Pensions with a foreign component

general assembly on March 16, 2016

The Court of Audit sent a report to the House of Representatives in which it analyses how the National Pensions Office (ONP/RVP) and the National Institute for the Social Security of the Self-employed (Inasti/RSVZ) process pension applications involving beneficiaries entitled to a Belgian pension, no matter whether they are living abroad or are entitled to a foreign pension. The Court of Audit examined if the Office and the Institute’s procedures ensure an efficient and accurate processing of these pension applications and provide a transparent and quality service. It came to the conclusion that the procedures do not entirely cover all the risks of late or undue pension granting or payment. The tools used by both institutions in order to meet the deadlines do not ensure the timely processing of these applications. Moreover, the various granting procedures used by the Office and the Institute for applications with a mixed career hamper these deadlines. Furthermore, the IT procedures and monitoring are being hindered by the absence of electronic data exchange between countries or links with foreign databanks. Finally, the Court of Audit identified several areas that need to be improved in terms of communication and handling of complaints.