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EACEA National Policies Platform
Belgium-French-Community

Belgium-French-Community

7. Health and Well-Being

7.8 Current debates and reforms

Last update: 23 February 2024

Forthcoming policy developments

Due to the pandemic, belgian governments cooperated to strengthen the psychological support in december 2020. The multidisciplinary mobile aid has been strengthen to focus further on young people with mental health issues. 

In the "0-25 Child and Youth plan", the Government has decided to strengthen the measure aimed at providing free meals
school. Therefore, 12,500,000 euros will be dedicated to healthy food within schools.

Ongoing debates

  • Violent controversy in the population regarding Education to relational, affective and sexual life in schools

At the beginning of September 2023, the Parliament of Wallonia-Brussels passed a decree making the EVRAS programme compulsory - for pupils aged 10 and 16 years old - to spend two hours a year on Evras: "education to relational, affective and sexual relations". This program had already been in existence for some ten years, but its implementation had until now depended on the schools themselves.

The introduction of the "EVRAS programme" (education in emotional and sexual relationships) in primary and secondary schools (2 x 2 complsory hours in primary and secondary school) has been the subject of much fake news and violent controversy during 2023. Few primary schools have been set on fire. 

However, EVRAS was passed by the Parliament of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation unanimously, with three abstentions. 

  • Mental health

The Covid-19 pandemic has many negative effects on youth's physical and mental health. A survey shows that the level of distress and anxiety has significantly increased among the age category 3-25. More than 80% of the group age 18-25 has a level of anxiety above the average. 

A citizen action "draw your circle" (trace ton cercle) pulled together thousands of people to raise policy awareness about youth's distress.