Official Launch

On November 9, 2023, the SIOD Chair for the Reduction of Social Fraud and Social Dumping was officially launched. This Chair is funded by the Social Intelligence and Investigation Service (SIOD) and is led by Prof. Dr. Yves Jorens. It was established for a period of five years and will run until the end of the 2027–2028 academic year. There is structural collaboration with the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB).

The speeches delivered during the formal opening of the Chair can be consulted via the following links:

• Yves Jorens - Promotor of the Academic Chair -
• Mieke Van Herreweghe - Vice-Rector of Ghent University
• Geert De Poorter - Chair of the Management Committee of the FPS Employment
• Bart Stalpaert - Director of SIOD 
• Frank Debusscher - Cabinet of Minister Dermagne  
• Lieven Dejaegher - Financial Inspector 

Objectives

The goal of the Chair is to strengthen the scientific foundation in the fight against social fraud and social dumping, as outlined in the Social Penal Code. The focus lies on intensive interaction between the academic world and the relevant stakeholders. The knowledge acquired through this collaboration is intended to be practically applicable for social inspection services, aiming to reinforce the expertise of all parties involved in combating social fraud and dumping. This is achieved through the organization of workshops with the various stakeholders (inspection services, Public Prosecutor's Office, FPS, etc.), the drafting of reports, and the development of control methodologies.

Content Overview of the Chair

The Chair works with an annual program, covering various social law topics that are always linked to real-world developments and aligned with the current “Action Plan for Social Fraud Control”, which is determined biennially and published by SIOD. The Chair thereby significantly supports the inspection services in achieving the policy objectives outlined in the Action Plan. A transversal approach is pursued, with attention to a holistic perspective on various current fraud phenomena.

The following topics have been and are currently being addressed:

• Aviation Sector – Controls in the aviation sector may focus on benefit fraud (e.g., beneficiaries staying abroad) and on the working conditions of aviation personnel.

• Platform Economy – Controls in the sharing economy and platform work face various challenges, including the detection of platforms. Social inspectors also deal with issues such as detecting income from the sharing economy and correctly classifying employment relationships.

• Moving Sector – The moving sector is characterized by different forms of social fraud (e.g., shopping between joint committees, undeclared labor). The mobile nature of the sector and the short duration of moving jobs pose specific challenges for social inspections. New legislation on subcontracting also affects inspection activities.

• Barrier Model: “International Subcontracting as a Tool for Crime” – In collaboration with the Federal Police, the link between money laundering from criminal activities and employment constructions is being examined.

• Courier and Parcel Delivery Services – Following several malpractice incidents in the courier sector, the so-called “Parcel Law” was approved in 2023. This law is currently being further elaborated.

Contact

Questions related to the SIOD Chair can be directed to:
Yves.Jorens@ugent.be
Zeger.Vannieuwenhuyze@ugent.be