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Belgium is fifth largest importer of Champagne

Champagne imports to Belgium last year rose by 2.3% to 9.74 million bottles, making Belgium the fifth largest importer of Champagne, reports the Benelux Champagne Agency. Belgium accounts for 6.67% of global Champagne exports, according to the agency. On a global scale, Champagne imports last year...

Volunteer organisations awarded medals of honour

Four organisations that depend largely on volunteers for their work have been awarded a medal of honour by the Flemish parliament: Chiro Brussel, representing youth, the National Orchard Foundation, representing the environment, the Centre for Suicide Prevention, representing the care sector and...

University colleges want to raise the bar for first-years

Dutch-speaking university colleges want to oblige first-year students to achieve a minimum of 60% of the total study points rather than the 50% now required. The Flemish University Colleges’ Council (Vlhora) hopes that raising the bar will lead to a change in mentality among first-years that...

New project gives inmates pencils, cameras and self-esteem

For two years, the European art and advocacy programme Parol! has given prison inmates across the continent an opportunity to nurture their inner artists. They rose to the occasion, and the results are now on show in a multidisciplinary group exhibition at the MuntPunt library and information...

Thousands of taxis take to centre of Brussels

A large taxi demonstration is taking place today in the centre of Brussels, in a procession that started this morning near North station before heading to the centre with an aim to end up in the EU district at Schuman around 14.00. The taxi drivers are protesting against a new taxi plan proposed by...

Car sales down in Belgium by 3.6%

In February there were 44,504 new cars registered in Belgium, a decrease of 3.6% compared to the same month in 2013, according to automobile federation Febiac. In the first two months of this year there were 91,828 new cars registered, a decrease of 4.1% compared to the same period in 2013...

Oosterweel works will begin in 2017

Works on the Oosterweel connection in Antwerp – a system of roads and tunnels intended to close the Antwerp Ring and ease traffic congestion – will begin in 2017, minister-president Geert Bourgeois and public works minister Ben Weyts have announced. The project will be split into five parts, which...

Swimming areas get good report for water quality

According to a 2014 study by the Flemish Environment Agency (VMM), the water quality in 29 of the 42 participating swimming areas in Flanders is ‘excellent’. The 13 remaining zones also achieved an above satisfactory score, according to figures provided by environment minister Joke Schauvliege (CD...

Flanders Week in Gdańsk celebrates links with Poland

The Polish seaport city of Gdánsk is hosting “Flanders Week in Gdańsk” later this month to highlight the links between the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium and Poland. The week of events from 14 to 21 March is being organised by various Belgian and Polish organisations to celebrate trading and...

Belgian construction sector employs 100,000 foreign workers

In 2014, there were 101,172 registered foreign workers in the construction sector in Belgium. That is nearly a fivefold increase compared with eight years ago, when 23,962 foreign construction workers were registered, reports Le Soir based on figures from the National Social Security Office (NSSO...

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