Good afternoon!
Today you’ve got me, Katie Westwood, back in the Belgium in Brief hotseat, refreshed and raring to go after a short sojourn in the motherland.
I hope you haven’t been too inconvenienced by today’s national strike. Like death and taxes, most of us here accept strike days in Belgium as an inevitable part of life.
Coming from a country where we haven’t seen a proper national strike for decades, I find the frequency of large-scale strike action in Belgium quite fascinating. In the UK, where I’m from, there was barely a whimper when the government raised the retirement age to 68 after years of austerity measures.
In Belgium, it seems, many people are unwilling to give up hard-fought gains – even as demographic and economic changes put pressure on budgets.
Around 100,000 protesters have turned out today to participate in the demonstration through the streets of Brussels. Throughout the day, Brussels Times reporter Rita Alves is updating a live blog, giving you all the latest news on what is happening on the ground.
The STIB network is severely disrupted and all departing flights from Brussels Airport have been cancelled, but trains are back running after three days of rail strikes.
Protesters are denouncing, among other things, the Federal Government’s socio-economic reform plans and proposed budget cuts affecting public services and pensions. Business leaders, meanwhile, have roundly condemned the strike, with Bart Buysse, head of UNIZO, calling the action “beyond absurd”.
Elsewhere on The Brussels Times website, Political Editor Maïthé Chini looks into the political fallout from Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA)’s decision to continue implementing strict new asylum policies despite the Constitutional Court’s decision to suspend the rules. Read the full story here.
If you’re already looking ahead to the weekend (and why wouldn’t you be?) then don’t forget to check out our guide to the best things to do in Brussels this weekend.
If you have any comments, tips or suggestions to improve our coverage, please feel free to drop me an email at k.westwood@brusselstimes.com.
Bye for now!
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. National strike: Latest updates as Belgium is hit by disruptions
Services across Belgium will be disrupted today due to a national demonstration in Brussels. Find the latest updates on The Brussels Times live blog. Read more.
2. ‘Same as Trump’: Outcry over Belgium continuing court-suspended asylum policy
"Everyone is talking about what Donald Trump is doing in the US, but this is exactly the same. Everyone, including ministers, must comply with court rulings." Read more.
3. ‘Worse than Covid’: Brussels highlights antibiotic resistance in street exhibition
In Belgium, 1,300 people die every year due to infections caused by resistant microbes. Read more.
4. Bedex: First Belgian defence exhibition kicks off at Brussels Expo
A three-day defence exhibition , featuring over 50 Belgian companies in the sector, will be held at Brussels Expo. Read more.
5. Belgian Defence Minister favours providing military aid to Middle Eastern partners
Belgium’s Defence Minister Theo Francken said that Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs office supports his decision, but there are still some reservations. Read more.
6. Belgian Pension Minister’s words about gender pension gap spark controversy
Pension Minister Jambon says that his planned reforms will make the system more sustainable, buy Unions and social equality NGOs don't agree. Read more.
7. What to do in Brussels this weekend: 13 – 15 March
From weekly nights at Brussels' best museums, jazz festivals and design fairs to film festivals and even a fair for cycling enthusiasts, this weekend has it all. Read more.
