Since 2021, the ministry of Justice has processed more than 5.3 million traffic fines for offenders from other European Union countries. Of these, approximately 3.6 million have been paid, which is about two-thirds. By comparison, the collection rate among Belgian drivers is around 90 per cent.
Especially drivers from neighbouring countries — who also account for the majority of traffic fines issued to foreigners — actually pay their fines. The Dutch are the most diligent payers, with about 86 per cent of fines settled, followed by Luxembourgers with 80 per cent and Germans with 75 per cent.
For French drivers, nearly half of the fines remain unpaid. This is partly because the ministry cannot always find sufficient information in a European database to correctly identify the offender. In such cases, no fine can be issued. “We will continue to investigate and clarify with our French partners how it can be that sometimes we do not get results for a French offender,” said spokesperson Edward Landtsheere, as quoted by VRT NWS.
The initial translation of this content was generated by AI. All facts, context, and language have subsequently been verified and validated by a human editorial team.
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