Coalition agreement: draft program law and summer agreement approved

Just before the summer recess, two important steps were taken in the implementation of the coalition agreement. Below we provide a brief overview of the most recent initiatives.

We will limit ourselves to measures that have an impact on the labour market.

1. Draft program law approved by the parliament

On 17 July 2025, the Chamber approved the draft program law in plenary session, after several delaying tactics by the opposition. The program law must still be published in the Belgian Official Gazette.

The draft does not yet contain the proposed changes to labour market policy and labour law (including night work, trial periods, reform of the reintegration of disabled workers, notice periods, longer working hours, dismissal protection for protected workers, etc.).

The most important part of the program law concerns the reform of unemployment regulations, limiting unemployment benefits to 2 years. Parental leave for foster parents in the context of long-term foster care is also being introduced. This scheme will apply to applications submitted since 1 July 2025.

Regarding pensions, new measures have been introduced to temporarily limit the indexation of statutory pensions and adjustments have been made to the so-called accountability invoices of local authorities.

2. Summer agreement

As is traditional, the government has concluded a summer agreement just before the summer recess. Unlike the program law, this agreement does contain important changes to labour market policy and labour law.

The agreement still needs to be transposed into legislation, which must first be approved by parliament. The social partners will also be called upon to assist in the drafting of the legislation, where necessary. This process will not start until after the summer recess.

The exact measures are not yet known in detail, but the following measures are expected to be part of the agreement:

• The general ban on night work will be abolished. The definition of night work in the distribution sector and e-commerce will change: it will run between midnight and 5 a.m., instead of the current limits between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. New night workers will still be eligible for a night work allowance, but only if they work after midnight. The measure would not apply to workers who already work at night.
• Voluntary overtime: 360 hours of voluntary overtime will be possible without justification or compensatory rest, with 240 hours being tax-free on the basis of a written agreement between the parties (in the hotel and catering industry, this will be 450 hours, of which 360 hours will be tax-free).
• The obligation to include all work schedules in the work regulations would be waived, provided that employees are clearly informed about the application of the specific work schedules.
• The obligation that the minimum weekly working time must be at least 1/3 of a full-time work schedule is abolished.
• The notice period will be limited to a maximum of 52 weeks for new hires. This measure would take effect from 1 January 2026 but will only have an impact in practice after approximately 17 years, as employees are currently only entitled to a notice period of 54 weeks after 17 years of service. Nothing will change for employees who are already in service.

In addition, the agreement contains an important pension reform, with a focus on the affordability of pensions through further harmonization of the pensions of employees, the self-employed and civil servants. However, acquired rights will not be affected. Working longer will be rewarded in terms of pensions through a bonus-malus system: those who work longer than the statutory retirement age will be rewarded, while those who retire earlier will receive a lower pension. There were lengthy negotiations within the government on the conditions of this system, particularly on which periods would be treated as equivalent. Long-term illness (absence of more than 4 weeks) and periods of care leave would be considered equivalent periods.

3. Varia

In the meantime, the Council of Ministers has decided that the maximum employer's contribution for meal vouchers will increase from EUR 8 to EUR 10 and that from January 1, 2026.

On July 3, a draft law containing miscellaneous provisions was introduced in the House of Representatives in which, among other things, the starting job obligation and the current pension bonus are abolished. In addition, the current “Wijninckx contribution” will be adjusted to a contribution rate of 12.50%. This new contribution rate would be due as of the 2026 contribution year. 

Finally, the parliament approved the postponement of registration in the Federal Learning Account - previously scheduled to September 1, 2025 - until December 31, 2025.

Lydian's employment team naturally monitors the legislation closely. We will keep you informed of the necessary action points through e-zines and webinars.

Meanwhile, if you have any questions, be sure to contact one of the employment team's lawyers.