Association without lucrative purpose

Vereniging zonder winstoogmerk (Dutch, abbreviated vzw) or Association sans but lucratif (French, abbreviated asbl) or Vereinigung ohne Gewinnerzielungsabsicht (German, abbreviated VoG) is the legal term for a non-profit organization in Belgium; the French term also applies in Luxembourg and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For international organisations, the equivalent is ivzw or aisbl. It is a formal designation under Belgian and Luxembourg law, and organisations are entered in a register and allocated numeric identifiers.

Internationale vereniging zonder winstoogmerk (Dutch, often abbreviated IVZW) or Association internationale sans but lucratif (French; often abbreviated AISBL) or Internationale Vereinigung ohne Gewinnerzielungsabsicht (German; often abbreviated IVoG) is the legal term used in Belgium for an internationally acting non-profit organization based on Belgian law and located in Belgium.[1]

Importance of the association without lucrative purpose in the Belgian economy

It is estimated that 497.400 employees work for associations without lucrative purpose in Belgium.[2] The international associations without lucrative purpose employ an estimated 20’000 to 30’000 people in Belgium. Brussels is the second largest city in terms of housing of international associations after Washington DC. The category includes among others professional associations, foundations and NGOs.[3]

In 2019, Belgium adopted new legal rules for private companies which also covers association without lucrative purpose.[4] The new rules allow the association without lucrative purpose to exercise any commercial activity. They are, however, not allowed to distribute their profits. The associations without lucrative purpose have been in the past criticized for their poor management practices. In response, the new rules also increase the liability for the administrators of an association without lucrative purpose vis-à-vis the association.[5]

See also

References
  1. For the legal text of the IVZV/IASBL, look at title III, Art. 46 on page 38 (in Dutch & French)
  2. Lauwers, Michel (13 May 2020). "Les institutions sans but lucratif créent 10.200 emplois par an". L'Echo (in French). Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  3. Bombaerts, Jean-Paul (17 May 2018). "Bruxelles risque de voir filer les ASBL internationales". L'Echo (in French). Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  4. Selleslagh, Dirk (26 April 2019). "Les 7 choses à savoir à propos du nouveau code des sociétés". L'Echo (in French). Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  5. Pintiaux, Alexandre (5 June 2019). "ASBL culturelles: mesures à prendre? (partie 2)". Le Soir (in French). Retrieved 14 January 2021.
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