If you live or work in Ixelles, get ready: the municipality will soon begin a €23 million urban renewal project that will see pavements, roads and squares resurfaced. The works will be carried out in three phases to limit their impact on residents. “We are going to resurface 64 streets and...

A handful of climate activists entered the Royal Palace garden grounds on Monday morning to draw attention to political inaction on climate change. In a statement later posted to social media, the activists said they had wanted to hand-deliver a letter to King Philippe inviting him to declare a “...

City officials have rejected a building request that they say would have resulted in better access to Tour &Taxis for drivers but less space for pedestrians and cyclists. Extensa, the real estate developer behind the new neighbourhood being built around Tour & Taxis, had submitted a...

It wasn’t the most auspicious of beginnings. Having landed a job in an MEP’s office in Brussels in 1993, Louise Hilditch took the overnight bus and ferry from the UK and was dropped off outside the cinema at De Brouckère in the pitch dark, at 5am. “In those days, downtown was just disgusting,...

The biennial Belgian arts festival Europalia is turning its attention to Europe this year, with a focus on Romania. It follows a decade of cultural globetrotting during which the 50-year-old event has immersed itself in art and performance from Brazil, India, Turkey and, most recently, Indonesia...

More than 40 international businesses have established offices in Flanders specifically due to Brexit, according to figures quoted in the Flemish parliament. While 42 businesses have already set up shop, 136 additional firms have taken steps or are in conversations to make Flanders their European...

The Brussels-Capital Region, created in 1989, is made up of 19 communes (one of which is the City of Brussels). Each neighbourhood has its own distinct identity - from cosmopolitan downtown Brussels to greener suburbs such as Watermael-Boitsfort. If you're trying to decide where in Brussels you...

Citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) do not need a visa to enter Belgium. Citizens of a few non-EEA countries such as the US, Canada or Japan can also enter Belgium without a visa as long as their stay doesn’t exceed 90 days within any six-month period. If you are a citizen of another non-...

If you wish to apply for Belgian nationality , this is the declaration procedure based on five-year residence. The exact documentation required may vary according to the municipality in which you live. Conditions At least 18 years old Five years’ uninterrupted legal residence Competence in a...

Three regional regulators and one federal commission oversee the energy market’s operations. A meter-reading company passes on information about energy consumption to the power companies, who handle bills. Sibelga operates the distribution grid, which carries the electricity on behalf of the energy...