Kafka Plan to reduce Belgium’s bureaucracy saves €29 million

The initiative to lighten Belgian bureaucracy, the Kafka Plan, saved businesses a total of €29 million in 2022, says secretary of state for digitalisation Mathieu Michel.

The savings resulted from five of the plan’s 12 completed projects, according to numbers published by Hasselt University, reports RTBF.

These included e-box by national employment office ONEM, online driving applications, power of attorney for notaries, digitalisation of eco-vouchers and the implementation of an electronic filing system known as e-files.

The Kafka plan consists of 38 projects in total, all aimed at reducing paperwork. Belgium’s council of ministers has agreed to a further 22 projects for this year. Among the initiatives to be launched are a simplified process for work absences, the use of digitally registered mail, the introduction of digital employment contracts and the digitalisation of work site files.

“By removing the red tape, citizens and businesses can now save time and money to focus on their business and personal affairs,” said Michel.