New on April 1: new rules in childcare, higher minimum wage and end of conventional heating oil

New priority rules in childcare

New priority rules will come into effect in subsidized childcare in Flanders from April 1. More priority is given to working parents. According to the new rules, childcare operators will only be able to reserve a maximum of 10 percent of their places for children from vulnerable families. Until now, an obligation of 20 percent was in force. In this way, the Flemish government wants to give priority to parents who at least four-fifths work or are in training.

“The basic rule is that as an organizer you give priority to families for whom childcare is necessary to work or to follow training with a view to work,” states an information document from Kind en Gezin.

Many organizations within and outside childcare are critical of the new rules. They fear that this will further strengthen inequality and, among other things, leave out parents in poverty. About twenty organizations announced on March 20 that they would go to the Constitutional Court to file a complaint against the new priority rules.

Minimum wage rises above 2,000 euros gross

On April 1, the minimum wage in our country will increase, exceeding 2,000 euros gross for the first time. The increase was agreed during the interprofessional negotiations for the period 2021-2022. The minimum wage will be increased by 35.7 euros gross per month. According to the Christian trade union ACV, 80,000 employees will see their wages increase. “The new minimum wage will then be 2,029.88 euros per month,” the ACV said. Employees still have a little more net left over: 50 euros. The tax work bonus will also be increased. On April 1, 2026, the minimum wage will be increased again, again by 35.7 euros.

End of conventional fuel oil

The classic heating oil 50S will disappear from the market from April 1. The 50S refers to the maximum permitted sulfur content: 50 ppm (parts per million) or 0.005 percent. It will be replaced by fuel oil 10S, or domestic heating oil with a maximum of 0.001 percent sulfur. The less sulphur, the better for the environment. The reduction of the sulfur content has been going on for years.

In practice, consumers will not notice anything about the new fuel standard. Many fuel dealers already offered the new type. After all, stocks of the old 50S variant became exhausted. However, domestic heating oil with less sulfur will be slightly more expensive: around 36 euros for an order of 2,000 liters.

Leurkaart will be abolished

The peddling card, which is mandatory for door-to-door salespeople and sellers at markets, will be abolished in Flanders from April 1. The abolition is part of a Flemish decree that updates the rules regarding street trading and fair activities.

The decree should, among other things, give local authorities additional levers to respond to new consumer trends and new commercial opportunities in the field of markets and fairs. According to Minister of Work Jo Brouns (CD&V), the intervention also fits in with administrative simplification.

The peddling card was mandatory for door-to-door salespeople, among other things. “However, through correct registration in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises, a check by the KBO is sufficient to know whether that entrepreneur can carry out itinerant or fair activities,” is the explanation in the decree.

More than 130 general practitioners have opted for a new financing model

More than 130 general practitioners will enter a new financing model on April 1, in which they earn proportionately less income from consultations, but more from fixed financing per patient and premiums such as for the recruitment of nurses.

According to the Riziv, 122 general practitioners in group practices and 12 general practitioners in solo practices have registered for the new model, called new deal. “GPs are doing a very good job today, but they sometimes have too little time to focus on prevention and proactive follow-up of their patients,” said Federal Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) earlier. “The current performance financing model (with compensation per patient contact, ed.) does not give them enough room to do this.”

The new model must meet this need. ‘New Deal’ GPs will receive a lower amount per consultation or home visit, but they will receive a higher fixed payment per patient for whom they are the regular GP. In this way, work outside direct patient contact is better rewarded.

The new model also provides additional premiums for affiliated general practices, including if they recruit a nurse for the practice. And there is a premium to manage the practice.

‘Back to Work’ fund guides people after dismissal due to medical force majeure

People who have been dismissed due to medical force majeure and are incapacitated for work can apply to the ‘Back to Work’ fund from April 1. This should offer them the opportunity to find a new job through, for example, career guidance and personalized coaching.

The fund was set up by the Riziv. Employers who terminate the contract of an incapacitated employee due to medical force majeure must pay 1,800 euros into the fund. The people who have been fired can contact the Riziv and receive a voucher worth 1,800 euros. “They can use this to purchase specialized, tailor-made services from a recognized service provider,” according to the Riziv. “Through career guidance and personalized coaching, among other things, they gain new perspectives to return to the labor market, within their capabilities.”

From April 1, 2025, people who have been incapacitated for work for more than one year will also be able to apply to the ‘Back to Work Fund’, whether they are self-employed, employed or job seeker.