Antwerp stops more than 1,000 subsistence benefits
The city says some of the people who lost their unemployment benefit have already found work again.
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In Antwerp, 1,057 of the 3,213 subsistence benefits granted after Belgium’s restriction of unemployment benefits have been stopped, according to VRT NWS. According to VRT NWS, the city links this to people moving into work.
The figures come at a time when Belgium has limited the duration of unemployment benefits for many jobseekers. The federal reform is being implemented in phases, meaning some long-term unemployed people have to apply to the OCMW for a subsistence benefit.
According to VRT NWS, 3,213 people in this situation received a subsistence benefit in Antwerp. Support has since ended in 1,057 cases. Half of this group is said to have found work again, according to the report; it is unclear why the other cases were ended.
A subsistence benefit in Belgium is not an automatic replacement for an unemployment benefit. The OCMW examines, among other things, the applicant’s income, family situation and willingness to work. The city of Antwerp states that an application can only be submitted from the date on which the unemployment benefit ends.
The reform is national policy, but its effects become visible locally at the OCMWs. Municipalities must assess how many people need help while also checking whether they are entitled to other income or support in finding work.
The figures alone do not say how many people are in sustainable employment, how many cases were closed for administrative reasons or how many people continue without benefits. Additional data from Antwerp, the Belgian RVA or an independent evaluation would be needed for that.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Belgium is limiting the duration of unemployment benefits.
- People without sufficient income can, subject to conditions, apply for a subsistence benefit.
- The supplied VRT headline reports that 3,213 subsistence benefits were granted in Antwerp and that 1,057 were later stopped.
Left
Arguments Ending a benefit without sufficient jobs, support and affordable housing increases the risk of poverty. Municipalities should not have to bear the burden of a federal saving.
Values Social security, income security and solidarity.
Consequences Supporters fear more insecure incomes, additional pressure on OCMWs and the exclusion of people who do not find work immediately.
Centre
Arguments A time-limited benefit can be combined with support into work, but the transition and implementation must then be verifiable.
Values Activation, legal certainty and administrative feasibility.
Consequences The main risk is a gap between the end of the unemployment benefit and a correct decision on other assistance.
Right
Arguments Benefits should remain temporary and make work more rewarding. Those who find work again show, according to this approach, that activation can work.
Values Personal responsibility, participation in the labour market and the affordability of government.
Consequences From this perspective, a long-term unlimited system can perpetuate dependency and staff shortages.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The reform and the operation of the subsistence benefit are well substantiated. The current figures are available only through the supplied VRT headline and have therefore explicitly been presented as unconfirmed.
- uncertain In Antwerp, 1,057 of 3,213 subsistence benefits have been stopped. — Reported by VRT NWS, but not independently confirmed in a second public source. source
- uncertain Half of those involved moved into work. — Taken from the report supplied as a headline; no second source was found. source
- confirmed A subsistence benefit is not an automatic replacement for an unemployment benefit. — The conditions and individual assessment are set out on the City of Antwerp’s website. source
- confirmed Belgium is limiting the duration of unemployment benefits. — Confirmed by the Belgian benefits authorities. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: The city says some of the people who lost their unemployment benefit have already found work again.Now: According to VRT NWS, some of the people who lost their unemployment benefit are said to have found work again; these current figures on people moving into work could not be independently confirmed. (The second source did not confirm the figures.)
Editor's note
The Belgian reform and the conditions for a subsistence benefit have been officially confirmed. The current Antwerp figures and the claim that approximately half moved into work could not be checked against a second independent source.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
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