Belgium’s June 1 Reforms: Plain Tobacco, Auto Refunds
Starting June 1, 2026, a wide-ranging package of new regulations takes effect across Belgium, touching everything from tobacco packaging and consumer protections to healthcare access and civil service reform. The changes, reported by Het Laatste Nieuws, represent one of the most significant single-day regulatory overhauls in recent Belgian history.
Tobacco: Plain Packaging Expanded to All Products
The most visible change is the expansion of neutral (plain) packaging requirements to all tobacco and herbal smoking products. Since January 2020, cigarettes and rolling tobacco have been sold in standardized packaging with a uniform background color, no logos, and prominent health warnings. From June 1, this requirement extends to cigars, cigarillos, pipe tobacco, smoking devices (including pipes, waterpipes, and CBD devices), rolling papers, filters, and tubes.
“Through the sober and uniform design, the image that brands try to build through their packaging disappears,” the Federal Public Service for Health explained. “Additionally, health warnings on packaging will receive more attention.” Retailers will have a transition period of a few months to sell remaining non-compliant stock.
Belgium was the fifth European country to introduce plain packaging when former Health Minister Maggie De Block enacted the original law in 2020.
Service Vouchers: Automatic Refunds for Expired Cheques
Users of Belgium’s service voucher system (dienstencheques) will no longer need to manually track expiry dates. From June 1, expired vouchers will be automatically refunded. The Flemish government’s official service vouchers website confirms the change, noting that users must ensure their personal data — particularly bank account numbers — is correctly entered in “Mijn Burgerprofiel.” Service vouchers remain valid for 12 months.
Right to be Forgotten Expanded for Cancer Survivors
The obligation to disclose past cancer diagnoses in insurance applications is being eliminated, and travel cancellation insurance now falls under the “right to be forgotten” framework. First introduced in 2019 for mortgage balance insurance, the principle prevents insurers from discriminating against people with past serious illnesses. The insurance industry association Assuralia confirmed the expansion.
HPV Vaccine Reimbursement Extended to Age 30
Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke’s expansion of the HPV vaccine (Gardasil9) reimbursement represents a major public health initiative. Previously covered only for youth aged 12–18, the vaccine will now be reimbursed for all young adults up to age 30 who have not been previously vaccinated. For high-risk groups — including HIV patients, stem cell transplant recipients, and organ transplant candidates — coverage extends to age 45.
As VRT NWS reported, patients will pay approximately €12.80 per dose (€38.40 for the full three-dose course), compared to the full cost of roughly €323. “This vaccine works and prevents a lot of suffering,” Vandenbroucke said. The government expects approximately 60,000 additional vaccinations per year, budgeted at €6 million.
Railway and Civil Service Reforms
Two significant labor reforms target Belgium’s public sector. From June 1, the national railway companies NMBS, Infrabel, and HR Rail will only hire contractual employees, ending the practice of statutory (civil servant) appointments. Approximately 88% of the 27,000 railway workers currently hold civil servant status. “There are no exceptions. From June 1, there will only be contractual hires,” Dieter Vangeel, spokesperson for HR Rail, confirmed. The reform, reported by Flows.be, was approved by the Chamber on May 13.
Separately, the sick pension system for civil servants is being phased out. As VRT NWS detailed, civil servants will now be enrolled in standard sickness and disability insurance instead of the permanent medical pension system. In 2025, 86,911 civil servants were on permanent sick pension, costing €2.5 billion annually.
Healthcare Innovations: Home Nursing Pilot and SCID Screening
Approximately 1,000 home nurses will test a new hourly payment system, replacing the current per-procedure model. The two-year pilot, involving 58 home nursing practices, aims to address high workload and unpaid care tasks.
Newborns will also be screened for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), a life-threatening immune disorder. The screening uses the existing heel prick test, which already checks for 18 other diseases and is accepted by over 99% of parents.
Consumer Updates: Eco-Cheques Expanded
The list of products eligible for eco-cheque purchases has been expanded to include food and textile products with fair trade labels, seafood with ASC (sustainable aquaculture) certification, and updated categories of energy-efficient household appliances.
Looking Ahead
These June 1 regulations reflect a coordinated legislative agenda spanning public health, consumer protection, and public sector modernization. Key questions remain: whether the tobacco packaging expansion will face legal challenges from manufacturers, how the automatic refund system for service vouchers will handle data errors, and whether the home nursing pilot will lead to nationwide financing reform. For Belgian residents, the message is clear: update your personal data in Mijn Burgerprofiel and prepare for a new regulatory landscape.