A 1-0 victory against England saw Belgium finish top of Group G at the World Cup in Russia. Already certain of qualification neither team produced the kind of exciting football that had seen both Belgium an England win both their first group stage games. The only goal of the came from Real Sociedad’s Adnan Januzaj six minutes into the second half. However, despite the win it was an evening of mixed emotions with Belgium now pitched into the “difficult” half of the knockout draw that features Brazil, France and Argentina….
Read MoreMonth: June 2018
Immoweb is launching a website of real estate
The company behind the Immoweb real estate website has launched a new website for exclusive real estate. The site is a Belgian version of ‘Belles Demeures’ a French site specialising in real estate at the top end of the market. The new Belgian version of Belles Demeures” already features 3,000 top of the range properties. The site only lists properties on sale for more than 1,000,000 euro or up for rent for more than 2,500 euro/month. In France Belles Demeures has been in existence for 30 years. The French site…
Read MoreAustria will assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union
Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his government intend to focus on immigration after Austria takes office as head of the Council of the European Union on 1 July. Austria is governed by a coalition made up of conservatives (ÖVP) and the extrême right (FPÖ) following elections in October 2017. In presenting his presidential programme, Sebastian Kurz announced that he wanted to “fight illegal immigration” and “protect the borders” of Europe. Austria has been advocating, among other things, the strengthening of the European border and coastguard agency, Frontex. The upcoming summit…
Read MorePreparatory work on the reconstruction of the tunnel causes chaos
Preparatory work for the reconstruction of the road tunnel of Leopold II in Brussels caused a rush hour of suffering for tens of thousands of drivers who tried to get to Brussels from the West. Commuters on the Brussels-bound E40 motorway needed a lot of patience with delays of as much as one and a half hours on the motorway between Aalst (East Flanders) and Groot-Bijgaarden (Flemish Brabant). Many alternative routes used by commuters in the Pajottenland region in the West of Flemish Brabant. From Saturday 30 June at 10pm…
Read MoreBpost will destroy 4000 red mailboxes
The national postal company Bpost should get rid of 25% -30% of its red mailboxes, said CEO Koen Van Gerven in the infrastructure Committee of the national Parliament. The total number of postboxes which receive a daily collection is around 13,000 across the country. According to another proposal from Bpost to offer a two-tier service, some new postboxes for priority mails could appear in the future. “We could easily get rid of 25 to 30% of those postboxes and still be sitting comfortably,” Van Gerven told the committee. “We would…
Read MoreThe real estate market in Brussels is on the rise
After many years, when housing prices were stagnant and not affected by the financial crisis, the real estate market in Brussels is on the rise. While housing prices in Brussels still are among the lowest in Europe, they differ considerably by commune. This makes the decision where to buy in Brussels not easy. “Prices have increased steadily since 2015 as a result of bigger demand and low interest rates,” says Laurent Dans, Business Manager at KBC bank, to The Brussels Times. The median price for an apartment increased between 2016…
Read MoreBrussels has become more expensive for expats
Brussels has become more expensive for expats to live. According to the annual list of cities in the world and how much it costs to live in them, compiled by consultant Mercer, Brussels is the 67th most expensive city in the world for expats. This is 37 places on the 104th place in Brussels last year’s list. Each year Mercer compiles a list of the top 200 cities based on how expensive it is to live in them as an expat. The consultancy takes into account factors such as renting…
Read MoreOnce a year, the heart appears in the cemetery of Laken
On Thursday, there was a phenomenon that occurs only once a year around mid-summer. A heart appeared on an old gravestone at Laken Cemetery in the northwest of Brussels. Weather permitting, the heart appears just once a year when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. It’s a unique phenomenon. “There is a circle-shaped opening in the roof of the chapel and when the sun is at its highest point rays of sunlight shine through”, Tom Verhofstadt of Epitaaf, a not-for-profit group specialised in cemeteries. “The rays…
Read MoreAggressive discounters pick up shares of the fresh food market
Aldi and Lidl supermarket chains are increasing their market share in the fresh food sector. Local shops also register good benefits in that area, according to figures communicated by the Flanders Agricultural and Sea Fisheries Center (VLAM), based on the research office GfK’s data. Last year, Belgian families spent 11.2 billion euros on fresh food. To buy this type of product, Belgians always go mainly to supermarkets and hypermarkets, the latter obtaining 45% of the market. However, low-price specialists, such as Lidl and Aldi, manage to take an ever-more important…
Read MorePanama Papers: has Belgium helped rich Russians evade taxes?
The banking group ING Belgium may have helped rich Russians to avoid taxes, dexterity and report de Tijd after consultation leaked documents. “We have questions about the technical constructions concerning off shore companies”. ING Belgium allegedly cooperated with an office in Geneva. This was to set up constructions with offshore companies in Panama and the Virgin Islands, Lars Bové of De Tijd explains. “This also happened quite recently. Behind the companies were rich Russians. We have questions about this, because banks should be very careful in the fight against money-laundering….
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