The plenary meeting of the House on Thursday gave the green light to a bill that allows bakers, supermarkets, clothing stores and other retailers to be more flexible with their fixed weekly closing day.
Until now, traders had to fix their weekly closing day for six months. The bill shortens that period to three months. For example, with more flexibility, traders can respond to the different seasons, according to CD&V MP Leen Dierick, who submitted the proposal. “For example, they could choose to choose a different weekly closing day during the summer, during the sales in July, than during the autumn.”
Even when there are public works, it is sometimes advisable to choose another rest day, says Dierick. Because it is important for customers that the closing day does not change constantly, a period of three months has been chosen as the “golden mean”.
Proposals have been added to Dierick’s bill by other majority parties. One of these ensures that shops in hospitals can from now on be open during the visiting hours that apply in the hospital, and do not have to comply with the law on opening hours.
Furthermore, the proposal also tackles night shops that pretend to be newsagents and therefore avoid the applicable rules regarding closing hours, rest days and municipal regulations. The nuisance caused by sex shops, for example in school environments, is also being tackled by making a municipal permit mandatory.
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