Hello everyone, bonjour tout le monde, dag allemaal!
Welcome to today’s newsletter! Today, we have some bad news for people frequently travelling with Ryanair.
The Irish low-cost airline is scrapping 20 routes to and from Belgium, affecting its biggest hub in the country, Charleroi Airport (BSCA), as well as Brussels Airport in Zaventem.
At a press conference in Brussels on Tuesday morning, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said the decision came in response to an increase in Belgium's aviation tax starting in January. Find out which routes will be scrapped here.
Today is also the 30th anniversary of the day that over 300,000 people gathered in the streets of Brussels to protest the failures in the investigation into the crimes of serial killer Marc Dutroux, in what became known as the 'White March.'
The Dutroux case ignited widespread anger within Belgium. Initially, it was directed at Dutroux himself, but anger quickly spread to the apparatus that failed to stop him. Reporter Josse Van Dessel gives you more details.
And while on the subject of Belgian history, we also have a story about bringing back the country’s “gendarmerie.” Following the protests and riots in Brussels this weekend, several politicians have spoken about bringing back the military-trained police reserve.
Known in Dutch as the Rijkswacht, the gendarmerie operated as a national military force tasked with civil law enforcement until it was abolished on 1 January 2001. At its peak in the 1980s, the force employed 18,000 personnel with territorial brigades, highway patrol units, and specialised anti-riot squads.
Gendarmes maintained public order, conducted judicial investigations and patrolled borders. However, several operational failures in the 1980s and 1990s destroyed the force's reputation. Reporter Kosmos Khoroshavin explains what happened and what politicians are saying.
As always, if you have comments, tips or suggestions, you can drop me an email at m.chini@brusselstimes.com.
Tot morgen!
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. Ryanair scraps 20 routes to and from Belgium
Ryanair will cut 20 routes from Brussels and Charleroi airports this winter, removing 1.1 million seats in response to Belgium's higher aviation tax. Read more.
2. The Dutroux case, 30 years on: How the White March confronted police failures
On 20 October 1996, over 300.000 people gathered in the streets of Brussels to protest the failures in the investigation into the crimes of serial killer Marc Dutroux, in what became known as the 'White March'. Read more.
3. What was the Belgian Gendarmerie, and why is bringing it back so controversial?
The Gendarmerie, known in Dutch as the Rijkswacht, operated as a national military force tasked with civil law enforcement. Read more.
4. Brussels riots: Five suspects to appear before criminal court
Five adults have been summoned to court following riots in Brussels on Saturday, while another suspect received a €1,000 out-of-court settlement. Read more.
5. One-day sick leave nearly doubles in large Belgian companies after rule change
Securex study finds that one-day sickness absences have risen sharply since medical certificates became optional, without increasing overall short-term absenteeism. Read more.
6. ‘Avoid large crowds’: Belgian government warns countrymen in France
The Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a warning to Belgians in France to avoid large crowds and meetings following the riots in the country on Saturday. Read more.
7. Far-right Flemish man jailed 37 months for plotting mosque arson, mass shooting
A man from Flemish Brabant has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for plotting two terrorist attacks, including setting fire to a mosque. Read more.
