EU citizens can no longer easily dodge Belgian tickets

Foreign drivers who were repeatedly fined in Belgium will be forced to pay their fine immediately. Also, if any ticket isn’t paid within the prescribed time span, the penalty will be raised by 35 percent..

Minister Galant wants to enhance traffic safety, and thinks that every noted felony should be punished. ‘Everyone who has committed a felony should be treated equally, so there can be no discrimination between Belgian and European citizens,’ the minister explains in a formal announcement.

The plan involves an immediate collection of the penalty from all felons, be it Belgians or Europeans. Thanks to a recent directive, European countries can exchange information about traffic violations more easily. This will facilitate inter-state ticketing within the EU for eight types of felony, ranging from speeding, to driving under the influence, to texting behind the wheel, to not wearing a seatbelt.

Minister Galant wants negotiations to continue, so that more felonies (like parking incorrectly) can be added to the list. She already has a deal with France about the matter.

A second important policy change is that unpaid fines will automatically become 35 percent more expensive. Plus: if the ticket isn’t paid within an additional 30 days, the government is allowed to use all necessary means to retrieve the money, for example by keeping taxes that should normally be repaid. Finally, Minister Galant wants to investigate the possibility of ordering obligatory traffic schooling as an alternative for a ticket.

Flandersnews.be / Expatica