Following theEuropean Union’s obligation in 2020 to include DAB+ receivers in new cars, Belgium decided to stop all sales of analog radio receivers without DAB+ as from Jan. 1, 2023.

The three Belgian communities (Flanders, Wallonia including the German language community, and Brussels) came to a consensus on the matter in 2021.

As from Jan. 1 consumers are no longer able to purchase from a shop FM or AM receivers without DAB+ for domestic use. The exception is in the French-speaking side of the country, where FM receivers can still be sold if they do not incorporate a screen.

“The obligation to incorporate DAB+ for new cars and domestic radio receivers is a nice step ahead in the digitization of our radio landscape,” commented Benjamin Dalle, Flemish Media Minister. “We have announced the obligation quite some time ago. I’m convinced that we are, like other countries in the EU, ready for digitization. The (Jan. 1) obligation will make FM more a technology of the past.”