12/04/2018 (Agence Europe) – In a press release from the Benelux countries, Belgium and the Netherlands announced that they had made another step forward in the fight against welfare benefit fraud. They have signed a joint declaration to strengthen the exchange of data between the authorities responsible on this issue. The objective is to identify people who illegally claim welfare or unemployment benefits and uncover the illegal postings of workers. Philippe de Backer, the Belgian Secretary of State for the Fight against Social Fraud declared, “I cannot understand how some people are taking everyone for a ride by committing fraud”. He considers that stepping up the fight in this area will help to ensure fair competition between businesses and the appropriate use of Social Security. The press release points out that this cooperation could also help provide a model for other European Union countries. (PH)