Justice in the Digital Age: The Misunderstanding of Digitalization in Belgium’s Ministry of Justice

Wim Vanhaverbeke - January 10, 2025

The promise of digitalization is a more efficient, transparent, and accessible system. Yet, in Belgium, the Federal Ministry of Justice’s digital transformation is marred by delays, incompetence, and significant oversights. Recent reports by "Het Rekenhof" (the Belgian Court of Audit) underscore glaring issues that call into question the Ministry’s capacity to navigate the complexities of digital transformation.

Criticism from the Court of Audit

The Court of Audit’s findings paint a damning picture. Financial management in the digitalization efforts lacks rigor, with risks of fraud not sufficiently controlled. Furthermore, there is limited transparency about the Ministry’s objectives, and poor oversight of budgets allocated to digital projects has resulted in ballooning costs. Projects remain incomplete, plagued by inefficiencies and a lack of accountability.

Even more troubling is the fragmented and piecemeal approach to technology integration. Instead of a cohesive strategy, individual tools and applications have been implemented in silos, creating more confusion than solutions. This lack of a unified vision not only delays meaningful progress but also squanders public funds.

Misunderstanding Digitalization

The fundamental issue is the Ministry’s apparent misunderstanding of what digitalization entails. Governments often fall into the trap of “digitalizing the old ways”—using technology merely to replicate existing processes. But digital transformation is not about automating inefficiencies. It is a management challenge that demands a complete rethink of systems, processes, and strategies.

True digital transformation starts with a strategy: how can digital technologies create new value for citizens and organizations and streamline operations? In the context of justice, this means simplifying and shortening complex legal procedures, redesigning court systems, and making the judicial process faster, more transparent, and more efficient. Technology - also digital technology - is merely the tool; the real change comes from a strategy that integrates these tools into a reimagined judicial system.

What a Digital Justice Ministry Should Look Like

If Belgium’s Ministry of Justice is serious about digital transformation, it must address the following foundational issues:

A Clear Strategy for the Digital Era: The Ministry needs to define what justice should look like in the 21st century. This involves not just digitizing court records but rethinking how cases are processed, how hearings are conducted, and how citizens can interact with the judicial system .

Process Redesign: Current judicial processes are lengthy and costly. Digital technologies have the potential to streamline these processes, but this requires rethinking workflows and introducing automation where appropriate. For example, AI-driven case management could help prioritize cases and reduce backlogs.

Restructuring and Training: The Ministry must invest in reskilling its workforce to handle new digital tools effectively. Training programs should focus not only on technical skills but also on change management and process innovation.

Empowering Employees as Digital Innovators: Reliance on consulting companies is not a sustainable solution. Employees within the administration must integrate digital into their daily jobs and take on the role of innovative drivers for digitalization in public administration. This requires fostering a culture of ownership, creativity, and continuous learning.

Citizen-Centric Solutions: The ultimate goal of digitalization should be to improve citizens’ access to justice. This means creating platforms that are user-friendly, transparent, and accessible to those that are certified to have specific information.

Continuous Evaluation: A robust monitoring and evaluation system must be put in place to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and ensure accountability.

Learning from Global Best Practices: The Ministry should actively look to other countries for examples of successful judicial digitalization. Nations like Estonia and Singapore, known for their efficient and technology-driven public systems, can serve as benchmarks for what’s possible when digitalization is done right.

Professionalizing Digitalization Across Government: Digitalization in Belgium’s Federal Government needs to be professionalized and taken to the next level. This transformation is not just necessary for the justice system but also for other government departments. BOSA (the Federal Public Service Policy and Support) should play a pioneering role in setting standards and driving innovation. However, as highlighted by Het Rekenhof, this is currently not the case.

An Opportunity for Organizational Innovation

Belgium’s justice system is at a crossroads. The current approach—characterized by mismanagement and a lack of vision—is unsustainable. However, the challenges also present an opportunity for the new Federal Government to reimagine what justice could look like in a digital age. The Ministry can transform itself into a model of efficiency and innovation improving performance, fairness, and speed while keeping the budget tight.

This transformation will not happen overnight. It requires leadership, collaboration, and a willingness to challenge entrenched ways of working. But the reward—a faster, fairer, and more accessible justice system—is worth the effort. Belgium’s citizens deserve nothing less.