Belgium
Études économiques consacrées périodiquement par l'OCDE à l’économie de la Belgique. Chaque étude analyse les grands enjeux auxquels le pays fait face. Elle examine les perspectives à court terme et présente des recommandations détaillées à l’intention des décideurs politiques. Des chapitres thématiques analysent des enjeux spécifiques. Les tableaux et graphiques contiennent un large éventail de données statistiques.
OECD’s periodic surveys of the Belgian economy. Each edition surveys the major challenges faced by the country, evaluates the short-term outlook, and makes specific policy recommendations. Special chapters take a more detailed look at specific challenges. Extensive statistical information is included in charts and graphs.
The New Professionalism and the Future of Teaching project has devised a theoretical framework that allows stakeholders in education to construct a shared vision on what the teaching profession could look like in the future. This study in Flanders seeks to anticipate and increase deeper, structured thinking about medium- and long-term scenarios for teacher professionalism and empowerment. Potential benefits for the system include long-term strategic thinking regarding the Flemish teacher workforce and finding solutions to issues that transcend the short-term. The results of the study point to a focus on community, families, empowering students, an explicit definition for teaching and learning, links with higher education and teacher collective learning, teacher autonomy, well-being, and (more) diversity of roles within the teacher workforce as elements of specific importance in thinking about the possible future of the teaching profession in Flanders.
Belgium’s economy has been relatively resilient to recent shocks and is expected to continue to grow steadily. Public finances have deteriorated though. In absence of fiscal consolidation, the debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to rise fast. Cutting ineffective public spending and reforming the budgetary framework to increase accountability across governments would help ensure public finances are on a sustainable path. Reforms to taxes and benefits could foster labour market activation and expand the tax base. Strengthening prevention and return-to-work programmes could contribute to tackling the high and increasing take up of disability benefits and better support employment of people with reduced work capacity. A coordinated strategy to reduce administrative costs and facilitate small firms’ access to training could increase business dynamism and productivity. Targeted support for female entrepreneurs could also unlock additional potential of the SME sector. Achieving the green transition requires setting up binding targets and improving coordination of climate policy across federal and regional governments. Easing procedures and improved financing schemes would help deploy renewable energy production. Transparency in future environmental standards with adequate and well-targeted financial incentives would sustain household investment in energy efficiency and electrification, particularly in the transportation and building renovation sectors.
SPECIAL FEATURES: LABOUR MARKET, CLIMATE POLICY, SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES
L’économie belge a relativement bien résisté aux chocs récents et devrait continuer à croître de manière stable. Les finances publiques se sont cependant dégradées. En l’absence d’assainissement budgétaire, le ratio de la dette au PIB devrait augmenter rapidement. La réduction des dépenses publiques inefficaces et la réforme du cadre budgétaire pour responsabiliser davantage les gouvernements contribueraient à garantir la viabilité des finances publiques. Des réformes de l’impôt et des prestations pourraient favoriser l’activation sur le marché du travail et élargir l’assiette fiscale. Le renforcement des programmes de prévention et de retour en emploi pourrait contribuer à lutter contre le recours élevé et croissant aux prestations d’invalidité et à mieux soutenir l’emploi des personnes ayant une capacité de travail réduite. Une stratégie coordonnée visant à réduire les coûts administratifs et à faciliter l’accès des petites entreprises à la formation pourrait accroître le dynamisme des entreprises et la productivité. Un soutien ciblé aux femmes entrepreneures pourrait également libérer un potentiel supplémentaire dans le secteur des PME. Parvenir à la transition écologique nécessite de fixer des objectifs contraignants et améliorer la coordination de la politique climatique entre les entités fédérale et régionales. L’assouplissement des procédures et l’amélioration des systèmes de financement permettraient de déployer la production d’énergie renouvelable. La transparence des futures normes environnementales avec des incitations financières adéquates et bien ciblées permettrait de soutenir les investissements des ménages dans l’efficacité énergétique et l’électrification, en particulier dans les secteurs du transport et de la rénovation des bâtiments.
CHAPITRES THÉMATIQUES : MARCHÉ DU TRAVAIL, POLITIQUE CLIMATIQUE, PETITES ET MOYENNES ENTREPRISES
While means-tested benefits such as minimum income benefits (MIB) and unemployment assistance (UA) are an essential safety net for low-income people and the unemployed, incomplete take-up is the rule rather than the exception. Building on desk research, open-ended surveys and semi-structured interviews, this paper investigates the opportunities and risks of using artificial intelligence (AI) for managing these means-tested benefits. This ranges from providing information to individuals, through determining eligibility based on pre-determined statutory criteria and identifying undue payments, to notifying individuals about their eligibility status. One of the key opportunities of using AI for these purposes is that this may improve the timeliness and take-up of MIB and UA. However, it may also lead to systematically biased eligibility assessments or increase inequalities, amongst others. Finally, the paper explores potential policy directions to help countries seize AI’s opportunities while addressing its risks, when using it for MIB or UA management.
Given the important role of strategic foresight in policymaking and resilience, the Government of Flanders has been taking steps to improve its capabilities in this area. This report outlines the main findings and recommendations of the OECD assessment of the strategic foresight system of the Government of Flanders. It includes a blueprint and roadmap for incorporating strategic foresight into the public administration of Flanders over the next five years.
Large volumes of marine data – much of it collected through observing systems and research projects and made publicly available for reuse by anybody through specialised repositories – are required for science, ocean economic activity and effective management of marine space. This report summarises the results of an OECD survey of the users of Flanders-based public marine data repositories and details how societal value is generated through their data reuses. Responses to the OECD survey reveal how Flanders’ repositories enable the reuse of marine data across a range of sectors, contribute to improved decision making, and generate benefits for wider society. Stylised value chains of public marine data are constructed and visualised from the responses, revealing information that is otherwise not collected by repositories so that they can keep access to the data as open as possible. This work is part of the OECD Value Chains of Public Marine Data project and relates to broader efforts to improve understanding of the economics of open data.
Since 2014, the Flemish government has undertaken a series of reforms of its budgetary system, including the implementation of performance-informed budgeting, which includes both the implementation of spending reviews and performance budgeting. The aim of the reforms is to better integrate policy development and resource allocation and improve the accountability and transparency of the Flemish public sector. This report takes stock of performance-informed budgeting practices in Flanders. It provides an assessment of their key strengths and highlights where improvements can be made. Finally, it includes recommendations to further strengthen the approach to performance-informed budgeting in Flanders.
The Pensions at a Glance database includes reliable and internationally comparable statistics on public and mandatory and voluntary pensions. It covers 34 OECD countries and aims to cover all G20 countries. Pensions at a Glance reviews and analyses the pension measures enacted or legislated in OECD countries. It provides an in-depth review of the first layer of protection of the elderly, first-tier pensions across countries and provideds a comprehensive selection of pension policy indicators for all OECD and G20 countries.
This dataset contains data on metropolitan regions with demographic, labour, innovation and economic statistics by population, regional surface, population density, labour force, employment, unemployment, GDP, GDP per capita, PCT patent applications, and elderly dependency ratio.
This dataset contains tax revenue collected by Belgium. It provides detailed tax revenues by sector (Supranational, Federal or Central Government, State or Lander Government, Local Government, and Social Security Funds) and by specific tax, such as capital gains, profits and income, property, sales, etc.
Gross domestic product (GDP) is the standard measure of the value of final goods and services produced by a country during a period minus the value of imports. This subset of Aggregate National Accounts comprises comprehensive statistics on gross domestic product (GDP) by presenting the three different approaches of its measure of GDP: output based GDP, expenditure based GDP and income based GDP. These three different measures of gross domestic product (GDP) are further detailed by transactions whereby: the output approach includes gross value added at basic prices, taxes less subsidies, statistical discrepancy; the expenditure approach includes domestic demand, gross capital formation, external balance of goods and services; and the income approach includes variables such as compensation of employees, gross operating surplus, taxes and production and imports. Gross domestic product (GDP) data are measured in national currency and are available in current prices, constant prices and per capita starting from 1950 onwards.
This dataset comprises statistics on different transactions and balances to get from the GDP to the net lending/borrowing. It includes national disposable income (gross and net), consumption of fixed capital as well as net savings. It also includes transaction components such as net current transfers and net capital transfers. Data are expressed in millions of national currency as well as US dollars and available in both current and constant prices. Data are provided from 1950 onwards.
The OECD Territorial Review of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium, provides an in-depth assessment of the trends, challenges and opportunities for sustainable and inclusive urban development in the region. It aims to help tackle the so-called ‘Brussels paradox’ between a highly performing region in terms of economic wealth creation and competitiveness but relatively poor social conditions. The region is also grappling with a shortage of affordable and quality housing, as well as several mobility challenges, including a high reliance on individual cars and traffic congestion, resulting in high commuting times and pollution levels, despite good accessibility to public transport. Although a comprehensive urban and land-use planning system exists, there is a lack of co-ordination with the surrounding regions and municipalities to drive more effective policies on housing, mobility, and other infrastructure investments. This review also examines the governance and institutional framework and suggests policy actions to strengthen co-ordination and co-operation mechanisms, and promote incremental collaboration at the metropolitan level. Finally, the review provides recommendations to enhance public finances in the region, focusing on better compensating for its additional charges, co-ordinating public investment among levels of government more efficiently, and establishing a metropolitan fund.
Ce profil fournit un aperçu concis de l'état de santé et du système de santé en Belgique, dans le cadre de la série des profils de santé par pays de l'initiative sur l'état de santé dans l'UE. Il présente une analyse succincte de l'état de santé de la population en Belgique ; les déterminants de la santé, en mettant l'accent sur les facteurs de risque comportementaux ; l'organisation du système de santé belge ; et une évaluation de l'efficacité, l'accessibilité et la résilience du système de santé. L'édition 2023 présente aussi une section thématique sur la santé mentale en Belgique.
Ce profil est le fruit d'une collaboration entre l'OCDE et l'Observatoire européen des systèmes et des politiques de santé, en coopération avec la Commission Européenne.
Dit profiel biedt een beknopt en beleidsgericht overzicht van de gezondheidstoestand en het gezondheidszorgsysteem in België, als onderdeel van de bredere reeks van nationale gezondheidsprofielen volgend uit het initiatief State of Health in de EU. Het geeft een beknopte analyse die de volgende belangrijke aspecten omvat: de huidige gezondheidstoestand in België; de determinanten van gezondheid, met de nadruk op gedragsrisicofactoren; de organisatie van het Belgische gezondheidszorgsysteem; en een evaluatie van de doeltreffendheid, toegankelijkheid en veerkracht van het gezondheidszorgsysteem. Bovendien bevat de editie van 2023 een thematisch hoofdstuk over de toestand van de mentale gezondheid van de Belgische bevolking alsook over de daaraan verwante diensten.
Dit profiel is het resultaat van een samenwerking tussen de OESO en het European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, uitgevoerd in samenwerking met de Europese Commissie.
This profile provides a concise and policy-focused overview of the state of health and the healthcare system in Belgium, as a part of the broader series of Country Health Profiles from the State of Health in the EU initiative. It presents a succinct analysis encompassing the following key aspects: the current health status in Belgium; the determinants of health, focusing on behavioural risk factors; the organisation of the Belgian healthcare system; and an evaluation of the health system's effectiveness, accessibility, and resilience. Moreover, the 2023 edition presents a thematic section on the state of mental health and associated services in Belgium.
This profile is the collaborative effort of the OECD and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, carried out in cooperation with the European Commission.