Zaventem Airport: Council Annuls Environmental Permit
Our Public Law Team, Jan Ghysels and Yves Sacreas assisted several Walloon Brabant municipalities in the dispute over the Zaventem airport's Environmental Permit. The permit was annulled by the Council for Permit Disputes with its ruling of July 17, 2025.
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10.07.2026
•Tax Law, Andersen in Belgium
Copyright taxation: abolition of the flat-rate assessment of expenses
The Programme Law of 30 May 2026 has introduced - with retroactive effect from 1 January 2026 - a new condition for applying the flat-rate deduction of expenses from the gross income derived from copyright and related rights.
08.07.2026
•Real Estate, Renting and Co-ownership, Andersen in Belgium
The three-times-rent rule holds: Council of State clarifies tenant selection
Can a landlord refuse a prospective tenant because their income is less than three times the rent? This question has been central to the debate on discrimination in the rental market for several years. In a judgment of 30 March 2026, the Council of State expressly addressed this so-called “three-times-rent rule” for the first time. The judgment provides important clarification for landlords, real estate investors and real estate agents. The Council of State does not hold that the three-times-rent rule is automatically permissible in all circumstances. It does, however, consider that an income requirement equal to three times the rent and charges is not, in itself, disproportionate and therefore cannot, without more, be regarded as prohibited discrimination on the basis of wealth.
08.07.2026
•Commercial and Economic Law, Andersen in Belgium
Sales Without Seasons? The Belgian Council of State Strikes Down the Ban on Advertising “Sales” Outside the Official Sales Periods
On 20 May 2026, the Belgian Council of State delivered three landmark judgments (Nos. 266.735, 266.736 and 266.737) holding that the Belgian prohibition on using the terms soldes, solden, sales, Schlussverkauf outside the statutory winter and summer sales periods is incompatible with European Union law and can no longer be enforced.
23.06.2026
•Commercial and Economic Law, Andersen in Belgium
Serial Returners: When Consumer Protection Becomes Consumer Abuse
The growth of e-commerce has fundamentally transformed consumer behaviour. To encourage online purchasing, retailers have progressively introduced customer-friendly policies: free delivery, free returns, extended return periods, and no-questions-asked refunds.