Letter from Yves Mersch, Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB), to Sabine de Béthune, President of the Belgian Senate, regarding the non-consultation of the ECB on a law amending the law of 21 December 1994 on various social provisions with a view to introduce complementary indicators intended to measure the quality of life, human development, social progress and the sustainability of the domestic economy
Date: 2014-05-06
Institutions: European Central Bank
Subjects: legal basis

Yves MERSCH 

Member of the Executive Board 

Ms Sabine de Béthune 
President of the Belgian Senate 
Place de la Nation 1 
1080 Bruxelles 
Belgique 

Dear Ms De Béthune, 

6 May 2014 

LS/YM/2014/02 

It has come to the attention of the European Central Bank (ECB) that the Belgian legislator has enacted 

on 14 March 2014 a law amending the law of 21 December 1994 on various social provisions with a view 

to introduce complementary indicators intended to measure the quality of life, human development, social 

progress and the sustainability of the domestic economy (hereinafter, the ‘Law ’), which was published in 

the Belgian official gazette on 4 April 2014.  

The  Law  entrusts  the  National  Account  Institute  with  the  task  of  compiling  complementary  indicators 

intended to measure the quality of life, human development, social progress and the sustainability of the 

domestic economy and of integrating them in the existing publications on traditional economic indicators. 

Each year, the results of the complementary indicators will be discussed in a public hearing of the House 

of  Representatives,  which  will  assess  their  evolution,  the  allocation  by  income  category  and  the 

methodology  for  compiling  the  indicators.  In  addition,  a  summary  of  the  results  of  the  complementary 

indicators is to be published in the part of the NBB’s annual report devoted to the assessment of economic 

and financial developments.  

The third indent of Article 2(1) of Council Decision 98/415/EC of 29 June 1998 on the consultation of the 
European  Central  Bank  by  national  authorities  regarding  draft  legislative  provisions1  requires  national 

authorities to consult the ECB on draft legislative provisions concerning national central banks. The Law 

falls within this category as it imposes obligations with respect to the content of the NBB’s annual report; 

the Belgian authorities were therefore under an obligation to consult the ECB in due time before adopting 

the draft legislation.  

1

OJ L 189, 3.7.1998, p. 42. 

ECB-PUBLICThe ECB would appreciate the Belgian authorities giving due consideration to the above observations by 

honouring their obligation to consult the ECB in the future.  

Yours sincerely, 

[signed] 

Yves Mersch 

Cc:  Mr A. Flahaut, President of the Belgian House of Representatives 

Mr J. Vande Lanotte, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economic Affairs 

Mr L. Coene, Governor of the National Bank of Belgium 

Mr O. Rehn, Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs 

Mr R. Requena, Director-General Legal Service, European Commission  

Encl. 

Guide to consultation of the ECB by national authorities regarding draft legislative provisions 

ECB-PUBLIC