This only presents disadvantages for municipalities and citizens, they believe. And this will cause an “economic carnage”, forcing half of professional photographers to close their doors, alert the organizations in an open letter addressed to the federal government.
Already seriously weakened by the impact of the measures once morest the coronavirus, the federations are asking to immediately suspend the deployment of ‘live enrollment’. It is “a false good idea” which threatens to overload the municipalities with the taking of identity photos.
The open letter is signed by the ASBL Studio, Beroepsfotografen, U2PF and Prontophot, which motivate their release by a recent written offer from the federal government to all Belgian municipalities aimed at making material available to ensure this ‘live enrollment’.
This device would force local authorities to carry out a non-priority task for which they do not have the skills or the required infrastructure, notes the photography sector.
It would also require the purchase of a lot of equipment by the government, “a waste of public resources”, they argue.
The professional photographer in the neighborhood is however perfectly equipped for this work and he will then be deprived of part of his income, further underlines the photography sector.
The organizations therefore call on the competent ministers to dialogue and to suspend the ‘live enrollment’ until it has been the subject of an in-depth discussion with all the stakeholders. They also ask municipalities with doubts not to order the equipment offered by the General Directorate of Consular Affairs.
