How can the coalition agreement strengthen our legal system?
What will the coalition agreement mean for justice? How can it strengthen our justice system? The Order of Flemish Bars (OVB), the professional organisation of more than 11,000 Flemish lawyers, considered these questions and delivered an ambition note in July to the parties participating in the formal negotiations to inform, inspire and support the drafting of the coalition agreement.
Since a formateur has been appointed and government negotiations, both at federal and Flemish level, are gaining momentum, the time has come to discuss the content of a coalition agreement.
What will this mean for justice? How can the coalition agreement strengthen our justice system? The Order of Flemish Bars (OVB), the professional organisation of more than 11,000 Flemish lawyers, considered these questions and provided the parties participating in the formal negotiations with an ambition note to inform, inspire and support the drafting of the coalition agreement.
The OVB proposes the following focal points to the new government:
- Unity of legal protection
- (Access to) legal assistance
- Extension of tax-advantaged legal expenses insurance
- Penalty implementation
- Digitalisation
- OVB as interlocutor and adviser to the executive, legislative and judiciary powers
- Constitutional review and repair legislation to promote due process
- Special points of attention
In addition to the concrete proposals the OVB formulates in the ambition note, the OVB stresses that justice policy should, as much as possible, prevent our country from ever again being condemned by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
With this ambition note, the OVB hopes to make a valuable contribution to the new coalition agreement on justice, thus strengthening legal protection and the legal system in Flanders and Belgium.
Background information
There are about 11,000 Flemish lawyers. They are all affiliated with at least one of the eight Flemish bars. Those bars are in turn grouped under the umbrella of the Order of Flemish Bars (OVB), also known as advocaat.be.
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