Brussels

Democrats Abroad protest against Trump at US embassy in Brussels

Around a hundred members and supporters of Democrats Abroad in Belgium have on Saturday afternoon protested at the US embassy in Belgium. Similar protests are taking place in 1,500 cities in the

6 days ago

Politics·World

Cultural Compass: A Mozart masterpiece, science fiction comes to life and environmental art

Every Sunday, Belga English picks its favourite events from the cultural agenda. This week: Brussels ushers in summer with one of Mozart’s playful and scintillating operas, the legendary science fiction worlds of

1 week ago

Arts & Entertainment·Opinion

Brussels and federal government faced with probable rating downgrade

For months, Brussels has been anxiously awaiting a rating from credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P), which is likely to announce a new downgrade for the region on Friday evening. A

1 week ago

Business·Politics

National strike: No departing flights at Brussels Airport on 25 June

No departing passenger flights will take place at Brussels Airport in Zaventem on Wednesday 25 June due to a nationwide day of strike. In a press release on Thursday, the airport announced

1 week ago

Opinion

Aviation police director resigns after border controls controversy at Brussels Airport

The head of Belgium’s aviation police is stepping down following controversy over the improper relaxation of border controls at Brussels Airport. The federal police confirmed the resignation on Tuesday after several sources

2 weeks ago

Opinion

Eurostar to expand fleet and launch Brussels-Geneva connection

On Tuesday, Eurostar announced that it booked a profit of 346 million euros last year. To further bolster growth, the company plans to invest in up to 50 new trains and three

2 weeks ago

Society

Violence and arrests in Brussels amid weekend protests

A weekend of protests in Brussels descended into chaos as police used rubber bullets during a march for Fabian, an 11-year-old boy who died during a police chase, and made several arrests

2 weeks ago

Opinion·World

Police unions shelve plans for strike at Brussels Airport

Police unions have shelved their plans to strike over a passport check dispute after the federal police confirmed the existence of an internal notice that had caused them concern. Travellers should not

2 weeks ago

Business

Hundreds join protest against political deadlock in Brussels

Around 500 people gathered outside the Brussels Stock Exchange on Monday to protest against the political deadlock affecting the capital. One year after the last elections, negotiators still have not formed a

2 weeks ago

Politics

Cultural Compass: Music to Accompany a Departure, free galleries and 800 years of Begijnhof

Every Sunday, Belga English picks its favourite events from the cultural agenda. This week: Grief comes to life through music, free entrance to two stunning galleries at the Art & History Museum

2 weeks ago

Arts & Entertainment

Police unions to file strike notice over border control dispute at Brussels Airport

Police unions ACV and NSPV plan to file a formal strike notice over concerns about the alleged relaxation of passport checks at Brussels Airport in Zaventem. The move follows claims that aviation

2 weeks ago

Society

Brussels pushes back on federal unemployment reform

Brussels authorities have triggered a conflict of interest procedure to delay the federal government’s contentious unemployment reform. However, questions over the legality of the move have quickly followed. Brussels employment minister Bernard

2 weeks ago

Politics

Brussels government formation: Flemish socialists and greens ask MR for another approach

Flemish socialist party Vooruit and the Flemish greens of Groen are both asking MR to take a different approach to break the political deadlock in Brussels. French-speaking liberal party MR last week

3 weeks ago

Politics

Brussels has second-highest number of working students in Belgium

The sun is starting to peak through the clouds more often and the days are getting shorter. In Brussels, that means only one thing: the terrace season has started. In this period,

3 weeks ago

Opinion

Brussels public transport reached over one million daily users in 2024

In 2024, Brussels’ public transport operator STIB-MIVB recorded more than one million daily passengers for the first time, marking a 7% increase in ridership compared to the previous year.  According to its

4 weeks ago

Opinion

Final round of Queen Elisabeth piano competition begins in Brussels

The final round of the 2025 Queen Elisabeth piano competition kicks off Monday evening at the Palace of Fine Arts in Brussels. Twelve pianists, seven men and five women, will compete throughout

4 weeks ago

Arts & Entertainment·Society

KBR Museum in Brussels reopens with a celebration of manuscripts and music

The Museum of the Royal Library (KBR) in central Brussels reopens to the public on Friday, inviting visitors to explore its renowned collection of illuminated manuscripts and cultural treasures from the era

1 month ago

Arts & Entertainment

Non-profit sector takes to the streets en masse for more investment in the sector

Employees from across Belgium’s non-profit sector will take to the streets of Brussels once again on Thursday to demand greater investment in healthcare and welfare. The demonstration calls on all levels of

1 month ago

Opinion

Kanal-Centre Pompidou museum to open in November 2026

The Kanal-Centre Pompidou museum in Brussels will officially open ​ in November 2026, director Yves Goldstein announced on Tuesday during a press visit to the construction site. Spanning 40,000 square metres, the

1 month ago

Arts & Entertainment·Society

Pianist Valère Burnon Qualifies for Queen Elisabeth Competition Final

Belgian pianist Valère Burnon has qualified for the final of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, the organisation announced on Facebook on Saturday following the semi-final. On Saturday evening, twelve people were selected from

1 month ago

Arts & Entertainment

Cultural Compass: Free outdoor festival, creative delirium and Brussels’ roaring past

Every Sunday, Belga English picks its favourite events from the cultural agenda. This week: A chance to be outdoors to enjoy music and dance in Bruges, Miet Warlop’s latest stroke of chaotic

1 month ago

Arts & Entertainment·Opinion

Art Deco exhibition explores free time in Brussels between the wars

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Art Deco movement, the Maison Autrique in Schaerbeek, designed by Victor Horta, has opened an exhibition looking at the world of leisure in Brussels during

1 month ago

Arts & Entertainment

Thousands more people set to lose unemployment benefits under new cap

More than 113,000 people will lose their entitlement to unemployment benefits next year under the new two-year cap, many more than the 100,000 people initially estimated, De Morgen reports. The federal government

1 month ago

Opinion

Record profits for Brussels Airport Company

Brussels Airport Company, the operator of Zaventem airport, achieved record turnover and operating profit last year, but will pay no dividends for the sixth consecutive year. The company’s annual results, released on

1 month ago

Business

Brussels Pride set to draw crowd of 200,000

Organisers expect around 200,000 people to attend Saturday’s Brussels Pride event, similar to last year’s attendance figures. Under the banner “Unite, time to protect our rights”, they are calling for renewed vigilance

1 month ago

Society

Serbian students arrive in Brussels after 2,000km ultramarathon for democracy

A group of Serbian students arrived in Brussels on Monday after completing a nearly 2,000-kilometre ultramarathon from Novi Sad, Serbia, part of a growing wave of youth-led activism demanding democratic reform and

1 month ago

Society·World

Interior minister criticises airport queues, calling them “damaging to Brussels and Belgium’s image”

After a site visit, Belgian Interior minister Bernard Quintin (MR) condemned the long passport control queues at Brussels Airport, calling the situation unacceptable. He urged the federal police to take swift action.

1 month ago

Society

Delhaize doubles e-commerce capacity with new distribution centre near Brussels

Delhaize has opened a new e-commerce distribution centre in Forest, on the outskirts of Brussels, doubling its capacity to 50,000 online grocery orders per week. The €53 million investment, made in partnership

1 month ago

Business

Road deaths in Belgium fell to historic low in 2024

The number of road deaths in Belgium fell by 6 per cent last year compared to 2023, to 455 fatalities. This is the lowest number recorded in the official figures, which date

2 months ago

Opinion

More than 60 arrested in violence surrounding Belgian Cup final

Police arrested 63 people in Brussels on Sunday following violence before and after the Belgian Cup final. The match between Club Brugge and RSCA Anderlecht at the King Baudouin stadium sparked clashes

2 months ago

Society·Sport

Ten arrests and nearly 1.5m seized in Brussels money laundering case

Ten people have been arrested and nearly 1.5 million euros seized in a Brussels money laundering case, reported the Brussels public prosecutor’s office. In the case, drug money was passed on to

2 months ago

Opinion

Cultural Compass: Sweet dreams of music, Palestinian voices and a sound tour of Leuven

Every Sunday, Belga English picks its favourite events from the cultural agenda. This week: the Lunalia Festival returns with a staggering international lineup of musicians, a Palestinian-Danish artist explores the trauma of

2 months ago

Arts & Entertainment

Serbian students’ run from Belgrade to Brussels shines light on government corruption

Serbian students began an 18-day run from Belgrade to Brussels on Friday to address the European Parliament about the massive anti-corruption protests shaking Serbia. After a 13-day, 1,400km bicycle journey from Novi

2 months ago

World

Peace dictated by an aggressor is not peace — it’s a delay of the next war

Europe knows this lesson too well. Appeasement has never brought lasting peace. It has only emboldened the next tyrant. Today, Ukraine is not just defending its own borders — it is protecting

2 months ago

Ukraine·World

Brussels’ only outdoor pool to close after 5 years

Brussels’ only open-air swimming pool is closing after five years. Flow, in Anderlecht, was intended as a prototype to show demand for outdoor swimming in the capital, and the organisers say they

2 months ago

Society

World’s best padel players return to Brussels for the Premier Padel Tournament

Brussels will host the fourth edition of the Brussels Premier Padel Tournament over the Easter weekend, marking the second European stop of the 2025 Premier Padel season. The event will take place

2 months ago

Sport

Young buyers boosted real estate sales in Belgium during first quarter

In the first three months of 2025, Belgium saw a jump in real estate sales, according to the notary federation Fednot. Bart van Opstal, a Fednot spokesperson, explained that more young buyers

2 months ago

Politics

Trade union leaders mark 80 years of anti-fascist resistance in Brussels

On the 80th anniversary of the defeat of fascism in Europe, members of the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) gathered in Brussels to pay tribute to resistance fighters of the

2 months ago

Society

Belgium’s interior minister unveils plan to merge police zones in Brussels

Belgium’s Interior minister Bernard Quintin (MR) has finalised a plan to merge Brussels’ six local police zones into one unified command, headed by a single police chief. The proposal, outlined to Brussels

2 months ago

Politics·Society

Leuven and Brussels host first European Running Championships

The inaugural European Running Championships will take place in Leuven and Brussels this weekend. More than 300 professional athletes will take part in one of the six races, and the Belgian team

2 months ago

Sport

Excavation of former hospital graveyard sheds new light on Brussels’ social history

Dozens of human skeletons have been found in what was once a 13th-century hospital graveyard during work to install new water pipes and tram tracks in Brussels.  The remains of at least

2 months ago

Society

No breast cancer screening invitation for Brussels women due to absence new government

No women in Brussels have yet been invited for a mammogram in 2025, reported the magazines “Medi-Sphere” and “Le Spécialiste” on Wednesday. In the absence of a fully-fledged new Brussels government, funding

2 months ago

Society

Tariff battle pushes Brussels Bel20 index below 4,000 points

The Brussels stock exchange closed deep in the red again on Monday. The Bel20 index lost 3.99 per cent, dropping to 3,930.25 points, the first time since August 2024 that it closed

3 months ago

Business

254 fallen soldiers commemorated in Brussels on Veterans Day

A ceremony was held on Monday at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Brussels to commemorate Belgian military personnel who lost their lives during operations since 1945. A total of 254

3 months ago

Society

Brussels and international trade: a verified growth driver

In a changing economic context, international trade plays a key role in the prosperity of the Brussels Region. At a time when certain countries, such as the United States, are stepping up

3 months ago

Society

Brussels researchers display mycelium-based fashion and furniture at Milan Design Week

Researchers from Brussels are travelling to Milan Design Week with designs based on mycelium, the root structure of fungi. They have processed the material to create an alternative to animal or synthetic

3 months ago

Arts & Entertainment

Hundreds demonstrate in Brussels for ‘dignified and affordable’ housing

Several hundred people have on Sunday afternoon taken to the streets in Brussels to demand “dignified and affordable” housing, as part of the European Housing Action Day. The organisers, including the Brussels

3 months ago

Society

Cultural Compass: Crystal Ship returns to Ostend, iconic photographs and adventurous new expos

Every Sunday, Belga English picks its favourite events from the cultural agenda. This week: Ostend’s yearly Crystal Ship returns with an exciting international line-up, renowned photographer Steve McCurry brings his most famous

3 months ago

Arts & Entertainment

‘Moroccan measles variant’ found in Brussels sewage water

Research by KU Leuven university shows that the so-called “Moroccan variant” of the measles virus has been found in sewage water in Brussels. Morocco is currently facing a large measles outbreak, but

3 months ago

Society

EU warns that Ukraine must participate in negotiations on its future

Brussels was wary of rumors about possible negotiations between the USA and Russia without Kiev’s participation. EU representatives emphasized that any decisions taken in such a format would not have international legitimacy.

3 months ago

Ukraine

EU Parliament debates €20m plan for monthly scaffolding

Brussels – Officials in the European Parliament are evaluating a €20 million proposal for the monthly dismantling of scaffolding to ensure the debating chamber remains accessible during renovation works, the Telegraph reported.

3 months ago

Politics

Cultural Compass: Antwerp Spring Festival, Beauty as Resistance and a gendered affair at MoMu

Every Sunday, Belga English picks its favourite events from the cultural agenda. This week: Spring fills Antwerp with international music, ​ imaginative works by one of Ghent’s mainstay photographers, gender’s influence on

3 months ago

Arts & Entertainment

Brussels, my love? A democratic Syria – realistic or just a pipe dream?

In this edition of our talk show from Brussels, the participants discuss the new beginning in Syria, the continuation of diplomacy in Ukraine and the allegations of bribery in connection with the

3 months ago

World