ARTICLE · 05 JUNE 2024

New Belgian Criminal Code Adopted

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On 22 February 2024, the House of Representatives passed the Bills on the introduction of Books I and II of the Criminal Code. The new code will eventually replace the existing Criminal Code of 1867.

BelgiumCriminal Law

Stijn Lamberigts

Robin De Zutter

On 22 February 2024, the House of Representatives passed the Bills on the introduction of Books I and II of the Criminal Code. The new code will eventually replace the existing Criminal Code of 1867. Book I deals with the general rules of criminal law and Book II covers common law criminal offences and their penalties. The aim of the reform is to create a modern and future-proof criminal code.

The reform of the Criminal Code has been a long process. In fact, the Criminal Code dates back to 1867, and the Bills that were finally passed were preceded by numerous failed attempts to reform the outdated Criminal Code of 1867.

This e-zine will discuss a number of aspects of the new Criminal Code.

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