Goedemiddag, Bonjour and Guten Tag,
Welcome to Belgium in Brief, your daily roundup of all the stories The Brussels Times has covered today.
Our lead story is the return of a familiar face for Belgians who lived through the 90s: the Gendarmerie.
Following the protests and unrest in the capital over the past weekend, Defence Minister Theo Francken is floating the idea of creating a new, military-trained police reserve to deploy during riots.
Francken wants to create what he calls a 'Gendarmerie 2.0' force under the Ministry of the Interior, and is actively discussing the proposal with its minister, Bernard Quintin.
Belgium previously had a military police force, but integrated it into the federal and regional police following the Dutroux case and the murder of Loubna Benaïssa, as the various police forces failed to cooperate in investigations.
Read more about Francken's proposal here, or find out why Brussels Mayor Philippe Close calls it 'nonsense.'
A face familiar to Belgians young and old is taxes.
As the funding coming from the Brussels-Capital Region and the Federal Government is slowly running dry, the 19 municipalities in Brussels are increasingly turning to tax revenue to fund services.
The municipalities raise, on average, 60% of their own budget through taxes and charges, with the rest coming from government subsidies.
In other major cities, this split is reversed.
Our reporter Christopher Richards has the story here.
While it might have gone mostly unnoticed in Belgium, the Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn spent the past week in digital pandemonium.
After detecting suspicious activity on its servers, it shut down its entire digital infrastructure, causing a week of chaos, empty shelves, and a lack of variety of bell peppers in its stores.
While I do have to admit to a certain bias, being the author of the story, I really believe it is worth a read.
Find out everything about the search for a 'louse in a house' here.
As always, if you have any feedback, reviews, tips, tricks or suggestions, feel free to reach out at j.vandessel@brusselstimes.com.
À bientôt, tot ziens, Auf Wiedersehen,
Josse Van Dessel
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1. Defence and Interior Ministries discuss creating Belgian military-trained police reserve to tackle riots
Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken (N-VA) wants to establish a military-trained police reserve that could be deployed during riots, following violence on the sidelines of recent demonstrations. Read more.
2. Municipalities in Brussels turn to taxes as regional transfers dry up
Where do Brussels' communes get their money? And how is it spent? A new analysis shines a light on revenue and spending per resident, and how that is changing. Read more.
3. ‘A louse in a house’: How a mysterious cyber incident paralysed a Dutch supermarket chain
The biggest disruptions happened in the Netherlands, but Albert Heijn and Delhaize shops in Belgium also faced supply problems and shortages. Read more.
4. Belgian budget talks stall again as PM seeks fresh compromise
Belgium's 2027 budget talks remain deadlocked as coalition partners reject De Wever's latest proposal. Negotiations are set to resume on Monday. Read more.
5. Thailand joins countries warning against travel to Belgium amid protests
The warning was issued following a series of violent demonstrations across Europe this past weekend. Read more.
6. 150 people arrested during Brussels riots
People threw projectiles at police officers and committed deliberate arson, among other things. Read more.
7. From eyesore to heritage: The architect of everyday Brussels
Long dismissed as the architecture that disfigured Brussels, the city’s postwar buildings are increasingly being recognised as heritage. Read more.
