As of 31 December 2020, insurers had paid out around €50 million to the 1,412 victims who came forward after the 2016 Brussels attacks, Assuralia, the professional association of insurance companies, said on Friday.
The damage ranged from damage to luggage to very serious injuries and death in the attacks on 22 March at Brussels Airport and at the Maelbeek metro station.
Some €70 million in provisions have also been set aside for the victims. According to Assuralia, this part of the total cost of the claims has not yet been paid out, partly because 620 people were entitled to compensation as victims of an accident at work and partly because some of the compensation has to be paid in the form of annuities, which can be spread over decades.
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Some seriously injured patients are not yet stable enough to complete the assessment of their injuries, while other victims refuse to accept compensation from the insurer, preferring to have the court decide on the damages.
Assuralia added that insurers have also taken initiatives to improve the care of these victims. They have undertaken to compensate the moral prejudice at the latest one year after the attack and a single insurer is now in charge of the medical expertise to avoid the multiplication of examinations.
However, the federation pointed out that the existing laws have "many loopholes" and that few people insure themselves against all the damage potentially caused by an attack. The insurers therefore plead for the compensation of all victims of attacks in Belgium, whether they are insured or not. Assuralia has submitted its proposals to the political authorities.
The Brussels Times
