Applying the social rights of the European Social Charter: some commentaries concerning the Belgian case

Abstract

This article tries to illustrate the influence of the European Social Charter (1961) on the evolution of Belgian Social Law. The finding is that most of the pillars of the Belgian Social Model were already established before the late ratification of the Charter by Belgium, in 1990. Afterwards the case law of the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) pointed out some necessary adaptations. Some others have been decided by the ECSR as a response to some collective complaints directed against Belgium. This country considered the ratification of the Protocol introducing this procedure as a meaningful progress for all the Contracting Parties. It gives the civil society a direct access in the development of the Charter, but only 15 State Parties did ratify it. The article comments also on how Belgium is confronted, like other Parties, with the competing mutual influence of the Charter and the Community Law of the EU. The revised Charter (1996) was a major contribution in favour of more coherence between both legal orders. Belgium argued strongly for more explicit convergences. It seems desirable that both the EU Court and the ECSR try to deliver more visibility about the common rights and their complementarity.