European Commission and Secretariat-General 17 July 2026, COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2026 Rule of Law Report Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Belgium Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 2026 Rule of Law Report The rule of law situation in the European Union

Also known as

The 2026 European Commission Staff Working Document assesses the rule of law situation in Belgium across four pillars: justice system, anti-corruption framework, media pluralism and freedom, and checks and balances. The report identifies persistent structural deficiencies in the justice system, gaps in integrity and lobbying frameworks, challenges to media regulatory independence and public service media governance, and continued non-compliance by public authorities with final rulings of national courts and the European Court of Human Rights. The Commission issues five recommendations, including resuming lobbying reform, strengthening integrity rules on gifts and revolving doors, completing access-to-official-documents legislation, and stepping up compliance with judicial rulings.AI