Belgium: Introduced Bill to implement the Digital Services Act (DSA)

On 31 January 2024, a Bill (No. 55K3799) to implement the Digital Services Act (DSA) was introduced to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives. The Bill aims to harmonise Belgian legislation with the new requirements for digital services under the DSA. Key provisions include the designation of the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT) as the competent authority to supervise the provisions of the DSA at the federal level, the issuance of decrees designating the competent authorities for federated entities, and the establishment of a cooperation agreement between the federal state and the communities. The Bill introduces additional obligations for providers of very large online platforms and search engines. These obligations include the management, assessment, and limitation of systemic risks and the implementation of crisis response mechanisms. They apply to platforms and search engines with an average monthly number of users in the EU of 45 million or more. The Bill also proposes changes to other aspects of Belgian law to align with the DSA and introduces sanctions for non-compliance with orders issued by the competent authorities.