Happy new year!
As the first of January traditionally brings a series of new year's resolutions with it, many seize the opportunity for a fresh start and promise to change their lives for the better in the year to come. For real, this time. No, really. Promise.
This time around, the Belgian authorities are apparently also jumping on the bandwagon. While a new month always brings a number of rule changes with it, it seems as if the start of the new year is seen as a reason to overhaul what feels like the entire system.
From reintroducing fixed energy contracts and adjusting tax brackets to new rates for drinking water, more expensive package-sending and extended birth leave; changes are introduced in all regions and across many sectors.
For an overview of everything that's changing, take a look at this article written by my colleague Lauren Walker, who managed to untangle Belgium's web of rules and put it in comprehensible language.
And for those who are not quite done with 2022 yet, here are The Brussels Times' top 10 articles of last year.
What are your resolutions for 2023? Let @Maajtee know.
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1. New Year, new January heat record: More than 20°C recorded in Swiss Alps
Never before was it warmed to the north of the Swiss Alps in January than on Sunday (1 January), when a new heat record for that month was set as temperatures soared above 20°C. Read more.
2. What changes in Belgium on 1 January?
January not only marks the start of a new month but a whole new year — 2023. Such a momentous occasion is paired with a long list of changes in Belgium. Read more.
3. 2022 in review: The Brussels Times staff top 10 articles of the year
After two years marked by Covid and the resulting turmoil worldwide, hopes for an overdue year of calm were unanswered as 2022 brought profound new challenges at home and abroad. Looking back on the highs and lows, The Brussels Times has picked out 10 articles that stand out. Read more.
4. 'If it is confederalism or nothing, then it will be nothing' for N-VA, says Vooruit leader
If the Flemish separatist, rightwing N-VA party does not want to be part of Belgium's Federal Government in 2024 without confederalism, it will have to accept that it will simply not govern, said the leader of the Flemish social-democratic Vooruit party, Conner Rousseau. Read more.
5. Belgian firms risk being fined for long-term absentees
As many as 474 companies in Belgium received a warning in December that the number of long-term ill employees was reaching the limit. Read more.
6. Lukaku wants Thierry Henry as new Red Devils coach
In an interview with Sky Italia on Sunday, Romelu Lukaku said that Thierry Henry “must be the new coach of Belgium,” after the departure of Robert Martinez. Read more.
7. Hidden Belgium: Blue Birds installation
The city of Ghent has created a light installation to honour the writer Maurice Maeterlinck. Located on the Predikherenlei waterfront, it features dozens of small blue birds settled on a canalside tree. Read more.
