Good afternoon!
The "genius of the week" award goes to whichever individual decided it would be a good idea to close down Brussels' airspace on a Friday afternoon, so that some new war planes could do a little exhibition landing for excited defence types before they went off for the weekend.
It would have meant effectively stopping all flights for a period of time in and out of Brussels Airport in Zaventem, on one of its busiest days. This on a week when it has already had a huge hit in revenue and passengers have been hugely disrupted because of the national strike, when both Brussels airports were effectively closed for business.
Ultimately, it didn't happen, as you can read in our article – but it's staggering, the lack of awareness of the potential inconvenience, never mind the economic impact and pure optics of the stunt, given the current climate.
As I keep saying, perception in public life and politics is everything – and if people perceive that you are making bone-headed decisions without thinking, or worse, without caring about their everyday lives, then that's where your problems begin.
In this case, it appears that someone was acting purely on autopilot.
Have a good weekend, and I hope you caught your flight.
Belgium in Brief is a free daily roundup of the top stories to get you through your coffee break conversations. To receive it straight to your inbox every day, sign up below:
1. Federal Government plans to curb ‘tax dodging’ professionals
More Belgian professionals are creating one-person companies to avoid taxes, a trend the government now plans to curb. Read more.
2. Brussels airspace not closed today after all: Defence Minister cancels drone demonstration
"The intention was to land a SkyGuardian drone and an F-35 at Melsbroek, but apparently the airspace has to be closed for that," the minister said. Read more.
3. Son of ex-NATO chief wins appeal against conviction for €4m fraud against elderly woman
The defendant's conviction was quashed because "the reasonable timeframe for a ruling was exceeded." Read more.
4. Belgium to launch new health plan amid global rise of antibiotic resistance
A recent study by the World Health Organization shed light on the global developments of what the organisation has called a "silent pandemic." Read more.
5. Coca-Cola, IKEA and Volvo join call for EU to resist ‘climate deniers’
Industry leaders call on the EU to maintain a 90% emissions reduction target, but face staunch opposition in the European Parliament. Read more.
6. Half of Belgians have had ‘non-monogamous’ experiences
"The results show that non-monogamous practices are relatively common, more common than generally assumed," said Professor Manuel Morrens. Read more.
7. What to do in Brussels this weekend: 17 – 19 October
One of the biggest nights on Brussels' cultural calendar is taking place this weekend. Read more.
