There are no reliable figures regarding brutality, racism and discrimination by the police in Belgium, nor are police forces transparent when it comes to these issues. Those are the damning findings of the General Police Inspectorate, an independent body that monitors the functioning of the local...

The Brussels Capital-Region has official banned keeping marine mammals, which include seals, sea lions, whales and dolphins. The ban means that a marine mammal park will never be allowed to operate in Brussels borders, nor any other business that keeps such animals in an enclosed habitat. Brussels...

At the moment, anyone applying for an electric car charging station must wait at least six months before the installation is possible. This is too long to wait, according to the Brussels government, which adopted several administrative simplification measures last week, intended to speed up...

The Greens and Flemish liberal-democrat party Open VLD have jointly tabled a bill to introduce the right for Belgians from the age of 16 to vote in the European elections, starting from 2024. The joint bill, which has also gained the support of Georges-Louis Bouchez, the president of the MR party,...

The Sihame El Kaouakibi affair, a major story in Flanders over the last few weeks, has crossed over into Brussels as the interior minister has asked for an investigation into the financial affairs of the We Love BXL non-profit. El Kaouakibi is the founder and director of Let’s Go Urban, an...

The new Dutch co-operative European Sleeper plans to launch its first route one year from now: An overnight train that connects Brussels to Prague via Amsterdam and Berlin. Passengers would leave Brussels in the early evening, wake up to breakfast in bed and arrive in Prague soon after. The return...

Eleven of the 16 fur farms in Flanders and the region's only producer of foie gras have announced that they are to close down, Flemish minister of animal welfare Ben Weyts has announced. As part of an agreement to assist in the gradual phasing out of activities, financial compensation will be...

A joint union strike action notice has been filed for the prisons of Forest, Saint-Gilles and Berkendael, Grégory Wallez, federal secretary of the CGSP Prison union, has announced. The reason for the planned strike is the lack of new prison staff, a dearth in numbers which is putting increased...

Following six years of constant military presence on the streets and transport stations of Brussels, security patrols have now been taken over by police officers. The final soldier finished patrolling last week. Armed soldiers have been patrolling Brussels’ public spaces, train stations and on...