Good afternoon from Avenue Louise.
Katie Westwood here with your daily hit of Belgian news for an English-speaking audience.
I don’t know about you, reader, but the sunny weather has put me in a terrifically good mood for a Monday morning.
Boris Dilliès, the subject of our lead story today, seems like the kind of jovial character who is happy come rain or shine.
Brussels Times Political Editor Maïthé Chini recently sat down with the newly-appointed minister-president of the Brussels-Capital Region to get to know him and find out what his plans are for the city.
I must admit, my eyeballs twitched when I read the line about Dilliès’s “eyes lighting up” when he sees one of his metaphors land well. It reminded me of another Brussels-born politician named Boris (this one much blonder), whose focus on style over substance made him a poor leader.
For now, at least, we should probably give Dilliès the benefit of the doubt. After all, joviality and a way with words are key requirements in a role that is mainly about keeping all parties in the governing coalition happy.
But over the following months and years, we will be scrutinising how many of his promises he manages to keep. The section that caught my attention was on the minister-president’s promise to clean up Brussels-Midi.
As he points out, the stinking, gloomy station gives a terrible first impression for visitors arriving in Brussels. I stepped off the train at Midi the other day to see a grown man with his trousers around his ankles, taking a shit on the concours.
Tracey Emin’s ‘I want my time with you’ installation at London St Pancras divides opinion, but I know which sight I would rather see when arriving in a great capital.
At least Dilliès recognises the importance of tackling the problem at its source. “If you clean up but do not tackle the root causes of your problems...it will not fix anything," he told Maïthé.
Watch this space to see if this bon vivant will be the man to clean up Midi – and the rest of the city.
Elsewhere on today’s homepage, Rita Alves reports on the year-long disruptions affecting tramlines 4, 10, 51, and 81 coming into effect today, while Léa Huppe looks at the renovation of a Brussels jewel – the Place de la Liberté.
I also wanted to highlight a fantastic piece by Hugh Pope that we published over the weekend. Last year, Hugh, 66, set himself an ambitious challenge: to walk (in stages) from Brussels to Luxembourg. I hope his journey inspires you to get your hiking boots on and explore this beautiful country.
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!
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1. Boris of Brussels: The new minister-president on expats, locals, and the city’s identity crisis
In a candid interview with The Brussels Times, Boris Dilliès speaks about his vision for a cleaner, safer, and more united Brussels. Read more.
2. Major Brussels tram lines face year-long disruptions from today
Until April 2027, several tram lines will be affected by major repair works. Read more.
3. Brussels unveils newly restored city centre square after years of renovation
Local businesses are expected to benefit from the renewed public space, with more terraces being opened on the square. Read more.
4. Belgian pilots threaten strike action
Unions said they wanted to avoid actions in the sector, "but discontent with this pension fiasco is particularly high." Read more.
5. Quarter of LEZ monitoring cameras in Brussels are offline
In two months, 68,776 cars which no longer meet the 2025 LEZ criteria were spotted — nearly a third of them were recorded in Brussels. Read more.
6. Aldi stores open again
In recent days, spontaneous actions took place in response to the plans for Sunday opening. Read more.
7. Belgium’s foreign minister expected to discuss ‘sensitive disagreements’ during trip to China
Maxime Prévot will spend five days in China, where he will address major geopolitical and economic issues, including fairer competitive conditions. Read more.
