Although uncertainty remains for many Belgian border workers, it should soon end. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Although uncertainty remains for many Belgian border workers, it should soon end.  (Photo: Shutterstock)

On a working visit to Luxembourg on Thursday, Belgian foreign affairs minister Hadja Lahbib confirmed that Belgium would indeed vote, before the end of the year, on the 34 days of teleworking granted to Belgian cross-border workers.

Luxembourg has concluded the legislative procedure on its side of the border already, voting in favour of the bill in May. The bill ratifies the agreement reached with Belgium in August 2021 to increase the number of teleworking days from 24 to 34 without becoming taxable in the country of residence. Since then, almost 50,000 Belgian cross-border workers have been waiting for Belgium to do the same, with a certain amount of excitement, given that to vote on the bill legalising the change to 24 days.

There will be no need to wonder whether the number of days authorised is 24 or 34, since, before the end of 2022, Belgian law will state that this quota is fixed at 34.
Hadja Lahbib

Hadja Lahbib, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade

The uncertainty remains. The presentation of this bill to the Belgian Chamber has been announced for this autumn, but Belgian finance minister Vincent Van Peteghem (CD&V) doesn’t want to be overly confident. "We will do our utmost to ensure that this new clause can enter into force as soon as possible," he explained to MP Josy Arens (Les Engagés) in mid-August. He also said that "the tax administration does not in principle have the right to apply a treaty that has not yet entered into force...". 

Received by Bettel and Asselborn

But on Thursday 15 September slightly more reassuring news came from Lahbib,

The latter was in Luxembourg for a working visit during which she held talks with Prime Minister (DP) and his counterpart (LSAP). The discussions focused on bilateral relations as well as main current European and international issues. This allowed Lahbib to confirm that the bill concerning the 34 days of telework would be voted on in Brussels before the end of 2022.

"There will be no question of whether the number of days allowed is 24 or 34, because before the end of 2022, Belgian law will say that this quota is set at 34," she told Delano’s sister publication Paperjam. "And this will be retroactive to 1 July 2022 (the date when the possibility of unlimited telework ended). I can't give you a date yet for when it will go through the chamber, but the parliamentary process is underway."

This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.

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