Princess Elisabeth’s 18th birthday gathered VIP guests, politicians, her former teachers and 80 youngsters also born in 2001 at the Brussels Royal Palace. The future heir to the Belgian throne delivered a speech in French and Dutch and announced: “The country can count on my commitment”. The speech also included a tribute to her […]

  To mark the anniversary of famous Manneken-Pis statue Brussels city has announced a full range of events. The Brussels city government ordered a new Manneken-Pis statue In 1619 to replace the existing one. The first monument appeared in administrative records in 1451 and was included in a map from 1572. At the time the […]

  The City of Brussels has announced a ban on street drinking between midnight and 6.00 around the city’s pedestrian zone. Mayor Philippe Close said the ban would take effect by the end of the year. Night shops and cafe terraces will still be allowed to sell alcohol. Fines will be issued to people who […]

  Austria’s state railway operator ÖBB is launching an overnight train service from Brussels to Vienna in the new year. On Saturday the chairman of ÖBB, Andreas Matthä, made the announcement about such plans in an interview with an Austrian daily newspaper. The service is expected to begin in January. More details about the timetable, […]

  Brussels has always something to offer its expats. Almost each month and sometimes even more often there are free events for expats held with the participation of leading banks. 1. This month ING Bank Belgium invites for Buying Real Estate for Expats event on 10 October in Brussels. Questions covered will include: But is […]

  From next summer every resident under 25 and over 65 will not pay for using public transport in Brussels, the Stib has announced. The measure has received the approval of the Brussels government and is expected to cost about €12 million a year. Young people aged 12-24 currently pay a reduced rate of €50 […]

  Twice as many Belgians are cycling to work regularly compared to the number from five years ago. In total, 13% of commuters are now cyclists. Thanks to electric bicycles, people are willing to cycle longer distances. The average cycle commute is 9.4 kilometres one-way, about two kilometres more than five years ago. The use […]

  Last month the Atomium has been attended up to 15% more people than during the same period last year. The monument attracted 84,742 people in August, the best performance since August 2008, when special events were organised to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Between January and August, 452,001 visitors were counted. Two thirds of the […]

  The Belgian men’s field hockey team won the European cup. The EuroHockey Championships was held in Antwerp, with the Red Lions winning the final on Saturday. The win automatically qualifies Belgium for a place in next year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The team brought home silver from the Rio Games in 2016. Belgium was […]