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“Making the lives of expats easier”

“I know how difficult it is, honestly, to be an expat,” he says. “Whatever age you are, it’s difficult because you’re starting a new experience in your life.” Yet in those first few weeks after their arrival, newcomers in this country typically find many priorities tugging at their time and...

De Lijn faced with pricing dilemna

The Flemish public transport company, De Lijn, has previously announced its need to drastically reduce costs and come up with an additional €17 million to maintain services. The company is therefore considering the possibility of increasing its ticket prices by 5%. However, such a measure would...

Brussels chocolate among '12 treasures of Europe', says New York Times

"While Brussels is home to hundreds of chocolatiers, what makes a visit imperative… is the rich heritage of artisanal chocolate-makers,” writes The New York Times in an article about the 12 treasures of Europe . The piece appeared in the Travel section of the newspaper’s October 19 issue, for which...

4 ways to fill a Halloween night in Brussels

It is only over the last few years that Halloween has hit Brussels every October 31st. But just because Halloween has not long been a tradition in Brussels, does not mean that you need to retire your pitchfork or hang up your witch’s cap. For both kids and adults, there are a few great places to...

Belgium's Janssen Pharma to speed up production of Ebola vaccine

The pharmaceutical division of multinational Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has put up €200 million for its Belgian subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceutica to speed up production of a vaccine against the Ebola virus. Janssen, based in Antwerp province, has been working on a preventive vaccine against...

Belgian chocolatier Isis changes its name

The Belgian chocolate producer Isis has changed its name to avoid negative associations with current events in the Middle East. "Keeping the name Isis had become untenable," explains the company, referring to recent events in Iraq and Syria and the eponymous terrorist group, ISIS. "Isis launches...

Green energy sector to create 10,000 jobs a year

The rapid growth of the renewable energy sector in Belgium is directly responsible for the creation of more than 10,000 jobs annually through 2020, according to a study by Ernst & Young, commissioned by three Belgian companies in the field of renewable energy, report De Standaard and De Tijd ...

Shorten maternity stays in hospital by half a day, says KCE

According to the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE), if post-natal care is reorganised, women could leave hospital sooner after giving birth. KCE was reacting to the new federal budget for medical insurance, which was approved on Tuesday. According to the new legislations, hospital stays...

Belgium among top six EU countries for animal testing

A company in Leuven, Bio-Incubator, has received authorisation to keep as many as 6,870 animals next year for testing, which is a quadrupling of the current number allowed. Animal Rights Organisation ADC is threatening with actions and 300 individuals have already submitted an appeal against the...

Breaking down the new Belgian federal government: Part 2

This week we continue our look at Belgium's new federal government, headed by prime minister Charles Michel in a centre-right coalition. Maggie De Block, Minister of Social Affairs and Health Age: 52 Party: Open VLD (Liberal Democrats; centre right; colour: blue) Hometown: Merchtem, Flanders...

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