BELGIUM - The Belgian pension ombudsman, Service de Mediation pour les Pensions, has celebrated its fifth anniversary launching a campaign to inform the public on its activities.

The service, which says it has assisted more than 8,000 people since its launch, has the role of “mediating and seek reconciliation between citizens and the pension services”.

“Every months about three million people are given pensions from different Belgian services, this public constantly changes and new pensions are added every year,” the ombudsman said in a statement.

“It is inevitable that there can be mistakes, delays, information defaults, negligence bad administration … avoiding the repetition of such loopholes is the mission of the Service de Mediation pour les Pensions.”

The ombudsman stressed its campaign would be for the benefits of all citizens.

“Every citizens would benefit to know of the existence of the service, which would help solving their litigations with the pension services and which, generally, would help avoid that such problems reoccur.”

The campaign, which the ombudsman has organised with the office of the prime minister, will go on until December 2.

It will be mainly conducted through the press, especially publications for the senior citizens and flyers will also be available at post offices all over the country.

Further information will be available on www.mediateurpensions.be.