In March 2025, the Walloon Government presented its strategy to roll out a genuine administrative simplification shock, with a clear objective: to make procedures simpler, faster and more accessible for all users (citizens, businesses, associations, etc.). In keeping with its commitment to monitor the project's progress at regular intervals, the Government presented in November 2025 a first update of the ongoing monitoring. At that point, more than 100 concrete measures had already been taken to simplify life for users. Today, the Government is issuing a new update of its ongoing monitoring. To date, no fewer than 400 administrative simplification measures have been taken across all public policy areas in Wallonia. “From day one, we have been transparent: simplifying procedures takes time, and you cannot transform 30 years of practices in a few months. For years, Wallonia tended to go ever further with standards, forms and paperwork. We are trying to put an end to these practices. Today we are showing that, step by step, Wallonia is simplifying itself, but we remain clear-eyed: there is still so much to simplify and no reason to be triumphant at this stage”, says Jacqueline Galant, Minister for Administrative Simplification.
The Shock: designed for the long term
As a reminder, the Shock is not just a series of simplified procedures. It is a comprehensive strategy aimed at durably transforming the administration, both by evolving its culture, in particular towards a genuine customer-oriented approach, and by modernising its tools, notably through the digitalisation of its practices and concrete progress in certain areas.
Given its structural nature, the administrative simplification shock (which is above all a cultural shock) will take time to implement, as it is intrinsically linked to the evolution of the administration carried out in recent months in close cooperation with its leaders.
As a reminder, the Shock comprises 3 components:
- Evolution of the culture and practices of public services: reform of the mandate system (done), performance and results orientation (done), end of appointment processes (done), guide to good practice in drafting regulations (done), catalogue of training and awareness-raising actions aimed at users, principle of trust, data culture (ongoing), methodology for implementing the principle of trust, ...
- Ongoing modernisation of tools: transition manager at SPW Digital to get the structure back on track (done), growing investment in digital technology (done), digitalisation of dozens of procedures now available fully online (done), use of AI to speed up certain processes (done), ...
- Concrete simplification measures over time
It is on this third component that the monitoring focuses.
More than 400 measures already taken in Wallonia
When presenting the administrative simplification shock, the Government committed to continuously monitoring its progress and taking stock at regular intervals. To this end, the methodological approach chosen to monitor concrete progress achieved over the course of the legislature relies on rigorous tracking of measures taken by the Government and the concrete benefits ultimately generated for users. This tracking involves listing the administrative simplification measures implemented weekly by the Government throughout the legislature, identifying the target groups concerned and the observed benefits, particularly in terms of reduced administrative burdens, processing times or accessibility of procedures.
As the Government had pledged to be transparent and to report at regular intervals on the state of the monitoring, it is today revealing a (non-exhaustive) list of more than 400 measures already taken across all areas, all competences and by all Ministers in Wallonia.
“There's no bragging here, simplification takes time to have concrete effects. We are aware that Walloons have high expectations. We are continuing, we are accelerating towards more common sense,” Jacqueline Galant concludes.