Flanders' Interior Minister Bart Somers (Open VLD) announced on Monday that the Flemish Government will propose a change to the present legislation governing cemeteries to simplify the procedure of donating one's body to research.
In an effort to modernise funeral rites, Bart Somers claimed that his proposal would make the deceased's will the be-all and end-all of what happens to their lifeless body.
As a result, any last wishes such as donating one's corpse, being cremated or buried, or the final resting place will be automatically honoured if specified in the will.
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Previously, a special form had to be filled out at the municipal level, which did not correspond to "new societal habits," according to Somers. For this reason, "legislation will now take into account new forms of cohabitation and respond to the wishes of relatives."
Furthermore, the minister will propose that private corporations be permitted to invest in crematoriums up to 49% of their capital. This follows Somers' assessment that the 12 crematoriums already being subsided by the region are currently provident a sufficient supply for the next decades.
