Administrative procedures have never been so complex: online forms, locked platforms, technical-legal jargon… As a result, a wrongly ticked box can cost someone a benefit, a social right, or trigger an automatic fine, even when the mistake was clearly made in good faith. The Brussels Ombudswoman has repeatedly pointed this out: without a clear framework, citizens too often face a rigid and hard-to-understand administration.
In the Brussels Parliament, the MR has decided to change course. MP Amélie PANS has tabled an ordinance seeking to create, for the first time in the Brussels Region, a genuine enforceable right to make mistakes in administrative procedures. The aim is simple: to protect citizens and businesses acting in good faith, focus enforcement on fraud, and restore trust between Brussels residents and their administrations.
What the MR is concretely putting on the table
The MR's text does not stop at fine principles: it changes the rules of the game.
It provides in particular for a presumption of good faith, requiring the administration to prove bad faith rather than the citizen having to justify themselves; a minimum period of 30 working days to correct an error; a clear definition of disproportionate sanctions to prevent a minor error from leading to a heavy penalty; a broad scope covering the Region, its public bodies and Brussels municipalities within their competences regulated or funded by the Region; and an obligation to justify any refusal of the right to make mistakes, with systematic information on the right to appeal to the Ombudsman
The MR's philosophy is clear: a citizen who makes a mistake once, without intent to defraud, should first be able to correct it, not be punished. Fraud, repeat offences and serious breaches of the public interest, however, remain fully sanctioned.
Right to make mistakes and the digital revolution: AI must serve citizens, not the other way around
This text is also part of a broader reflection by the MR and the Centre Jean Gol on the digital revolution and artificial intelligence. The CJG's 70 proposals to make Belgium a leading country in AI call for a simpler, more efficient administration that is closer to citizens thanks to smart tools, as well as strong governance of the algorithms used by public authorities.
In concrete terms, this means:
- Using AI to simplify procedures, pre-fill forms, and detect inconsistencies before they become problems, rather than multiplying administrative traps.
- Creating more intuitive digital counters and portals, capable of identifying frequent errors and suggesting corrections in real time.
- Strictly regulating the use of algorithms by the administration, with rules on transparency, human oversight and effective recourse for citizens.
The right to make mistakes in Brussels is one link in this same chain: if citizens are to trust digital tools and, in future, the AI used by public authorities, they must be guaranteed that a mistake made in good faith will not have irreversible consequences.