12 DECEMBER 1997. An Act to confirm royal decrees under the Act of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions for Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union, and the Act of 26 July 1996 to modernize social security and to ensure the viability of legal pension schemes (1)

ALBERT II, King of the Belgians,
To all, present and to come, Hi.
The Chambers adopted and We sanction the following:
TITLE I. - General provision
Article 1^er. This Act regulates a matter referred to in Article 78 of the Constitution.
PART II. - Telecommunications
Art. 2. Confirmed with effect on the date of their entry into force:
1° the Royal Decree of 3 April 1997 concerning the transfer of certain agents of Belgacom to the Federal Authority pursuant to Article 3, § 1^er6° of the Act of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union;
2° the Royal Decree of 18 June 1997 establishing a temporary pre-retirement leave regime for certain members of the statutory staff of the anonymous public law company Belgacom, pursuant to Article 3, § 1^er, 6°, of the law of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union.
PART III. - Force measures
Art. 3. Is confirmed with effect on the date of its entry into force:
the Royal Decree of 23 April 1997 on measures relating to the Force, pursuant to the law of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union.
PART IV. - Tax and financial measures
CHAPTER I. - Tax measures
Art. 4. Confirmed with effect on the date of their entry into force:
1° the royal decree of 6 May 1997 amending, in respect of the tax on the delivery of titles to the bearer, the Code of Taxes assimilated to the stamp, pursuant to Articles 2, § 1^er, and 3, § 1^er, 2° and 3°, of the Act of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union;
2° the Royal Decree of 27 May 1997 amending the Value Added Tax Code, pursuant to Articles 2, § 1^er, and 3, § 1^er, 2° and 3°, of the Act of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union;
3° the Royal Decree of 19 August 1997 establishing a single contribution to the charge of electricity producers pursuant to Articles 2, §§ 2 and 3, and § 1^er, 4° and 5°, of the law of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union.
CHAPTER II. - Financial measures
Art. 5. Confirmed with effect on the date of their entry into force:
1° the Royal Decree of 15 July 1997 on measures to consolidate the financial assets of the public administrations, taken under articles 2, § 1^er, and 3, § 1^er, 6°, and § 2, of the Act of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union;
2° the royal decree of 8 August 1997, taken under articles 2 and 3, § 1^er, 1°, of the law of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union, amending article 22, § 6, of the law of 29 May 1959 amending certain provisions of the legislation on education;
3° the Royal Decree of 19 August 1997 amending the coordinated law on the organization of the public sector of the credit and the detention of public sector participations in certain private financial societies, taken under Article 3, § 1^er, 6° and 7°, of the Act of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union;
4° the royal decree of 30 May 1997 concerning the strengthening of the efficiency of instruments of financial support for export, taken under Article 3, § 1^er, 1° and 6°, of the law of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union.
PART V. - Scientific and Technical Information Service
Art. 6. Is confirmed with effect on the date of its entry into force:
the Royal Decree of 19 August 1997 establishing in the Federal Services for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs of the State Service for Separate Management "Scientific and Technical Information Service" (SIST) pursuant to Article 3, § 1^er, 6°, of the law of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union.
PART VI. - Social security
CHAPTER I. - Expenditures in the health care sector
Art. 7. Confirmed with effect on the date of their entry into force:
1° the Royal Decree of 16 April 1997 amending the Royal Decree of 4 February 1997 establishing for the year 1997 a contribution on the turnover of certain pharmaceutical products, pursuant to Article 3, § 1^er, 2° and 4°, of the Act of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union;
2° the royal decree of 8 August 1997 amending the law of 25 March 1964 on medicines, pursuant to Article 3, § 1^er, 4°, of the law of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union.
Art. 8. Confirmed with effect on the date of their entry into force:
1° the Royal Decree of 26 May 1997 amending the laws relating to compensation for damage caused by occupational diseases, coordinated on 3 June 1970, pursuant to Article 3, § 1^er, 4°, and § 2, of the Act of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union;
2° the Royal Decree of 8 August 1997 amending the Act of 3 July 1967 on compensation for damage caused by accidents of work, accidents occurring on the road to work and occupational diseases in the public sector, pursuant to Article 3, § 1^er, 4°, of the law of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union.
CHAPTER II. - Comprehensive financial management in social security
Art. 9. Is confirmed with effect on the date of its entry into force:
the Royal Decree of 8 August 1997 on measures for the development of the overall management of social security, pursuant to Article 9 of the Law of 26 July 1996 on social security modernization and ensuring the viability of the legal pension schemes, and Article 3, § 1^er, 4°, of the law of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union.
PART VII. - National Defence
Art. 10. Confirmed with effect on the date of their entry into force:
1° the Royal Decree of 24 July 1997 establishing the voluntary regime of the four-day week and the regime of early half-time departure for certain military personnel and amending the status of the military in order to establish the temporary withdrawal of employment by career interruption, pursuant to Article 3, § 1^er, 1°, of the Act of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union;
2° the Royal Decree of 24 July 1997 concerning the laying-off of certain military personnel of the armed forces' active framework, pursuant to Article 3, § 1^er, 1°, of the Act of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union;
3° the Royal Decree of 24 July 1997 concerning the envelope in military personnel, pursuant to Article 3, § 1^er, 1°, of the law of 26 July 1996 to fulfil the budgetary conditions of Belgium's participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union.
PART VIII. - Entry into force
Art. 11. This Act comes into force on the day of its publication in the Belgian Monitor.
Promulgate this law, order that it be clothed with the seal of the State and published by the Belgian Monitor.
Given in Brussels on 12 December 1997.
ALBERT
By the King:
The Prime Minister,
J.-L. DEHAENE
Minister of Economy and Telecommunications,
E. DI RUPO
The Minister of the Interior,
J. VANDE LANOTTE
Minister of Finance and Foreign Trade,
Ph. MAYSTADT
The Minister of Budget,
H. VAN ROMPUY
Minister of Science Policy,
YLIEFF
Minister of Public Health and Pensions,
Mr. COLLA
The Minister of Social Affairs,
Ms. M. DE GALAN
Minister of Justice,
S. DE CLERCK
Minister of Public Service,
A. FLAHAUT
Minister of National Defence,
J.-P. PONCELET
Seal of the state seal:
Minister of Justice,
S. DE CLERCK
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