Presentation of the 2025 Annual Report of the Advisory Council

As usual, the annual report provides open and transparent insight into the tasks and activities of the Council and its Scientific Bureau, as well as an overview of the recommendations issued during the reporting year.

In his preface, the Chairman draws attention to the fact that 2025 was a historic year in several respects. He refers, among other things, to the low number of legislative products in the reporting year, but also to the fact that much legislation once considered a priority has stalled somewhere in the legislative process or has been waiting for years for implementation. Looking back on 40 years of Status Aparte, this development worries the Council because it threatens to undermine the credibility and effectiveness of the legislative process. In the anniversary year of 2026, we should therefore reflect on whether, after four decades of Status Aparte, the rule of law and democratic safeguards are sufficiently anchored in our political and social reality

This year's annual report focuses on a topic that has been a significant source of debate in 2025: the organization of budgetary supervision. This time, it is seen from the perspective of the Advisory Council. Although the relevant draft legislation—a proposal for a Kingdom Act and a draft national ordinance—has not yet been submitted to the Council for advice, the Council has chosen to use this theme to create some breathing room in the debate by outlining several key points so that all parties—naturally with the national interest in mind—can calmly reach a well-considered decision. Once again, the Council hopes that the theme of the annual report will contribute to a clear, substantive discussion, also in the context of reflecting on 40 years of Status Aparte.

For more information, please consult the full 2025 annual report.