BRUSSELS - Belgium is to introduce sweeping reforms of its divorce laws, it was revealed on Monday.

6 September 2004

Federal Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinx wants to modernisation the system to take amicable divorces out of the courts, said Flemish daily De Tijd.

"Couples who want to divorce are currently almost forced to go to court. Whoever wins gets the financial assets and custody of the children," said the minister.

Onkelinx aims to introduce the concept of "divorce without fault" to avoid the current system that is based on "winners and losers."

Removing the necessary criteria of guilt would make the Belgian procedure more akin to the Dutch system.

Onkelinx is also pushing for the possibility of shared custody of the children.

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