Hello from Avenue Louise.
Today you’ve got me, Katie Westwood, holding the pen on our Belgium in Brief newsletter, giving you my pick of the day’s stories on The Brussels Times website.
When I first arrived in Brussels in 2014, one of my favourite pastimes was gazing in wonder at the windows of estate agents in the city, entranced by what to me seemed like bargain property prices.
My poor, London-addled brain could scarcely comprehend being able to buy a spacious flat with a balcony in a safe part of the city for a fraction of the price of a similar property in the British capital.
These days, things aren’t quite what they were in the heady days of 2014. The combination of mounting interest rates and the increased cost of living fuelled by high energy and food prices means many young people struggle to get on the property ladder in Belgium.
Still, Brussels remains relatively affordable compared to most major European capitals, and depending on which part of the city you choose to live in, you can still get a lot of bang for your buck here.
Taking the average price of an apartment in Brussels as his baseline, our reporter Kosmos Khoroshavin looked into what kind of apartment you can expect to buy in some of the city’s most popular communes with a €300,000 budget.
But maybe you’re sick of city living. If so, you could do worse than making a beeline for Thimister-Clermont in Liège Province, where local authorities are literally paying people to move there in a bid to revivify an ageing population.
Elsewhere, our Political Editor Maïthé Chini wrote about Bart De Wever’s fighting talk over Brussels. The prime minister said he could "work miracles" if only he were allowed to be put in charge of the Brussels-Capital Region for five years.
So is it time to untether De Wever and let him loose on the capital? As Maïthé explains, things are never that simple in Belgium.
Lastly, don't miss out on our event next week: Freedom in the Age of the Algorithm
A technology superclass is taking over, while a new global underclass looms as inequality surges and algorithms displace work. Can humanity secure a fair share of this new economic order? And if not, what comes next? Live at Flagey Theatre on 17 February with one of the world’s leading thinkers on Universal Basic Income, we explore these questions and more.
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. What will €300,000 get you on the Brussels real estate market?
A shoebox or a mansion? What does the average price of a flat buy you in Uccle or in Schaerbeek? Read more.
2. Idyllic Belgian village to offer young buyers €5,000 to move there
This Belgian municipality, not far from the Ardennes, has an innovative solution to combat high property prices and an ageing population in the area. Read more.
3. ‘I’d work miracles’: Belgian PM reckons he could ‘fix’ Brussels in five years
"If I were to be given carte blanche, I'd work miracles in Brussels in five years. And with less money," De Wever claimed. Read more.
4. Brussels conclave begins: Multi-day negotiation marathon expected
The negotiators are not expected to leave until they have an agreement. "We had to let them know how many people are coming and how many hotel rooms need to be reserved." Read more.
5. ‘We want to know what happened’: Brussels man, 62, stabbed to death during solo trip to Tunisia
Neighbours spotted blood seeping from under the door of the Airbnb flat the man had rented in August. Today, his family is still looking for answers. Read more.
6. Europe just had its coldest January since 2010, despite world getting warmer
While Europe was bracing with an unusually cold January, extreme heat and fires engulfed the global south. Read more.
7. Service on Brussels Metro line to be interrupted starting this weekend
The metro service will be temporarily disrupted as a new signalling system is tested. Read more.
