposite direction, this has already been the case for several years: the French BAFA certificate (for ‘brevet d'aptitude aux fonctions d'animateur’) is recognised in Wallonia and Brussels. In the FWB, 27 approved organisations offer training for leaders aged 16 and over. The certificate entitles the holder to supervise young people in holiday centres, homework schools or extra-curricular activities.
