“The admissibility of this may still be adjudicated today,” said Eric Brewaeys, press magistrate at the Council of State. “A procedure on the merits takes a year to 15 months in the best case, but if the Council of State agrees with the request for suspension, the measures can be suspended until a judgment is reached on the merits. That procedure takes a few days. .”
The appeal to the Council of State is supported by the League for Human Rights. It states that the right to participate in cultural life is a fundamental right and that the royal decree is a source of discrimination. “It affects the cultural sector harder than other sectors,” says Kati Verstrepen, the chairwoman of the League for Human Rights. Verstrepen hopes that a ruling on the suspension claim will follow this week.
Several French-speaking organizations have also filed summary proceedings against the Belgian State. The organizations ask for the mandatory closure of culture houses to be lifted and demand penalties of 100,000 euros.
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