Grandparents are to be given more rights to see their grandchildren under draft legislation drawn up by legal protection minister Franc Weerwind.

Grandmothers and grandfathers will no longer have to prove in court that they have had long-term contact with their grandchild to have visitation rights.

“Both grandchildren and grandparents are losers if contact is lost beyond their control,” Weerwind said. “It leads to sad situations and can damage the child’s development,” he said. “So it is important to adapt the law.”

In the current situation, grandparents must prove they had intensive contact with their grandchild in court, but that will no longer be the case.

Other rules will remain and a court must first decide if it is in the interests of the child to continue the contact and at what level.

The measure still has to be voted on by the lower and upper houses of parliament.