The Brussels Times Magazine - Issue 23

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23

February / March 2017

“A lie travels around the globe while the truth is putting on its shoes,” Mark Twain once famously wrote.

Following the massive media attention on the US presidential election, people have had to familiarize themselves with new terms, such as “fake news”, “post-truths” and “alternative facts”. And at a time when technology has decreased the cost of communication to the push of a button, Mark Twain’s comment springs to mind.

With little to no scrutiny, coupled with commercially driven algorithms that make part of our social media connected bubbles, fake news and alternative facts find their ways to tell their tales. The likelihood that one reads scrutinized and evidence-based information is slimmer than before while the feed of what one wants to read is sharper than ever despite its inevitable inaccuracies.

For political cartoonists, the US elections, Brexit, and the many other current affairs are splendid opportunities to poke fun at our politicians and decision makers. And while technologies have enabled falsehoods to spread quicker and further, the same technology is also available to make those boots run a bit faster after them, to investigate affairs and to disclose the truth.

In this issue, political economist Philippe Legrain looks at how Trump’s policies could affect Europe from an economic and security perspective. Philosopher Alicja Gescinska discusses the rise of populism and how to best tackle it.

And Brussels-based journalist Leo Cendrowicz explores the Flemish/Walloon divide and whether Belgium stands a risk of splitting one day.

We also delve into the past as philosopher and economist Philippe Van Parijs recounts a bloody story that took place between European nations in Brussels some 300 years ago, just where the European institutions stand

today. And historian Tom Vanderstappen goes even further back in history and explains why so many squares and streets in Belgium are called “Ambiorix”. We hope you will enjoy these and the many other stories in this issue.

The Editorial Team The Brussels Times Magazine GLOCAL AFFAIRS What happened to Belgium’s identity crisis?

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One year after the Brussels attacks: Is the city safer today?

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Trump and the EU: Recipe for disaster?

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A European army - soon a reality?

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Homelessness in different parts of Brussels

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POLIAESTHETICA Reviews: Art shows in Brussels and beyond

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Being a fly on the wall: Interview with Belgian photographer Filip Naudts

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PHILOSOPHY, CULTURE AND HISTORY The European quarter’s bloodiest night

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Populism against populism?

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Air quality in Brussels: The good, the bad and the ugly

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ISSN Number: 0772-1633

The Belgian explorer living and working in Antarctica

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Founding Editors Jonadav Apelblat (j.apelblat@brusselstimes.com) Omry Apelblat (o.apelblat@brusselstimes.com)

Ambiorix and Belgium: A mythical bond

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On the Cover Illustration by Lectrr Publisher The Brussels Times Rond Point Schuman - 2 - Schumanplein 1040 Brussels +32 (0)2 403 36 93 info@brusselstimes.com

Art Director and Art Editor Denis Maksimov

Graphic and Art Designer Marija Hajster

News Editor Martin Banks

Account Manager David Young

Contributing Editors Philippe Van Parijs, Boré Kedober, Derek Blyth, Alicja Gescinska, Philippe Legrain, Kim Clayton, Leo Cendrowicz, Liz Newmark and Tom Vanderstappen Advertising Please contact us on info@brusselstimes.com or +32 (0)2 403 36 93 for information about advertising opportunities.

www.brusselstimes.com

LIFESTYLE The past, present and future of Antwerp’s diamond industry

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Brussels Forgotten Museums: Wiertz Museum

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Discovering the architecture of Brussels - Evere

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Derek Blyth’s Hidden Secrets of Brussels

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GLOCAL AFFAIRS 06-41 p

A Belgian soldier walks through the Galeries Royal Saint-Hubert in the city center. 22 March 2017 marks the first anniversary of one of the darkest days in the history of Belgium: the terrorist atrocity on the city’s airport in Zaventem and the Maalbeek metro station in the EU quarters that claimed the lives of 32 innocent people. With a rising threat of terrorism, Belgium has responded with increased intelligence, arrests of suspects and a military presence on the streets of Brussels.

Photo Credit: AP / Michael Probst

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BELGIUM’S IDENTITY CRISIS?

By Leo Cendrowicz

“Separatism in Belgium is almost never talked about these days in the media or amongst politicians, as if the usual wrangles have been squelched.”

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t used to be a staple of Belgian politics that the Dutch-speaking Flemish and the French-speakers in Wallonia and Brussels were at permanent loggerheads. Their incessant squabbles defined the national debates, and every political decision would be framed through the lens of a supposedly cracked country. Yet two years from the next Belgian elections, a strange silence has fallen over the country: separatism is almost never talked about in the media or amongst politicians, as if the usual wrangles have been squelched.

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“Ever since it declared its independence in 1830, Belgium has been derided by outsiders as an impossible mismatch of two distinct cultures, the Flemish and Walloons, with the city of Brussels in between.”

Does this mean that the Belgian problem has been solved, or is this rather a false dawn that will be shattered once the 2019 election campaign starts?

Political predictions are tricky in the best of times, and recent events – including last year’s British referendum to leave the EU, and the election of US President Donald Trump – have defied the pundits. But there is a definite calm over Belgium that has gone counter to expectations: the so-called “kamikaze coalition” that came into office in 2014 – led by Wallonian liberal Charles Michel, including key ministers from the powerful Flemish nationalist New Flemish Alliance party (N-VA) – has surprised many with its stability. Tellingly, the N-VA has seen its Flemish poll ratings fall by 5% since 2014 to around 27%, though they are still by far the biggest party in the country.

“For different reasons, the separatist sentiment has not increased, and may even have fallen,” says Jean Faniel, the chief executive of CRISP, a Brussels-based socio-political research organisation. He says CRISP’s own inquiries into parliament revealed that

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“Somehow Belgians always found a formulae to keep themselves together, but when Flanders began to overtake Wallonia in wealth and power in the 1960s, it spawned increasing Flemish calls for autonomy that have overshadowed politics ever since.”

Flemish socialist, Christian democrat, liberal and green MPs are no longer ready to follow the N-VA in seeking more devolving of powers. “In Belgium, language questions are rarely far away, and we can’t rule anything out, but I don’t think that we are closer to splitting than we were ten years ago, when it seemed to be in the news every day,” he says.

As with much about Belgium, a splodge of context is needed to explain the current mood, taking in the Brussels and Paris bombings, the recent reforms, and the country’s unusual history.

Ever since it declared its independence in 1830, Belgium has been derided by outsiders as an impossible mismatch of two distinct cultures, the Flemish and Walloons, with the city of Brussels in between. Somehow Belgians always found a formulae to keep themselves together, but when Flanders began to overtake Wallonia in wealth and power in the 1960s, it spawned increasing Flemish calls for autonomy that have overshadowed politics ever since. The nadir came after the 2010 election, when it took political parties more than 18 months to form a Belgian government, and then only after a major constitutional reform that hived off more powers from the federal authorities to the regions.

But since then, Mr Michel’s government has stayed the course. The terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015 and Brussels in March last year did little to undermine its authority, even if there were some who sought to use them as another source of discontent. Indeed, after the Islamist plotters of the Paris attacks were traced to the

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Molenbeek neighbourhood in Brussels, Jan Jambon, the N-VA interior minister in the national government, criticized the “rather lax” policing in Brussels and pointed to Flanders as an example of how to do things properly. His fellow N-VA MP Karl Vanlouwe went further, accusing the francophone socialist party of “Islamo-socialism” and failing to counter radicalism. But such criticisms failed to gain traction.

After retreating from the headlines, Belgium’s split personality re-emerged last October when Wallonia’s regional parliament baulked at CETA, an innocuous EU-Canada trade pact that had been ratified by every other EU member state.

It was only after a week of frantic arm-twisting that the deal was pushed through the regional assembly.

For some in Flanders, the CETA debacle re-awakened old stereotypes about grasping Walloons, who were forever undermining their neighbours’ entrepreneurial instincts, with Flemish Minister-President Geert Bourgeois, a leading N-VA figure, warning about the “enormous damage to reputations.” Ironically, this was partly brought on by the Flemish themselves: their demands for autonomy meant shifting competences to the country’s regions, giving Wallonia special veto powers.

Tensions are always simmering, according to Kris Deschouwer, a politics professor at the Brussels Free University (VUB). “If everything is mostly calm on the Belgian front, that is because the major parties have formally agreed not to raise the issue of institutional reform during this term,” he says. “Whether the issue will come back in a way that might once again, like in 2010, be really divisive, is difficult to say.”

Nonetheless, Mr Deschouwer notes that when the Flemish are asked about independence, they have never shown much interest. “If N-VA scored well, it is mainly because of its strong opposition role and its anti-establishment rhetoric,” he says.

“While the party’s goal is immediate independence for Flanders, its electorate has never been convinced. The N-VA is popular mainly because of its proposals on immigration and law and order. I would not be too worried about emotional politics, populism or possible divorce in Belgium.”

Sanguine Belgium watchers say that the European countries currently at the greatest risk of a breakup are Spain (with a splinter movement in Catalonia) and Great Britain (with Scotland threatening a new independence referendum).

And while there are few certainties in politics, Belgium’s identity crisis seems to have abated, at least for the moment.

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GOOGLE’S ROAD TO 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY “In December, Google opened its latest data centre in Eemshaven, the Netherlands. It’s the company’s first to be 100% renewable from day one, from a wind farm in nearby Delfzijl.”

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oogle is the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy on the planet. In 2017, it will buy enough renewable energy to reach 100% of its operations worldwide, including offices and data centres. To reach this milestone, Google has committed to buy 2.6 gigawatts of wind and solar energy to date -- more than twice the 1.21 gigawatts it took to send Marty McFly back to the future in the iconic 1980s film. But the company is determined to take this further, in order to achieve the ultimate goal of an electricity grid which makes power available 24 hours a day without producing any carbon emissions whatsoever.

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This year, Google will buy enough wind and solar electricity annually to account for every unit of electricity its operations consume, globally.

That’s been achieved in a variety of ways: in the Nordics Google buys power in Sweden and uses the integrated nature of the Nordpool grid to deliver this electricity to its data center in Finland. In other countries, Google buys power directly from nearby renewable producers: in December, Google opened its latest data centre in Eemshaven, the Netherlands. It’s the company’s first to be 100% renewable from day one, from a wind farm in nearby Delfzijl.

“From an accounting perspective, we’re there,” says Marc Oman, EU Energy Lead at Google Global Infrastructure. But he also points out that Google still relies on the grid for stability. Sourcing sustainable energy for a company of Google’s scale is a jigsaw, and he’s already searching for the pieces to complete it. “What next? Work to make the grid itself zero carbon -- for us this starts with buying more power closer to our data centres and diversifying into solar and other forms of renewable power like hydro or biomass.”

Google has been carbon neutral since 2007 and in 2012 set the target of getting 100% of its energy from renewable sources. The company’s ultimate goal is to create a world where companies of every size and individual consumers have access to clean energy, something that requires a fundamental

environment which facilitates Power Purchase Agreements, commonly known as PPAs. “In Europe, we have the benefit of a fairly unified grid, we’re not really constrained by national borders,” says Oman. The Nord Pool energy spot market, the world’s first multinational exchange for trading electric power which covers most of Northern Europe, means Google can buy green power in Sweden and use it in Finland.

In addition, the deregulated energy market in Europe has made projects like Delfzijl possible.

“Since the mid-nineties, anyone has been entitled to purchase directly from producers,” says Oman. “Things are much more difficult in the US,” he adds, “In some states you can only buy from a single company and the power price is tariff-based.”

“Google has been carbon neutral since 2007 and in 2012 set the target of getting 100% of its energy from renewable sources. The company’s ultimate goal is to create a world where companies of every size and individual consumers have access to clean energy, something that requires a fundamental change in attitude.”

change in attitude. Oman recalls his initial discussions with utilities to try and get more renewables.

“We said, ‘if you can’t deliver us clean energy we’re going to go out and talk directly to people who can build these plants,” and that’s what’s been happening since. Instead of buying from utilities, Google is increasingly buying locally, direct from small renewable energy developers.

The wind farm in Delfzijl is just one example of that strategy. In 2014, Google formed a consortium with Dutch companies AkzoNobel, DSM and Philips to jointly source power directly from renewable energy projects in the Netherlands.

The first agreement was inked in 2016 with a new community-owned cooperative of 4,000 people in Zeeland called Windpark Krammer. In aggregate, these power contracts will generate more than $3.5 billion in capital investment to get these projects built, the company adds.

Google is also a member of RE100, a coalition of global household names like IKEA, Nestlé and Swiss RE which are committed to using 100% renewable electricity. With 83 members from sectors as diverse as telecommunications, ICT, textiles, food, banking and insurance, there’s clearly a business case for changing to renewables.

Europe has been a key part of Google achieving its renewable energy goal thanks to a regulatory

Commissioner Šefčovič’s latest recommendation for the energy landscape is also positive for sustainability, Oman adds. “It will help corporates in general to have even greater direct access to renewable power,” he says. “We’re very happy we’ve been able to do this for ourselves but we want others to do it too.”

The reasons aren’t just environmental. Google’s business depends on energy. In 2015, it’s operations consumed 5.7 terawatt-hours of electricity.

Data centres to run services like Search, Gmail, YouTube, Maps, and Google Cloud require a reliable and constant supply of electricity. Electricity is one of the largest costs of running a data centre, so a predictably priced electricity supply is vital. Renewables used to be an expensive option, but over the last six years, the levelized cost of wind and solar has dropped 60% and 80%, respectively.

The world’s appetite for information is expanding exponentially. The systems that support this need vast amounts of electricity. For the planet’s future, it’s critical that companies like Google take the lead in making sure this energy comes from sources like wind, water and sun. The Internet has transformed the way Europeans live their lives: forward-thinking companies like those in RE100 will ensure future generations can enjoy those changes as well.

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ONE YEAR AFTER THE BRUSSELS ATTACKS:

IS THE CITY SAFER TODAY?

By Martin Banks

“The threat of lone wolf attacks initiated by those who have never left Europe and been radicalised online remains a significant threat. At least six terrorist attacks in Belgium have been prevented since the end of 2014.”

22 March 2017 marks the first anniversary of one of the darkest days in the history of Belgium: the terrorist atrocity on the city’s airport in Zaventem and the Maalbeek metro station in the EU quarters that claimed the lives of 32 innocent people.

The twin attacks one year ago shocked people around the world but, almost a year on, the question remains: is the city any safer today?

According to Serge Stroobants, an adjunct professor with a military background at Vesalius College in Brussels, “pretty much nothing has changed”.

The threat is still present and the counter-terrorism response could still be improved. “While the threat will always evolve to maintain its advantage

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of the surprise, our counter-terrorism actions also have had an effect.”

A recent report makes for worrying reading.

According to trade unions at Brussels Airport, security there can still be improved. After providing testimony to the Belgian parliamentary commission of enquiry looking into the attacks, union spokesman Bart Neyens concluded that while 100% security can never be guaranteed, there was “clearly room for improvement.”

His concerns are shared by Brussels-based security analyst John Duhig from the European Foundation for Democracy who says, “Brussels remains

Police officers and soldiers patrolling Grand Place as the terror alert level remains at level 3 or 4 out of 4 during the past 2 years. Credit: Stephanie Lecocq/EPA

on a state of high alert as indiscriminate, lone-wolf attacks are considered possible or likely.”

initiated by those who have never left Europe and been radicalised online remains a significant threat.”

The last terror swoop by Belgian security services was as recent as 14 January this year in Brussels when three suspects were arrested. This followed a similar raid on 19 December last year though this was overshadowed by the coverage of the Christmas market attack in Berlin.

Duhig cautions: “Attacks on ‘soft targets’ are more difficult to prevent, as they require less preparation and communication than more complex operations. They are more difficult for the authorities to detect and stop. The threat of lone wolf attacks

While he does not go into detail, Eric Jacobs, director of the federal judicial authorities for Brussels, says that “at least” six terrorist attacks in Belgium have been prevented since the end of 2014 – planned both by lone wolves or members of a criminal network.

"They are often petty criminals, who are not integrated well enough in our society,” says Jacobs.

Since last year, the battle against terrorism has been "stepped up” and it’s encouraging, he

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believes, that police are receiving an increasing number of tip-offs from local Muslim communities showing that “many people” from the Muslim community are at odds with terrorists who claim to act in their name.

After a 32-year police career, he has seen a “major change” in the threat posed by terrorism, adding, "When we were tackling terrorism 20 years ago, we were concerned about a maximum of two radical groups but this number has grown.”

A curious spin off of the current crackdown is that, according to figures from the medical service, officers in the anti-terrorism divisions of the federal police take “considerably more” sick leave than the average police officer.

These are the people in the frontline of the city’s war against terror and Rob Wainwright, British director of Europol, the EU police agency based in The Hague, says that due to the extra security measures, which came into force after the terrorist attacks in Brussels, it has become “more difficult” to commit atrocities in Belgium.

But, ominously, he also warns of further terrorist attacks. "I believe that the threat is still high. An attack is likely, even very probable," he says.

With heavily armed soldiers on the city’s streets still an all too familiar sight, efforts to protect the citizens of Brussels have gone international. An official at NATO, which has its headquarters in Brussels, explained its role, saying: “In relation to the security of civilian facilities in our member nations, what NATO does is to help allies by providing a platform for sharing intelligence; advice on civil emergency planning; exercises to test emergency procedures and funding for science cooperation on critical infrastructure protection.”

While Jan Kooy, at Human Rights Watch (HRW) accepts the necessity for the measures that have been introduced to counter the threat from ISIS and others, he is concerned about the approach police now adopt towards suspects who can be held in solitary confinement, while passports of possible Syria fighters can be suspended.

HRW looked into 26 separate incidents in which police were accused of physically assaulting terror suspects. Kooy says there is a risk of a tough approach being counterproductive, adding, "When people feel their rights are being respected, then they will be more prone to cooperate.”

Impact on daily life and economy “Surveys show that no less than one in three Belgians have changed their commuting behaviour to take account of the threat from terrorism. The majority of these people also say that they go less frequently to public events, and avoid public places, such as shopping centres and cinemas.”

He agrees with Jacobs in saying that many terrorists start out as criminals and lessons need to be drawn from this, adding, "Most terrorists involved in the Brussels attacks have a criminal background, which is a big change from the past. We need a new approach."

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Serge Stroobants observes that Belgium has been living under threat level 3 out of 4 for more than two years now. “France is still applying the state of emergency which started during the night after the Paris attacks in November 2015. This situation is not temporary; it is the new European security situation.”

The Belgian Road Safety Institute (BIVV), which also studies security as well as road safety, says that surveys show that no less than one in three Belgians have changed their behaviour to take account of the threat from terrorism. After fears of burglary, Belgians are most concerned about the threat from terrorism.

The majority of those surveyed that have changed their behaviour also say that they go less frequently to public events, where there are a lot of people.

They also avoid public places, such as shopping centres and cinemas and have become “more suspicious of people they don’t know.”

The BIVV survey showed that one in five Belgians believes that “it is probable” that an attack will be carried out within a 15 km radius of where they live; 52% that there is “no real solution” to the threat

“While there is no doubt that Brussels has suffered greatly, it is not all doom and gloom and things are starting to recover in at least one sector: tourism. On New Year’s Eve, hotels in Brussels attracted more visitors with an occupancy level of 85%, and the 16th edition of the traditional Christmas market “Winter Wonders” was seen as a huge success, attracting 2.5 million visitors.”

and that “we should learn to live with it”, and 84% don’t believe the threat in Brussels is a temporary phenomenon that will pass any time soon.

The apparently gloomy outlook is underpinned by the Confederation of Belgian Industry, which estimates that the cost of the attacks to the Belgian economy amounts to a whopping €2.4 billion, or 0.57% of the country’s GDP. Had the atrocity not occurred, the Belgian economy would have grown by almost 2%, but economic growth is around one third lower as a result of the attacks. Slower growth, it says, has also cost the creation of 9,000 new jobs.

Almost a year down the line, several sectors, says the organisation, are still feeling the hit, including aviation, retail and companies that organise events. There was also a 10 percent drop in visitor numbers at various summer music festivals, while the Kinepolis multiplex cinema chain has been attracting fewer visitors.

Soldiers patrolling the Brussels Metro.

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While there is no doubt that Brussels has suffered greatly, it is not all doom and gloom and things are now happily starting to recover in at least one sector: tourism.

On New Year’s Eve, hotels in Brussels attracted more visitors with an occupancy level of 85% (a 20% increase on 2015), and the 16th edition of the traditional Christmas market Winterpret (Winter Wonders) was seen as a “huge success" (attracting 2.5 million visitors, 65 percent of them Belgian).

Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort and the Region now want to "continue this trend further," resulting in the launch of a major €4 million international campaign to promote the city.

But the Dean and Political Science Professor at Vesalius College, Dr. Joachim Koops, confirms that with military still present and on show in the capital, the government continues to prioritize security measures and a wide range of raids at short notice.

“While the alert level remains at 3, Belgium, Europe and the entire Western world has to get accustomed to the underlying threat and possibility of terrorist attacks and incidents. It’s the responsibility of Brussels, Belgian and European security services to improve their coordination and cooperation as much as it is the responsibility of every citizen to remain vigilant without slipping into a dangerous state of mind of exaggerated fears.”

Measures to fight terrorism

So what can be done to further reduce the threat of another atrocity in Brussels? According to Duhig, the role of civil society in the prevention of radicalisation, which can lead to violent extremism, is “underestimated.”

Duhig believes that outreach to and cooperation with vulnerable communities and individuals is more effectively undertaken by civil society organisation.

“Friends and family are more likely to contact authorities if they are concerned about someone they care for. NGOs can support and intervene at an early stage to prevent radicalisation.”

The recent years saw the highest numbers of radical Islamist-inspired terrorist attacks in Europe since the Madrid train bombings in 2004. But Duhig points out that terrorist attacks in the 1980s killed far more people, though these were not, for the most part, by radical Islamists.

Is Brussels safer now than in the past? “The question is rather whether Brussels is any less or more

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dangerous in 2017 than any other EU capital city,” he replies. “The extent to which national security agencies in other countries will be willing to share information with their counterparts in Belgium on looming terror attacks and cross-border movements of high risk individuals will help determine that.”

“The degree to which civil society is encouraged and supported by government and institutional partners - including the European Commission in particular, which needs to simplify funding mechanisms, enhance training and strengthen evaluation mechanisms - to undertake prevention work with vulnerable communities and individuals will be a key factor.”

Thomas Renard, an adjunct professor at Vesalius College and Senior Research Fellow at EGMONT think tank, says that domestically, Belgium is working fast and hard to make it more secure and resilient vis-à-vis terrorism.

“At the European and global levels, Belgian authorities have significantly deepened their cooperation with third countries, notably France, while stepping up their participation to the global coalition against ISIS, as Belgium participates in the military operations in Iraq and Syria.”

He also emphasises that “In 2017, the priority for Belgium will be to continue focusing on the prevention of radicalization and broader societal polarization. Indeed, whereas Belgium has successfully prevented the departure of its youngsters to jihadi battle fields, the phenomenon of radicalization remains a major concern.”

“In terms of threat, the security services will have to focus on the potential return of a number of foreign fighters from Syria and Iraq to Europe, since ISIS is losing ground in the region, as well as on violent home-based radicalized individuals inspired by ISIS propaganda.”

According to Stroobants, structural counter-terrorism measures have to be taken. Besides providing enough police and intelligence capabilities to avert any attack, he identifies additional measures.

The public’s sense of fear should be minimized and adequate, and swift support to the victims should be put in place.

Last but not the least, the root causes of violent extremism and radicalisation must be tackled. Noone should need to use extreme violence to be “heard”. “This implies measures both in our own society that should become more inclusive, equal and equitable, and abroad through diplomacy and development efforts.”

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A YEAR TO REMEMBER 2017 will be a year to remember as Canada invites the world to celebrate its 150th anniversary! There will be more than 1000 events and activities marking Canada’s sesquicentennial, including free admission to all National Parks of Canada, National Marine Conservation Areas and National Historic Sites for the entire year.

There will be dozens of major events and attractions in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city and in Montreal, which will be celebrating its 375th anniversary in 2017.

Celebration highlights include: • Rendez-Vous 2017, the naval celebration of the 150th anniversary with more than 40 Tall Ships from around the world setting sail for Québec City, with stops in Ontario, Québec and the Maritimes. Timing: June 30-Aug 20, 2017 • Canada: Day 1, an exhibition produced by the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It describes the early immigration experience to Canada, as impressions take shape with an individual’s first experiences – from Confederation to present day. Timing: Apr 1-Oct 1, 2017 Art Express’d, where three mobile travelling art studios made from shipping containers by the Winnipeg Art Gallery will travel across Canada for 12 weeks in the summer, making stops in 15 cities.

Timing: Jun 17-Aug 17, 2017 The Calgary Stampede has special programming in the works, as the “greatest outdoor show on Earth” gets ready to celebrate Canada’s birthday. Timing: July 7-16, 2017 The Toronto Festival of Beer will have a pavilion that showcases Canada’s rich history of beer and food, including samples from every province. Timing: July 2830, 2017 The reopening of the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, which will be the largest museum in Western Canada. Timing: Fall 2017 In 2017, Canada is downright cool; it’s really the perfect time to #ExploreCanada.

THE CLOCK IS TICKING… MONTRÉAL’S 375TH IS NEAR! There’s never been a better time to visit Montréal! The new year marks the historic city’s 375th anniversary and Montréal will be alive with activities and celebrations.

The calendar will be bubbling over with festivals, street performances, shows and attractions that are sure to delight and amaze visitors.

Winter Wonderland There are over 150 activities happening throughout the anniversary year, and they all kick off with Les Hiver�nales – the winter line-up of celebrations.

Spring into Song March madness has another meaning in Montréal this year: we’re all going gaga in anticipation of the world premiere of “Another Brick in the Wall – The Opera”.

Runs from March 11 to 24, 2017.

Feast for the Senses Starting on May 17 and running through to September 2017, the Old Port will play host to a bona fide extravaganza: Montréal AVUDO, a grandiose multimedia show designed and staged by Daniele Finzi Pasca as a poetic tribute to the St. Lawrence River.

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TRUMP AND THE EU: RECIPE FOR DISASTER? “For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; subsidised the armies of other countries, while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military. We’ve defended other nations’ borders while refusing to defend our own….

From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first, America first.

Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families. We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs.”

D

onald Trump’s inauguration speech was poorly written and badly delivered.

But the new US president’s message was crystal clear. Trump intends to govern as he campaigned – as an authoritarian, xenophobic, protectionist nationalist. That has potentially catastrophic consequences for the world – and for Europe in particular.

Those of us fortunate enough to have been born in Western Europe since the Second World War have experienced only a particularly benign and stable form of international order. A liberal order – based on international rules and institutions, as well as consensual security alliances, liberal democracy,

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openness and shared liberal values – underpinned by enlightened American hegemony. US leaders believed in a positive-sum world where providing global public goods, such as open markets and regional ones, such as security guarantees for European allies, benefited the US as well as others. While of course this liberal order has always been imperfect and incomplete, it is still by far the best international system ever.

European integration has been encouraged and supported by the US as a key part of that liberal order. From the very start in the 1950s, wise US statesmen saw a more united Europe both as a vehicle for peace and prosperity and as a valuable ally. Even when Americans and Europeans had their differences – over trade, the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, and much else – that commitment never wavered. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the US supported the reunification of Germany and then the EU’s eastward expansion. Last year, President Barack Obama did his best to discourage Britons from voting to leave the EU. So, while many Europeans may have mixed feelings about American power and disagree with particular decisions of various US administrations, that commitment to Europe is undeniable.

But now the US has elected a president who despises liberal values, liberal democracy and the liberal world order that his wiser, broader-minded predecessors created. Trump believes in a zero-sum world where America is stupid to be bound by rules and institutions and should instead use its clout to screw a better deal out of weaker powers, including longstanding allies.

His America First agenda threatens to transform the US from the guarantor of international order

“Trump wants to use tax measures and import tariffs to encourage American companies to produce more domestically and consumers to buy American, and thus reduce the US’s trade deficit. Since the US has a huge trade deficit with the EU in general and Germany in particular, the EU is likely to be in his line of fire.”

“Trump’s European allies are not German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Donald Tusk, but farright, anti-EU extremists such as Marine Le Pen of France’s Front National.”

into the biggest source of global instability and conflict.

Trump endangers Europe’s economy, politics and security. To be fair, some of Trump’s economic plans may have a positive impact. He wants to cut taxes and increase infrastructure spending, and such a fiscal stimulus would likely boost US growth and drive the dollar up (and thus the euro down).

Both those things would boost EU exports. But Trump’s policies are also likely to lead to higher interest rates, both in the US and globally. That will make life tougher for highly indebted European economies.

Where Trump could do most economic damage is on trade. He wants to use tax measures and import tariffs to encourage American companies to produce more domestically and consumers to buy American, and thus reduce the US’s trade deficit.

Since the US has a huge trade deficit with the EU in general and Germany in particular, the EU is likely to be in his line of fire. Trump’s protectionism would surely spark retaliation from China, the EU and elsewhere. A trade war would depress already weak growth in Europe; if it gets really nasty, it could provoke another recession.

By acting as one in trade matters, the EU is the US’s equal – and the threat of a trade war and a fracturing of the global economic system strengthens the case for a divided Europe to stick together. But that is all the more reason why Trump will want to encourage EU disintegration.

Let’s be clear: Trump is not indifferent to the EU, he is hostile. He celebrates Brexit. He looks forward to other countries leaving too. Just after his election victory, Trump was pictured grinning in front of the gold doors of his Trump Tower apartment with leading Brexiteer Nigel Farage, the UK Independence Party MEP and former leader. So, instead of playing a constructive role in the upcoming Brexit negotiations, he will no doubt be urging on hard-line Brexiteers. He has already promised that a post-Brexit Britain will be “front

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of the line” for a trade deal with the US – albeit on Trump’s terms.

Trump’s European allies are not German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Donald Tusk, but far-right, anti-EU extremists such as Marine Le Pen of France’s Front National.

His victory also makes the prospect of a President Le Pen seem less aberrant; if the Americans can elect “the Donald”, it seems less absurd that the French could choose Marine.

Trump’s retreat from America’s international commitments and the return to great power politics has particularly alarming consequences for Europe’s security. In foreign and security policy, the EU is weak, divided and scarcely willing or able to exercise military power.

Since the end of the Cold War, Europeans have grown used to living in a postmodern la-la land where order and security have been taken for granted. The conceit was that the rules of geopolitics had been rewritten: the EU model of a rules-based system reliant on the attractions of economic integration and political soft power rather than military might would dominate the twenty-first century.

Yet Europe is surrounded by threats: unstable regimes to its south and east, Islamic State terrorists in Syria and Iraq, with many followers within Europe, and President Vladimir Putin’s revanchist Russia. Putin has invaded his neighbours, sought to redraw borders by force and wants to destabilise, divide and ultimately destroy the EU by waging cyberwar, funding anti-EU extremists and spreading lies on social media.

Now Trump has declared NATO “obsolete” and cast doubt on whether he would defend America’s European allies. It’s even more troubling that he never criticises Putin – and that a deal between them would doubtless be at Europe’s expense.

What Putin craves is America’s recognition of Russia’s superpower status and acceptance that its neighbourhood falls within the Kremlin’s sphere of influence – which could stretch as far as the old Warsaw Pact did, or even beyond.

That has economic implications as well as security ones. How secure are investments in central and eastern Europe? Since all three Baltic states are in the euro, how might Russian destabilisation and aggression affect eurozone financial markets? Remember how quickly Ukraine’s economy and public finances deteriorated after Russia’s invasion. And should Europe really be so reliant on Russian gas?

On the plus side, increased defence spending across Europe might serve as a fiscal stimulus. And in principle, a common external threat could foster

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closer EU cooperation on security and defence, and even politically too.

But the EU is deeply divided on Russia. Many governments prefer to appease Putin than stand up to him. Some openly champion him. Many Germans are tempted by a special relationship with Russia. Both leading candidates for the French presidency – Le Pen and François Fillon – are pro-Putin. And the country that takes the hardest line against Putin – the UK – is now set to leave.

The EU is wholly unprepared for the geopolitical earthquake that Trump is generating. Its economy is feeble, its politics polarised and its defence wholly inadequate. Worse, the political establishment in Brussels and national capitals is often narrow-minded and complacent – and is widely seen as incompetent, self-serving, out of touch and corrupt. The risk of the EU disintegrating has never been greater.

“Now Trump has declared NATO “obsolete” and cast doubt on whether he would defend America’s European allies. It’s even more troubling that he never criticises Putin – and that a deal between them would doubtless be at Europe’s expense.”

The European Parliament in Brussels: From the end of the Second World War, European integration has been encouraged and supported by the US as a key part of a liberal world order. For the first time in the EU’s history, a member state has voted to leave the union, with the new US President Donald Trump voicing support for it and encouraging more countries to follow UK’s example. Photo Credit: iStock / PaulGrecaud

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THE RIGHT PEOPLE, THE RIGHT TOOLS, THE RIGHT TIME Working together and delivering connectivity are common-sense rules for the digital age

by Victor Zhang, President of European Public Affairs and Communication, Huawei

A

few weeks ago, a tragedy on European soil reminded me, in a rather brutal fashion, about where the most important value of our work lies.

When Hotel Rigopiano in Italy was buried by an avalanche and the race against the clock to find survivors began, rescue teams were able to save precious time thanks to technology enabling them to detect survivors under the rubble. The system deployed, which consisted of a mobile communications network with an extremely rapid setup time, was developed by an innovation centre run jointly by Huawei and the Sardinia Region; it was launched just one month ago.

We often talk about the ‘vital’ role of mobile technology and local partnerships, but it is extreme situations like these that give the full meaning to this idea.

“When Hotel Rigopiano in Italy was buried by an avalanche and the race against the clock to find survivors began, rescue teams were able to save precious time thanks to technology enabling them to detect survivors under the rubble.”

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Joining forces with our European partners has enabled us to weather many storms in the past. In these times of change, we are more crucially aware than ever of the importance of reliable friends and trust-based partnerships.

The joint innovation centre that delivered the emergency technology is part of our large and growing network of European innovation hubs, which currently spans 18 R&D organisations in eight countries, as well as numerous centres run together with European telecom and ICT partners.

Our solid partnership with Europe enables us to advance with confidence. It relies on connections between like-minded people and common projects, but also on a framework in which such connections can grow, and such projects can thrive.

We have been delighted to witness the steady progression towards the objectives of the EU’s Digital Single Market Strategy. Throughout the past year, we have seen a number of vital strides towards implementation, including the ‘5G for Europe’ Action Plan and the comprehensive reform of European telecom markets, spelled out in the ‘connectivity package’.

Huawei is determined to continue playing an active part in making Europe’s digital transformation a success story. Putting our considerable global weight behind digital in Europe, we are working with policymakers as well as industry and research partners, in Europe and beyond, to support the process. We are contributing to technologies that harness the potential of Big Data, the cloud and the Internet of Things, and we are driving the 5G agenda in Europe, together with other European industry stakeholders.

Huawei has long placed a strong focus on 5G research and innovation. In Europe, we are participating in EU 5G research projects, including the 5G-PPP. Together with our European partners, we launched a 5G Vertical Industry Accelerator (5G VIA) and a testbed in Munich, Germany. We are also researching 5G technologies at Surrey University’s 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) in the UK, where we will be investing £5 million as part of the $600 million that Huawei is committing to 5G research globally by 2018.

As Europe is pressing ahead with its commitment to taking the lead on 5G, Huawei remains fully committed to supporting its European partners and driving Europe’s digital transformation process.

Of course, we cannot consider the vital impact of ICT technology without sparing a thought for

the next generation. In such uncertain times, it is only by investing in education, and by teaching and practicing open-mindedness and global exchange, that we can prepare for a brighter future.

Huawei is proud to contribute to these objectives through its Seeds for the Future skills programme, deployed in Europe since 2011. This initiative selects gifted students for a study trip to China. By 2020, over 2500 European students will have taken the trip. In November 2016, we brought a group of participants to Brussels to share their vision of a connected future with European decision makers.

As we prepare for the new tasks and changes that lie ahead of us, we aim to keep the hopes and fears of these young people in mind, and to be guided by their vision of technology-enabled progress. Together, we can meet this challenge.

“Our solid partnership with Europe enables us to advance with confidence. It relies on connections between like-minded people and common projects, but also on a framework in which such connections can grow, and such projects can thrive.”

Students from Huawei’s international student training programme, Seeds for the Future, with MEPs and Huawei representatives on their visit to the European Parliament in Brussels.

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AN ARMY OF ITS OWN? WITH BREXIT ON THE HORIZON AND TRUMP SCORNING NATO, THE EU IS NOW TAKING THE IDEA OF ITS OWN DEFENCE SERIOUSLY

By Leo Cendrowicz

“If Trump pulls back American military commitments in Europe, it will expose the gap between the EU’s rhetoric about common security, and the reality that it depends hugely on the American umbrella through NATO.” 28 | THE BRUSSELS TIMES MAGAZINE

I

f the European project is a story about responding to crises with new models, then the past year should surely shock decision makers into changing their ways again. The soul-crushing decision by British voters to leave the European Union, the election of Donald Trump as US president, Russia’s creeping aggression, and the ongoing Islamic terrorists attacks have all undermined Europe’s sense of security.

And yet, these jolts to the system might also play a part in reshaping thinking on European defence,

and could even lead to a nascent EU army. In the months since the UK’s referendum to leave the bloc, the other 27 member states have pledged to upgrade investment in European security and defence, strengthen capabilities, enhance cooperation, and improve responsiveness to crises.

Yet, until recently, talk of Europe’s pooling armed resources has been so poisonous that policy makers have tiptoed around it. A 1950 French initiative for a western European army known as the Pleven Plan involving the six nations that would later sign the

Treaty of Rome never got off the ground; though proposed by then French Prime Minister René Pleven, it was rejected by the French Assembly.

But times have changed. While NATO remains the bedrock of European security, new threats and challenges have thrown up new calls for a common European defence policy.

Brexit prompted the EU’s other 27 members to awaken the long dormant notion. As the EU’s biggest military spender, London’s consent was

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| 29

“In the months since the UK’s referendum to leave the bloc, the other 27 member states have pledged to upgrade investment in European security and defence, strengthen capabilities, enhance cooperation, and improve responsiveness to crises.” always seen as essential to further defence integration, yet successive British governments have always baulked at what they say is a fast track to a European army. Brexit means this block is now removed, and the rest of the EU is now asking whether they need ‘more Europe’ when it comes to defence.

The election of Donald Trump has even greater potential to transform the debate. While NATO has been the cornerstone of American foreign policy for more than 60 years, he says it is obsolete and that many of its 28 member states are not paying their fair share (although successive US administrations complained about unequal burden sharing for Europe’s security long before Trump was elected). He has hinted that he might not defend NATO allies and that he might accept Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. If Mr Trump pulls back American military commitments in Europe, it will expose the gap between the EU’s rhetoric about common security, and the reality that it depends hugely on the American umbrella through NATO. And with Russian President Vladimir Putin making predatory snarls at his western neighbours, there are real threats to consider. Islamic State’s actions in the Middle East and North Africa have drawn in western powers, while the spillover of terrorist atrocities onto European territory has changed the internal security debate. And the refugee crisis drove the EU to send military ships to the Mediterranean to tackle people smuggling.

Heather Grabbe, the director of the Open Society European Policy Institute, says that Europeans neglected the development of independent

Military leaders from all the member countries at a NATO meeting. While NATO has been the cornerstone of American foreign policy for more than 60 years, the new US President Donald Trump recently said that it is obsolete and that many of its 28 member states are not paying their fair share. He has hinted that he might not defend NATO allies and that he might accept Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

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strategic thinking and invested far too little in their own security. “As reliance on US leadership must come to an end, it is high time to fill these gaps,” she says. “The sense of urgency grows as turmoil in neighbouring regions spreads and future US commitment is in doubt.”

So, after so many false starts, Europe could finally get serious about providing for its own defence.

In January, German chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the EU must take better care of its own security. She said Europe was facing one of its “biggest challenges for decades” due to conflicts on its borders, such as Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, and that it would be "naive always to rely on others who would solve the problems in our neighbourhood.”

A key move in the new direction came last year when EU member states agreed to create a new military headquarters inside EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini’s service and to make joint “battlegroups” ready for action.

It was followed in November by European Commission plans to promote defence cooperation and smarter military spending, saying that its multibillion-euro scheme would fund research into areas like encrypted software or robotics and boost investment in joint projects across member states such as drones or helicopters. The goal of the so-called European Defence Action Plan is to encourage closer and more efficient cooperation across EU member states.

The business case is overwhelming. Collectively, Europe is the world's second largest military customer, behind the US, spending some €200 billion on defence in 2015. But it suffers from inefficiency in spending due to duplications, a lack of interoperability, technological gaps and insufficient economies of scale for industry and production. The lack of cooperation between member states is estimated to cost up to €100 billion a year.

Within member states, new ideas are sprouting. In October, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain issued a joint paper with plans to bulk up the EU’s military capability, including a swifter deployment of overseas missions. They said EU military missions, such as the Sophia anti-migrant smuggler operation or the Atalanta anti-pirate mission, should in the future be commanded from a joint military HQ possibly in Brussels, with its own medical and logistical assets, such as air-lift equipment.

The efforts would build on existing capacities: while the EU has led over 30 civilian and military missions, from Kosovo to Afghanistan, the lack of a permanent structure has meant it has not been able to act effectively. And while the joint paper insisted that, “To be clear: an ‘EU army’ is not our

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objective”, Italy has talked of how EU military headquarters and battlegroups should be the nucleus of a future “European Integrated Force”.

A key question concerns what Britain will do: it has a real interest in staying involved in some way so that its companies retain access to lucrative contracts. London has long justified its resistance to EU defence by saying it would undermine and duplicate NATO. But both NATO and the US are relaxed about the latest initiatives. "This shouldn't be a competition. We'll do it together. A strong Europe is good for NATO," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said.

There are other questions, including how to reconcile the different ideas in Berlin and Paris about the end goal of the defence cooperation. There are wildly divergent strategic cultures, military capabilities and security priorities amongst the EU 27. And as Daniel Keohane, a researcher at the Centre for Security Studies in Zurich, notes, “It is not entirely clear who would command such an army — national governments or the Brussels-based EU institutions — nor what it would do in practice.” But if the EU is to emerge from its post-Brexit doldrums, a common defence scheme could well be part of the solution.

“Collectively, Europe is the world’s second largest military customer, behind the US, spending some €200 billion on defence in 2015. But it suffers from inefficiency in spending due to duplications, a lack of interoperability, technological gaps and insufficient economies of scale for industry and production. The lack of cooperation between member states is estimated to cost up to €100 billion a year.”

Martin Banks is a British journalist and has worked in Brussels since 2001. He covers a wide range of topics from EU affairs to cuisine and sport.

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE HOMELESS IN BRUSSELS?

R

ecession-hit Brussels recently welcomed in a New Year, putting on a brave face. But for people living below the breadline in Brussels and the rest of the region, it can be a time of heartache and despair.

In response to the growing problem of homelessness here, Brussels Capital Region once again provided winter accommodation to its home-

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less population, some of them teenagers. They are nevertheless still often reduced to begging on the streets - pinning their few hopes on the generosity of caring shoppers and passers-by.

But, as economic difficulties continue to bite deep, is there any generosity left? I took to the streets of two locations, one a poor area of Brussels, the other in affluent Waterloo, to try and find out.

“1,283 shelters across Brussels will remain open until the end of April and extra places can be made available where needed. In the past, the shelters had not stayed open so long, a reflection perhaps of the growing seriousness of the issue.”

Against the sound of metal hitting plastic, I had to pinch myself to remember that I was actually being given money from total strangers for doing nothing other than look rather pitiful and desperate. A short time later, a woman bent down, dropped a couple of coins in the container and wished me, in French, a happy New Year. She paused, turned back and said (this time in English), “If you are round here, you can come to me for your dinner.”

I looked and the kind-hearted woman, who must have been in her 70s, had dropped five, one-euro coins into the cup. A small amount, yes, but it’s the thought that counts, as the saying goes. I countered them out with the same enthusiasm a starving man would if presented with a luxury meal.

The assignment was to find out what it is really like for people to resort to begging on the streets. I deliberately dressed in the oldest and most tatty clothing I could lay my hands on and, in the time honoured tradition of begging, set up a piece of cardboard in front of me bearing the plea in French “J’ai Faim Et Sans Abri. Aidez Moi” ("Hungry and homeless. Please Help").

Brandishing a battered plastic bowl, which I hoped would soon be resounding to the sound of money, I had swapped my usual comfortable office desk for a place on the cold pavement and put myself at the mercy of the good folk of Brussels.

Blessedly, it wasn´t very long after I’d squatted down at my chosen (and particularly uncomfortable) pitch – the old working class district at the foot of the city’s Palais de Justice - that coins, albeit of the small denomination variety, started rattling into the container.

Another passer-by directed me to the nearest shelter and asked if I would like some toiletries.

She burst into tears as she was saying it. Soon afterwards, a young woman said she had no money to offer but, instead, asked if I wanted some warm clothing.

After what seemed like an eternity – but what was, in fact, only about 35 minutes - without attracting the slightest interest, a man touched me on the shoulder and offered me a pair of socks. I thanked him and he replied saying, “Don’t stay in the cold too long.”

After a couple of hours or so, I decided that the feeling of humiliation had been enough and packed up. Brussels had been relatively kind to this “vagrant” but, I wondered, would I fare better in a wealthier area? To put that to the test and by way of contrast, my next stop was just off Chaussée de Waterloo in Waterloo, just a few kilometres from my previous spot. I was now at the centre of an enclave for rich commuters and expats.

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“Are people in poorer areas more generous towards the homeless than their more wealthy counterparts? Based on this experiment, I was tempted to say “yes” but, of course, it is best not to generalise on such matters.”

It’s an area where it is not uncommon for properties to swap hands for over €1m and, unlike the previous pitch, a part of the region that simply oozes wealth. Fertile ground for begging, you might think. However, I found that for all the relative kindness shown to me by people in the previous spot, the majority of those in Waterloo barely turned their heads in apparent indifference when they passed me by.

One man shouted that he wasn’t going to give me anything “because you are going to spend it on drugs.” Many people on the streets are not only homeless but experience mental illness and/ or addiction issues but, I wondered, did he really think that's what I would have done with whatever pittance he may have offered?

Many people seemed desperate to avoid eye contact, let alone offer any words of comfort. The time dragged on like an eternity and it was painful and noticeable just how slowly the cash trickled in. It was also here that I encountered my only particularly aggressive and negative reaction.

A burly man pointed to my pathetic little sign and shouted at me, “Trouves un boulot” (it roughly translates as “Find a job”). I felt like telling him that, unlike the poor souls whose plight leaves them on the streets, I would be returning to my perfectly pleasant middle class lifestyle later that day.

After nearly another two hours huddling in the winter chill, I counted out the money from my Waterloo takings. I'd been given the rather pathetic sum of €4.30, compared with €20.90 in Brussels.

I later distributed my takings to “real” beggars on the streets of Brussels. One offered to let me crash on his “pad”, an old mattress that he’d installed in a doorway.

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Verdict? Are people in poorer areas more generous than their more wealthy counterparts? Based on this showing, I was tempted to say “yes” but, of course, it is best not to generalise on such matters.

It could be that I simply got lucky at my first pitch and the people I encountered were just feeling rather generous that day. Who knows?

There was an awful incident in the UK recently in which a laughing school-age teen filmed his friends kicking an elderly, homeless man onto the floor in broad daylight. I had also heard stories across Brussels of homeless people being urinated on and physically abused. I should consider myself lucky that, generally, I was extended a hand of kindness, instead of a foot.

The fact is that my (unscientific) experiment underlined what we all know: that society is, despite the ongoing economic problems, still full of people with kind hearts. It was, in a way, an uplifting conclusion to a cold day.

I did a similar experiment in 2014 and am horrified to see that our society in Belgium has allowed the numbers of homeless to increase again. But despite the apparently desperate outlook for the homeless in Belgium, even in these hard-pressed times, there is clearly some goodwill left.

That was the abiding memory I took from my short stint on the streets of Brussels and Waterloo. Ironically the generosity was, on this occasion at least, more obvious in a much poorer part of the region compared with a wealthy one. What is clear though, is that with growing numbers sleeping rough or in emergency/temporary accommodation every night, Belgium can’t afford not to act.

“Crisis can be an overused term and yet what we are witnessing is nothing short of a social emergency. Across the EU, four million people experience homelessness every year and yet there still seems to be a frankly staggering lack of awareness of this fact.”

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Homelessness in Brussels Some 300 additional shelters were opened in Brussels this winter so that no homeless people should have to spend the cold winter months on the street. Still, it is estimated that at any given time, at least 150 people, or 'rough sleepers' as they are sometimes called, are bedding down on Brussels' streets.

In total, 1,283 shelters across the city will remain open until the end of April and extra places can be made available where needed.

In the past, the shelters had not stayed open so long, a reflection perhaps of the growing seriousness of the issue.

Marie-Anne Robberecht from Samusocial, the Brussels-based organisation in charge of the coordination of the shelters and emergency help for the homeless, says that the group promises to provide shelter to everyone who needs it. That includes not only providing a roof over their heads, but also hot meals, shower facilities and medical assistance. It also offers psychosocial support to help the homeless find a way off the streets, she said.

On any one night this winter, up to 1,000 homeless people will have slept at one of the organisation’s centres. Most of them are men but homeless people also includes single women with children.

Freek Spinnewijn, director of the Brussels-based European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA), said, “Homelessness is increasing fast in Brussels and street homelessness/ rough sleeping rose sharply between 2010 and 2014.”

Data supplied by FEANTSA shows that “rooflessness” (people forced to live at least part of the day on the street, which includes people in emergency night shelter/squat) increased from 1,947 in 2010 to 2,603 in 2014 or by 34 %. The number of people that are permanently on the street also increased by one third and they make up half of the roofless people.

According to Spinnewijn, “These are quite massive increases and there is no reason to believe that the increase stopped after 2014.” He added that a new count was held in 2016 but that the data has not yet been released.

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“Begging is a sign that public policies addressing homelessness are not sufficiently effective. If people need to beg to cater for their needs, there is clearly something wrong with the support available/provided by public authorities.”

“Crisis can be an overused term and yet what we are witnessing is nothing short of a social emergency,” Spinnewijn says. “Across the EU, four million people experience homelessness every year and yet there still seems to be a frankly staggering lack of awareness of this fact.”

FEANTSA says homelessness does not just have a potentially irreversible effect on the individual concerned; it also has an enormous negative impact on cities and society as a whole, acting as a barrier to employment and social rights.

Belgium, of course, has not escaped the impact of the well documented migration crisis that has engulfed the EU in recent years.

Indeed, it is feared some of the migrants/ refugees displaced by the now dismantled “Jungle” refugee camp at Calais may have headed to Brussels and are among those begging on the city’s streets.

But the problem is rather closer to home than some might like to admit, as is evidenced by the Belgian regional parliaments’ decision to explore fresh solutions to homelessness, particularly among children and young people.

The Brussels-based Children’s Rights Commissioner Bruno Vanobbergen, who estimates that one in three homeless in Brussels is a minor, describes homeless children as “refugees in their own land”.

Homelessness leads to lack of privacy, and it often requires one or more changes of school, meaning they must leave their friends and give up after-school pastimes, he said. The children become uprooted and at the mercy of the adults around them.

His institution recently published a report on homelessness of minors which recommends a more preventive approach when it comes to evictions of families with children, a more ambitious approach to the provision of social housing, and the provision of emergency and transitional housing by local authorities.

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Denis Maksimov is a critic, curator, consultant and educator of art and politics. www.denismaksimov.com.

POLIAESTHETICA CONTEMPORARY ART, POLITICS & CULTURE

‘EVERYTHING NOW WILL BE MEASURED BY AFTER’ BY EMMANUEL VAN DER AUWERA AT HARLAN LEVEY PROJECTS // until 4 March open Tuesday to Saturday, 1 pm to 7 pm @ Rue Jean d’Ardenne 46 free entrance You enter the white cube and see three large flat canvases in royal blue. If you look from afar, it might seem that they are blank. Coming closer, the text of the newspaper pages becomes apparent and you realise that in front of you is the daily courier flattened out on a single surface. On two of them, quite clear images are present: a group of people in distress and a group of people in apparent mourning.

The first image corresponds to an article about the failed coup d’état in Istanbul. The second features shocked mourners of the shooting in the Orlando nightclub. At a certain angle you can even read the text, but it is fading. Present day newspaper metal scraps are carriers of presence of something that faded from political memory and being continuously judged and reassessed.

The two entrances leading to the second space are dark. There is a strange, but somehow familiar

buzzing noise present. It is definitely not welcoming: the feeling of anxiety is growing once you finally enter. In the middle of the strikingly different space, painted grey, you see tripods, holding plaques of transparent plexiglass. On three of the four walls there are big white screens. It seems as if they do not have anything displayed on them. However, when walking around, amidst this strange noise, you notice that if you look at the screens through the plexiglass, you detect an image on the screen.

Approaching one of them, you manage to “trap” the screen fully inside the tripod top, and voila, you see the moving image on the screen. The buzzing sound suddenly starts to make sense and you connect the dots. On the screens you see a target pointer and moving cars, which at some point are destroyed with a targeted bomb dropped by autonomously piloted drones. The landscape, although practically unrecognisable, is instinctively associated with Afghanistan or Iraq.

I would recommend choosing a calmer time to visit this stunning exhibition. Especially the second room, it should be experienced without distractions, in solitude. The experience is strikingly designed for you to feel the anxiety of being watched, targeted and possibly eliminated at any given moment. A priceless reminder from Emmanuel Van Der Auwera about the essential processes that define the nature of the world we live in.

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‘A SAVAGE MIND’ BY MOUNIR FATMI AT KEITELMAN GALLERY // until 23 March open Thursday to Saturday, 12 pm to 6 pm @ Rue Van Eyck 44 free entrance A generous stack of shiny barbed wire exits one glass cube and enters another one. It is so new and highly polished that you could take it for an enormous piece of jewellery produced for a giant. The spotlights are directed on it in a way that multiplies the shadows, falling on a concrete wall of the gallery and making the presence of the installation much more visible.

The sharp wire seems dangerous, restricting: it cuts you off from any desire to come closer and study its aesthetic details. But as you come closer, the aesthetic finish of it and shiny polish suggest the range of different interpretations of the piece before you. Just as Claude Levi-Strauss, the French anthropologist to whom the artist Mounir Fatmi constantly refers to in this exhibition, gave meaning to the concept of the ”savage”, the artist encapsulates multiplicity in each of the objects presented in the show.

All of the works appear very literal. The installation ‘Archeology’ contains a broomstick, human bones and a black flag raised above them – clearly referring to the nature of human history with a focus on bloody battles for nation states and identity recognition, among other aspects of human endeavour.

Dialectics between “a scholar” and a “savage”, one who is enlightened and one who is barbaric, is an important subject for the artist. Consciously or unconsciously, he is following French philosopher Michel Foucault, who pluralised the word “knowledge”, and questioned hierarchies of the “known,” “familiar” and “correct.”

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‘PAST EVENTS’ BY SARA BJARLAND IN HOPSTREET GALLERY // until 25 February open Thursday to Saturday, 1 pm to 6 pm @ Rue Saint-Georges 109 free entrance How is the world being made? The answer (or absence of such) to this question is among the fundamental elements defining our identity. The subject of past events being appropriated by the present appears to be very current in exhibition galleries this season. Sara Bjarland approaches the subject from a material angle, exposing the ephemeral and natural substances in unfamiliar solid forms.

Partly deflated balloons, cast in plaster hang from the ceiling of the gallery. The branches of trees are morphing with the thin pipes, questioning the creator and the created through the visual trick of familiarity.

The smaller room of the gallery features the images of wire-based temporary sculptures that look like thin versions of the spooky spiders of Louise Bourgeois.

There are several of them on the wall in different poses, which makes us think about the dynamics in the movement of a large fictional creature. In the centre of the room is an especially peculiar object: made out of discarded window blinds, a sculpture or model for sculpture, frozen somewhere between being unfinished and thought about. Its abstract shape captivates and diverts attention towards the futuristic architecture. The potentiality of the mundane object, which has lost its initial functional purpose, is what makes this object stand out in the space.

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‘PER ASPERA’ GROUP EXHIBITION IN JOZSA GALLERY // until 25 February open Thursday to Saturday, 12 pm to 6 pm @ Rue Saint Georges 24 free entrance A small space can be a source of countless impressions: the exhibition ‘Per Aspera’ at Jozca gallery proves this point very well. The first chapter of a two-part exhibition, which celebrates the 10th anniversary of the gallery, lives up to the expectation that this is a special event for the gallery. The exhibition is curated by Gatien Du Bois, who asks visitors: “aren’t we all explorers in search of something else, other than the banality of everyday life?”

I would reserve special attention to the works of two particular artists in this exhibition.

Kazakhstan artist Yerbossyn Meldibekov presents a skyline of snowy mountains produced from water basins. The apparent simplicity and strength in the works, titled poetically “Morning on the Kaufmann Peak”, “Midday on Lenin Peak” and “Evening on Abu Ali Ibn Sina Peak” reveals the geopolitical and historical complexity of the narrative and context that inspired them. Secondly, Bulgarian artist Aleksandra Chaushova’s drawings “The Offerings” and series “Five Suggestions for a News,” done in a black and white style surrealism of the post-Communist era offers reflections on its society and politics.

In the introduction to the exhibition, Gatien Du Bois warns visitors: “…there is no need to ask for directions… otherwise you won’t get lost:” a precious piece of advice within and beyond this particular exhibition.

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‘HOW TO BE BEING’ GROUP EXHIBITION AT SUPERDAKOTA // until 18 February open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm @ Rue Washington 45 free entrance Chatroulette with Drake, basic beach chair in wood for the epoch of capitalist austerity, rusted metallic page of a lost memory notebook and some more objects all stand under the umbrella title ‘How To Be Being”. The exhibition, as the gallery intends, is supposed to demonstrate the nature and internal energy of an artist’s studio practice. The compro-

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mises that the artist makes in order to participate in the institutional structures of the art world, such as labelling something as finished and ready for sale, are among the issues that the show attempts to highlight.

At the entrance of the gallery space, there is a working table, a sign of reproducing a working space. All the objects appear to be complete and ready to be sent out to the buyers. Is this what the studio of the artist looks like?

It ultimately shows that the process is not an easy task, especially in the commercial gallery, where the pieces of art on display should be prepared for shipping, at any given moment. Despite a lack of coherence, the exhibition features some very interesting individual works that are worth seeing.

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CATHY WILKES AT XAVIER HUFKENS // until 18 February open Tuesday to Saturday, 1 pm to 7 pm @ Rue Saint Georges 6 free entrance What makes a painting a painting? The paintings of Cathy Wilkes are the result of 25 years of accumulating material from everyday life and incorporating them within an on-going series of installations. The perceived randomness of it is a representation of an un-strategic, intense and intuitive creative process.

Reading through them is impossible as the narrative continues to slip away.

The melancholy of the sets in figurative as well as abstract subjects present a continuous line in the oeuvre of the artist. The exhibition catalogue explains: “What sets Cathy Wilkes’s subtle narratives apart, as well as their introspection, is their strong allegorical undertow. Her objects, figures, actions and images show us places of loss and transformation. Within this activity, contemplation, actions and processes slowly move between conscious thought and a private, mystical theophany.”

When visiting the gallery, do not forget to go to the first floor – you will see a precious example of Robert Mapplethorpe’s photographic talent and a library of art and design publications.

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About le Chalet With its location in metropolitan Brussels, le Chalet de la Forêt is flourishing by bringing together tradition and avant-garde elements in perfect harmony.

The beauty of the location with the town’s comings and goings as a backdrop, the mastery of time with the seasons going by in the vegetable garden and the generous cuisine courtesy of the remarkable talent that is Pascal Devalkeneer combine to make this a place of excellence (awarded two stars by the Michelin guide), a major venue that is respected and where people like to come and come back to.

Every day at midday, the wood is lit in the kitchen. Every day, bread is cooked here. Market gardening, grilling, salting and smoking is all done on the spot.

Bringing together all this qualité craftsmanship is about creating a perfect combination that gives the chef the freedom to focus on technique, on the cooking process, on new flavours and on the extraordinary biodiversity offered by the garden’s plantations.

PASCAL DEVALKENEER, the grand Chef Being Belgian in the world of haute cuisine is about not observing the rules! Pascal’s cuisine does not give in to the new mantras of this greedy planet but stays loyal to traditional requirements that might be served in a luxury establishment. Pascal puts excellence into his meticulous search for a new sharpness of taste, the discovery of a rare variety for his vegetable garden, an innovative design for his plates, meeting new producers etc. He is the heart and soul of the Chalet. “To me le Chalet is a gemstone that must be tirelessly polished, an exceptional case whose magic explodes only if you take the time to reinvent it every day”, he told us.

Pascal Devalkeneer The 2 Star Michelin Chef

The Menu The cuisine at the Chalet de la Forêt resonates with the world around it, the ups and downs of life and encounters. It goes through ephemeral trends but keeps its own distinct personality. Its strength in terms of tradition lies in the product. Its strength in terms of its modernity lies in the way it presents the food. Simplicity as a route to finding the most appropriate flavour! All our products are carefully selected for you. They come from organic farming, small producers, protected designations of origin, small and local fish farms and the focus is on high quality. le Chalet de la Forêt Drève de Lorraine 43 - 1180 Bruxelles. 02 374 54 16. lechaletdelaforet.be

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SPONSORED

As two major powers in the world, both China and the EU attach great importance to the relations between each other and have maintained close communication and sound cooperation. Positive progress has been achieved in China-EU practical cooperation over the past year. China firmly supports the European integration process and hopes to see a prosperous and stable EU. As the Chinese New Year is around the corner, the Mission of China to the EU takes this opportunity to wish you a happy, successful and prosperous Year of the Rooster! (According to the Chinese zodiac, 2017 is the year of the Rooster starting from January 28, 2017 and lasting till February 15, 2018). The Spring Festival that heralds the Chinese New Year is the most important and most celebrated traditional festival in China. It is an occasion for family reunion and extending good wishes to one another.

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Reception in Honor of EU Officials China Study Visits On January 20, the Chinese Mission to the EU held the Reception in Honor of EU Officials China Study Visits at the Brussels Chinese Culture Centre. Human resource development is a key pillar of China-EU bilateral relationship. Since its initiation at the first China-EU High-Level People-to-People Dialogue in 2012, about 118 EU officials have attended the program which proves to be interesting, informative, beneficial and rewarding.

Chinese Spring Festival Performance

On January 24, the Chinese Mission to the EU held the “Happy Chinese New Year 2017� in Flagey, Brussels. The Yinchuan Art Troupe of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region presented to the audience a fantastic show of performing arts, dances, acrobatics, vocal music and instrumental music. The European audience had a precious opportunity to immerse themselves in the seasonal traditions and unique culture of China and warm sentiments and friendship of the Chinese people.

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Chinese New Year Parade On 28 January, the Chinese New Year Parade was held in Brussels.

The event was organized by the Chinese Embassy in Belgium in cooperation with the Chinese Mission to the EU, Brussels Municipal Government and the Chinese community in Belgium. 2017 Chinese New Year Parade is the second of its kind ever to be held in Brussels.

The Parade route was extended from Grand-Place to Manneken Pis in Tang suit, La Monnaie, le Boulevard Ansbach, and La Bourse. The Parade vividly show to the European audience the Chinese cultural diversities, including dragon & lion dance, folk dance, wushu, tai chi, cheongsam show, folk music, etc.

For the first time ever, a similar parade was also held in the Belgian southern city of Dinant.

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BEING A FLY ON THE WALL Interview with Belgian photographer

FILIP NAUDTS

Filip Naudts ©2013 Filip van der Cruyssen

By Boré Kedober You have published many popular photo books since you began your career as photographer. Where do you draw your inspiration?

Born in 1968, Filip Naudts began his career working for the Belgian national television and press in 1992. In 1993, he founded his own photo studio “Guarda La Fotografia”, where he quickly developed his own poetic style, often referring to the portrait paintings of The Flemish Primitives.

From 2002 to 2006, he was the photo editor of the Dutch professional photo magazine FOTO. In 2006, he started his career as a full-time freelance photographer. His work gets published in several popular magazines in Belgium and abroad.

Filip Naudts is arguably one of the most compelling, thought-provoking photographing artists of his country and generation. Fascinated by portraying beauty while at the same time adding a small humorous and surreal element to the image, he shows the relativity of beauty.

All incoming impulses can be a potential source of material. Traditionally, it may be a good book, a feature film, an exhibition, a musical performance or simply the Internet. But also people crossing my path can inspire me without them even realizing it. They don’t even have to look at me or speak to me. A particular act or gesture can be enough to inspire me to produce a specific image or a specific series of photographs.

For example, it just happened to occur that during a walk at sunset in Ghent, my eyes were drawn to a scene happening inside a beautifully lit house. A young couple, who were sensually cuddling, and so absorbed by their own game of love and seduction that they didn’t even realize they had created a spectacle for the casual street walker, such as myself.

This incident drove me to produce a series of photos that I had wanted to create for quite a while: Paparazzo. In the past, I had drawn inspiration from Hopper’s “Night Windows,” as well as from Hitchcock’s “Rear Window.” Paparazzo portrays voyeuristic shots of interiors displaying night scenes involving BVs (the Dutch abbreviation for ”bekende Vlamingen” or ”Flemish celebrities”). They could have been caught and photographed by any lurking neighbour, but in reality these scenes have been staged and directed.

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“I see each of my photo series as an important link in the evolution of my work. Choosing a series as being the most important one would be absurd. After all, you do not choose a favourite child either.”

Which projects have been closest to your heart?

Every time that I start shooting a new series of photos, it becomes the one that is dearest to me.

This actually speaks for itself. Otherwise I would not start doing it.

The Auromatic series is probably the one that is exhibited the most, and the La clé du boudoir series is the one that has given me the most visibility thanks to the major media attention it has received.

In reality, I see each of my photo series as an important link in the evolution of my work. Choosing a series as being the most important one would be absurd. After all, you do not choose a favourite child either.

Allison Scott & Sean Dhondt, from the series Paparazzo ©2015 Filip Naudts

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Clara Cleymans, from the series Paparazzo ©2015 Filip Naudts

You have been referred by critics in the industry as one of the most thought-provoking Belgian photographers of our time.

How do you feel about that recognition?

And would you say that being thought provoking is your main priority, when carrying out your work?

Recognition doesn’t make you rich, although I cannot deny that it strokes your ego when a critic shares such laudatory statements with the world. At the same time, everyone knows that each statement only arises from one mouth or from one pen, and that one can only speak of recognition if this statement is made by a large audience.

However, I frankly do not relate to this or at least try to relate to this as little as possible. Public recognition is not the essence. I first and foremost create pictures for myself.

In other words, the pictures I make have a self-therapeutic effect. This has always been the case.

Marie Vinck, commissioned by De Morgen Magazine ©2015 Filip Naudts

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Anoniem I, from the series Paparazzo Š2015 Filip Naudts

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Lize Feryn, from the series Paparazzo ©2015 Filip Naudts

Recognition doesn’t make you rich, although I cannot deny that it strokes your ego when a critic shares such laudatory statements with the world.

Can you tell us more about your latest book and exhibition, Paparazzo? What was your motivation and when will it be exhibited next?

The motivation was fed by my unquenchable curiosity and the repeated inspiration I drew from random impulses to look inside places. Whether it’s in painting, film or everyday life.

Everyone dreams to be a fly sometimes and to fly around undisturbed inside a bathroom or bedroom.

If only for a moment to catch a glimpse of something you would otherwise not see. However, I respect people’s privacy too much to go through life as a real paparazzo: hence the idea to direct my models in self-invented scenes. Scenes I would like to secretly witness, but that I have created myself, as they would otherwise not be offered.

The Paparazzo series could last be seen at the Lauretum In Style event for which I delivered the campaign picture, and this was the last showcase for the time being. Meanwhile, the photo series has proven its service. Nevertheless, the images remain available to potential promoters of other exhibitions.

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How do you foresee the photography profession evolving in the near future, and what will career opportunities for new graduates look like?

Photography has already experienced a serious evolution during my career. In hindsight, the transition from the analogue to the digital age has occurred quickly - for me anyway. From one day to the next, I decided to put away my analogue cameras and to sell the entire contents of my darkroom. This was in 2003.

The digital revolution has already ensured that almost everyone uses photography daily - if not with a professional camera, then with a pocket camera or a smartphone. Thanks to tools such as Instagram, it has now become difficult to share bad photos on social media. I can only applaud the fact that imagery has become an absolute world language.

But a downside is also attached to it. Professional photographers are likely to be forgotten and to lose their jobs. It seems they are becoming more and more dispensable as time progresses. But is it really so? I don’t think so! We must make sure that

photography will not be levelled off, and that we, the professional photographers, can continue to display the difference between a well-trained eye and the sophisticated technology in a camera or imaging software. It is for these reasons that young photography graduates have the additionally crucial responsibility to try to keep their profession in high esteem. I believe that they will. And that quality will eventually resurface and prevail in the long run.

I first and foremost create pictures for myself. In other words, the pictures I make have a selftherapeutic effect.

”The drip” - Linde Merckpoel, from the series La Clé Du Boudoir ©2009 Filip Naudts

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Marieke Dilles, from the series Paparazzo Š2015 Filip Naudts

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Zohra, from the series Paparazzo ©2015 Filip Naudts

Everyone dreams to be a fly sometimes and to fly around undisturbed inside a bathroom or bedroom.

If only for a moment to catch a glimpse of something you would otherwise not see.

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Which ideas and projects are you thinking of carrying out next?

One of the projects currently in the pipeline is a collaboration with Julie O’Yang, a Dutch writer and artist with Chinese roots, who currently lives in Denmark. We are working on a photo novel which will be shot in France this March and which will be issued in Singapore and distributed worldwide after this summer. We are both very much looking forward to that.

Due to the collapse of the magazine world, in which I had been active for many years, I wanted to create an income safety net.

So in 2014, due to the decrease in work contracts and the decline in fees, I thought of the idea to rent out a photography-inspired tourist accommodation in the centre of Ghent.

In addition, I would still like to stay committed as much as possible to my role as a photo critic and photographer. I will increasingly try to focus on producing books. Not only my own books and free work but also books that I illustrate on behalf of companies and other entities. This spring, for instance, a photo book will appear containing portraits of holiday guests of Bélézy, a five-star naturist camp in Provence, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

In addition, I am also open to anything that comes my way. I love my craft because I love unpredictability and surprises.

Filip Naudts is represented by Galerie Van Campen & Rochtus.

More of his work can be found at www.guardalafotografia.be

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Isolde Lasoen, from the series Paparazzo Š2015 Filip Naudts

PHILOSOPHY, CULTURE AND HISTORY 74-105 p Belgium has a history of expeditions to both poles, starting at the end of the 19th century. The flagship of the current Belgian polar involvement is the Princess Elisabeth Station in Antarctica - a state of the art station, which monitors climate change. After building the polar station originally with private means, the founders donated the station to the Belgian state in March 2010. Recently, they have become entangled in a legal dispute with the Belgian government about the management of the station, which has now put their research work in jeopardy.

Philippe Van Parijs is a philosopher and a Brusseler. He teaches at the Universities of Louvain and Leuven.

PVP’S COLUMN

THE EUROPEAN QUARTER’S BLOODIEST NIGHT “Three centuries later, Bavarians and Brits, Austrians and French, Spaniards and Dutch are living peacefully side by side in the rue de Pascale and the rue de Toulouse, and in many other streets of Brussels’ European Quarter.”

H John Churchill, the duke of Marlborough: In 1706, An English army was sent to the Spanish Low Countries (corresponding roughly to present-day Belgium since the secession of the Netherlands at the end of the 16th century), under the command of John Churchill. On 23 May 1706, it meets the French army led by Villeroy in Ramillies, about 40 km south-east of Brussels. Churchill wins the battle, enters Brussels a few days later and appoints his brother Charles Churchill governor of the city.

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ere in Brussels in 2017, we live in a wonderfully peaceful, violence-free time and place. With terrorism filling the front pages of our newspapers and the initial minutes of the evening news, with armed soldiers decorating our streets and security guards searching our bags, you may think I am joking. But I am not. To get a useful sense of perspective and realize how fortunate we actually are, just read The Better Angels of Our Nature, Harvard Professor Steven Pinker’s well documented account of the secular decline of violence and insightful analysis of its causes. Or reflect on the following tragic anecdote, illustrative of the sort of violence that prevailed right here not so long ago.

We are at the beginning of the 18th century. The king of France and the emperor of Austria keep quarrelling. The conflict between them has already caused the bombing of Brussels in 1695 and the total destruction of the city’s medieval Grand Place by marshal de Villeroy. The quarrel

is now focusing on who is to become king of Spain: the grandson of the French king Louis XIV or the son of the Austrian emperor Leopold I of Habsburg. And as the interests of other countries are involved, the conflict spreads, with England and Holland siding with the emperor.

An English army is sent to the Spanish Low Countries (corresponding roughly to present-day Belgium since the secession of the Netherlands at the end of the 16th century), under the command of John Churchill, duke of Marlborough, the subject of the popular French song “Malbrouc s’en va-ten guerre” and ancestor of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. On 23 May 1706, it meets the French army led by Villeroy in Ramillies, about 40 km south-east of Brussels. Marlborough wins the battle, enters Brussels a few days later and appoints his brother Charles Churchill governor of the city.

The king of France and his coalition do not give up. In November 1708, another army is sent to reconquer Brussels, under the command of Archduke Maximilian-Emanuel, prince elector of Bavaria, former governor of the Spanish Low Countries on behalf of the emperor, but now on the side of the king of France. The man charged with organising the defence of the city is called François de Pascale. The garrison under his command gets the support of militias of Brussels citizens, led by a certain Pierre van den Putte.

The battle rages throughout the night of 26 to 27 November 1708. Maximilian-Emanuel puts his headquarters in one of the few buildings outside Brussels’ fortifications (today’s inner ring) to the east of the Louvain Gate (today’s Place Madou): the “Hof van Toulouse”, located next to what is still called today, for this reason, the rue de Toulouse.

In the 16th century, this was the country house of Jacques de Marnix de Toulouse and his son Philippe de Marnix de Sainte Aldegonde, chief adviser of William the Silent, prince of OrangeNassau and founder of the Dutch nation.

From this position, Maximilian-Emanuel’s canons fire shells all the way to the city centre and manage to destroy the Blue Tower, located on the fortifications between the present locations of the American Embassy (rue Zinner) and of the residence of Belgium’s federal Prime Minister (rue Lambermont). At about 9 am on 27 November, de Pascale succeeds in driving away MaximilianEmanuel’s army. According to his report, three thousand men were killed among the assailants, and three hundred among the besieged.

Archduke Maximilian-Emanuel: The king of France and his coalition did not give up. In November 1708, another army is sent to reconquer Brussels, under the command of Archduke Maximilian-Emanuel, prince elector of Bavaria, former governor of the Spanish Low Countries on behalf of the emperor, but now on the side of the king of France.

“The man charged with organising the defence of Brussels was called François de Pascale. The garrison under his command gets the support of militias of Brussels citizens, led by a certain Pierre van den Putte.”

To celebrate the victory, Brussels’ governor Charles Churchill organises a banquet and to

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King Louis XIV map over Brussels, showing its dimensions in 1708

express his gratitude to the citizens of Brussels, he sends to the wife of Pierre van den Putte a pan filled with fruit and jam. As for François de Pascale, he is made a marquis the following year by the future emperor Charles VI of Habsburg, still hoping at the time to become king of Spain.

De Pascale could not have suspected that at the end of the following century, his name would be given to a street crossing the fields that he proudly helped turn into a graveyard.

Three centuries later, Bavarians and Brits, Austrians and French, Spaniards and Dutch are living peacefully side by side in the rue de Pascale and the rue de Toulouse, and in many other streets of Brussels’ European Quarter. The German Land of Bavaria has even established its sumptuous representation to the European Union just a few hundred meters from the place from which the prince elector of Bavaria bombarded Brussels.

By way of celebration of the tercentenary in November 2008, one might have thought of reenacting the battle, in Waterloo style, with local residents from the various countries involved. Or

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“At about 9 am on 27 November, de Pascale succeeds in driving away MaximilianEmanuel’s army.

According to his report, three thousand men were killed among the assailants, and three hundred among the besieged.”

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perhaps the Land of Bavaria could have hosted a banquet in its mansion, or offered a pan filled with fruit and jam to the inhabitants of the rue de Pascale.

For such celebrations, it is now too late. But it is not too late to ponder for a while on these thousands of Europeans whose blood sunk into the soil that now hosts the main institutions of a united Europe, or indeed on the far more massive mutual killings that happened less than a century ago.

The fact that such massacres happening again has become so hard to imagine today is not the

result of any change in the DNA of European males or of the eradication of their biological propensity to fight and kill. It is the result of the laborious development of smart institutions of an unprecedented kind that have helped tame sufficiently — so far — one of the worst angels of our human nature: nationalistic passion.

One component of this taming process is the daily interaction of people from all over Europe living, talking and working together in a neighbourhood in which people from much of Europe spent a long night slaughtering one another, over three centuries ago.

Rue de Pascale, overlooking the European Commission. The street is named after François de Pascale, the man charged with organising the defence of the city in 1708 against Archduke Maximilian-Emanuel. The garrison under his command got the support of militias of Brussels citizens. At about 9 am on 27 November 1708, following a bloody battle with thousands of casualties, de Pascale succeeded in driving away Maximilian-Emanuel’s army.

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“It is often said that the left should “re-invent itself” and go in search of new electoral successes. Left-wing parties increasingly deliberate whether they should also adopt a more populist course.”

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Alicja Gescinska is a Polish-Belgian philosopher and novelist. She is currently making Wanderlust, a philosophical television series for Canvas, for which she visits artists and intellectuals all around the world to talk about their lives and work.

POPULISM AGAINST POPULISM? theorist Chantal Mouffe, endorse such a strategy.

However, there are many reasons why this strategy might not benefit society.

In order to answer the question whether alternative forms of populism are a proper way for the left to counter right-wing populism, one has to first address the issue of what populism means. This issue preoccupies an increasing amount of philosophers and political scientists. Cas Mudde has argued that one of the salient features of populism is the juxtaposition of the “real” (or even “pure”) people and the corrupt elite. Paul Taggart identifies the opposition against representative politics as essential to the populist perspective.

Populism and kitsch

I

n the past two years, we have witnessed the rise of numerous parties all over the world that are identified as far-right populist. AfD in Germany, FN in France and PVV in the Netherlands performed remarkably well in recent elections and polls. The election of Donald Trump is the epitome of the success of right-wing populism. In response to that, it is often said that the left should “re-invent itself” and go in search of new electoral successes. Leftwing parties increasingly deliberate whether they should also adopt a more populist course. Several influential thinkers and writers, such as political

It should be emphasized that populism is not a matter of right wing versus left wing; the populist stance can be found on both sides of the political spectrum. The reason for that is that more than being a matter of viewpoints, populism is a matter of rhetoric and style. A populist can best be identified, not on the basis of his opinions, but on how he expresses them. Populism is to politics what kitsch is to art: noisy, unsophisticated, often obtrusive and offensive. Three features seem to be the trademark of populist rhetoric: exaggeration, simplification and provocation.

An impending catastrophe Populists tend to exaggerate the gravity of certain social issues, just as much as they tend to simplify the way to solve them. Two ingredients are indispensable to the populist perspective: the impending catastrophe and the astonishingly simple way to avert it. This results in all sorts of big promises that are easy to make, but as good as impossible to keep. To contain allegedly tremendous dangers, you just build a wall around it or ban it, and that is that.

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“A populist can best be identified, not on the basis of his opinions, but on how he expresses them. Populism is to politics what kitsch is to art: noisy, unsophisticated, often obtrusive and offensive.”

Lack of trust If politicians make all sorts of promises that are hard to keep, they will not do the democratic political process a favour. One of the main reasons behind the recent successes of populist parties is the lack of trust between citizens and the political establishment. Populists cash in on the anti-establishment sentiment in society and feelings of distrust. Restoring this trust should be a top-priority, and whether a politics of prodigious promises is a better way to do so than a moderate Realpolitik is highly questionable.

Facts and truth Perhaps the most salient feature of populism is the provocative manner in which populists express their views. Being more provocative often means being less accurate and nuanced, and facts are deemed less important than the way they are interpreted. It is no co-incidence that the rise of populism entailed the growing popularity of concepts such as fact-free thinking and post-truth politics. Once more, there is reason to doubt that a political strategy in which nuance is lost and “alternative facts” (to use Trump counsellor Kellyanne Conway’s term) are as true as real facts, will prove to be very effective. This may further exacerbate the distrust between those who govern and those who are governed.

Bother about the other Another problem with rhetoric that thrives on provocations is that it makes political co-operation very difficult. In a democracy, you have to work together with people whose views are different than yours. Once in office, you don’t merely defend the interests of those who voted for you, but also of those who didn’t. This requires

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dialogue and co-operation. But populism is the rhetoric of clenched fists (quite literally in the case of the far left, to whom the clenched fist salute is the standard gesture), and you cannot have a proper dialogue with people who always seem ready to attack. The attitude by which any dialogue begins is that of a hand reaching out to the other. A peculiar paradox is inherent to populism: it exploits the anti-establishment feelings among citizens who feel excluded from the political decision-making process, while at the same time populists propagate a politics of exclusion. Populists recruit a following to whom they make promises, specifically to them, and don’t really bother about the others. As a result, those others will increasingly feel excluded and displeased because their interests are disregarded.

Lead by example Saying that in order to counter populism you need alternative forms of populism, seems like saying you should extinguish a fire by adding more inflammable material to it. The answer to populism is not more populism. If you want to counter something you deem undesirable, you do so by applying the opposite treatment, not by imitating it. You must indeed take the growing anti-establishment sentiment in society very seriously. It undermines the entire political process and the political establishment must be held to account.

But it seems to me that the people’s lack of confidence and trust in their political representatives can only be restored by a moderate Realpolitik that is proposed by people who first and foremost lead by example; individuals whose ambitions and dreams are matched by their sense of reality.

Whether those exemplary people, who lead by example, can be found among those who wrap their views in the provocative rhetoric of proliferating promises and thrive on controversy is very unlikely. As always, time will tell, I’m afraid.

“The answer to populism is not more populism.

If you want to counter something you deem undesirable, you do so by applying the opposite treatment, not by imitating it.”

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AIR QUALITY IN BRUSSELS THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

By Martin Banks

A

few years ago, Lisette van Vliet’s family were forced to leave their home in Brussels. The reason was what some have branded the “massive” problem with the quality of the city’s air.

Lisette, who will soon be following her husband and daughter, says: “My family was forced to leave Brussels because of my daughter’s health problems, which I am fairly certain the air pollution here contributed a great deal to. She is now living in a place which is more than 20% under the World Health Organization (WHO) safe limits, and her health has vastly improved.”

The case illustrates the scale of the problem in Brussels and the impact it can have. It is estimated that Brussels is exceeding the WHO limits (as many other cities in Europe). Brussels is now being taken to court by the environmental law firm ClientEarth over its failure to comply with EU air quality directives.

ClientEarth lawyer Ugo Taddei said that a first decision from the court is expected this February.

“Having a proper monitoring network is only the first step. Our main ask in the court action is to force the Brussels government to produce a better air quality plan, containing all adequate measures to ensure that compliance with the air quality limit values is achieved in the shortest time possible.”

Another ClientEarth lawyer Alan Andrews said: “We have successfully challenged the UK government and authorities in Germany over their failure to protect

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“Brussels is now being taken to court by the environmental law firm ClientEarth over its failure to comply with EU air quality directives.”

their people from air pollution. Now we are helping people in Belgium and the Czech Republic fight for their right to breathe clean air.”

Directive, aim to oblige governments to take robust measures to bring air pollution within legal limits as soon as possible.

According to ClientEarth, citizens in Brussels have been breathing illegal levels of air pollution since at least 2010. The case at the Court of First Instance in Brussels started on 13 January when the judge was asked to consider one of two requests concerning the lack of adequate monitoring stations in Brussels.

This and other cases, all brought before national courts but based on the EU Ambient Air Quality

In a landmark 2014 judgment in the ClientEarth case against the UK Government, the European Court of Justice ruled that national courts have a duty to hold governments to account where they fail to keep pollution within legal limits.

The Brussels region does have a plan to reduce air pollution but campaigners for clean air don’t think that it goes far enough.

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“According to the European Commission, air pollution kills over 450,000 people in Europe each year. This is more than ten times as many as road traffic accidents.”

An Air-Energy-Climate Plan was adopted in 2016 and aims at reducing car emissions by limiting parking places. The plan was revised after a big campaign by Clean Air Brussels to also include a Low Emission Zone.

Low Emissions Zones are city areas where high-polluting cars are forbidden to enter or have to pay to enter. Brussels is planning to implement such a zone in 2018. Antwerp implemented a Low Emission Zone as of 1 February 2017. Diesel cars and old cars have to pay a fee to enter the city centre.

Another measure is the pedestrian reform in Brussels city that has reduced the pollution but only in the pedestrian zone, according to the campaigners. Black carbon emissions dropped substantially in the city centre but increased on some of the roads adjacent to the pedestrian zone.

A spokesman for the Environment and Energy Agency of the Brussels-Capital Region acknowledged that some areas of the city don’t meet EU norms on air quality but still believes Brussels “compares favourably” with other EU capitals of similar size, adding that the pedestrianisation scheme had improved things.

However, he pointed out that of the 11-air quality testing stations scattered at various locations, two (at Arts-Loi and Rue Belliard) were closed for several years, though the Arts-Loi station is back online since December 2016. These two traffic-choked sites have registered the strongest concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – more than double the legal limit.

Protests against the air quality situation in Brussels and the lack of reliable data in exposed areas have also been voiced by the European Union Cyclists’ Group, representing 1600 staff of the EU-institutions that come to work by bike.

In an open letter in September 2016 to the Euro-

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pean Commission, it stated that the Commission has a double responsibility: a duty of care of its employees and their families and, as a large and high-profile employer, a duty to influence the Belgian/Brussels authorities to improve and monitor the air quality. “Measures need to be taken on the basis of reliable air quality data.”

European Commission calls on member states to comply with air quality directive

Enrico Brivio, spokesman for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries directorate general at the European Commission, admits that air quality in Belgium “continues to give rise to concerns about human health.”

For 2015, excesses of binding limit values were reported for NO2 in the “air quality zone” of Brussels. Furthermore, in 2015 for several air quality zones, the long-term objectives, regarding ozone concentration, were not met in Brussels (as well as in Antwerp and Ghent).

The EU Ambient Air Quality Directive requires EU member states to set up monitoring networks to measure air quality throughout the year. Last year, the European Commission raised concerns about the NO2 measurements in Brussels.

“Monitoring stations that showed the highest concentrations have not been functioning in the past,” Brivio says. “An exchange with the Belgian authorities on this is ongoing.”

In June 2015, the European Commission referred Belgium to the European Court of Justice over persistently high levels of dust particles (PM10) which pose a major risk to public health.

However, according to the Belgian Interregional Environment Agency, the European limit value is now no longer exceeded in Belgium.

Tiny particles known as PM10s, mostly resulting from human activities such as transport, industries, and domestic heating, cause respiratory problems, lung cancer and premature death. Belgium is far from the only member state which has not complied with the directive. For PM10, there are court cases against 16 member states. For NO2, there are 6 procedures under way.

Asked about how air quality in Brussels rank with other EU capitals, Brivo replied: “In 23 out of 28 member states, air quality standards are still not being satisfied – in total in over more than 130

cities across Europe. Unfortunately, this is the case in Brussels as well. Brussels still faces levels of air pollution above the European limit values.”

In 2015, Brussels, he said, reported excesses regarding the annual limit value for NO2. However, compared to other cities, the maximum measured annual limit average in Brussels is actually relatively low, 45 µg/m3, compared to 84 µg/m3 in Paris and 53 µg/m3 in Berlin. The limit value is 40 µg/m3.

According to a World Health Organization report in 2016, other countries in Europe are much worse off. Poland is home to 33 out of Europe’s 50 most polluted cities (measured by average concentration of PM2.5), followed by Bulgaria. It regularly surpasses EU limits on pollution owing to a heavy reliance on coal and a lack of government action on green technology.

“A recent study found that pupils underperform in class on days when the air is more polluted. Researchers went to three Flemish primary schools in Zonhoven, Tienen and Hasselt and noted that pupils’ scores increased when the air was purer.”

So, as bad as the situation here is, you can take heart that Brussels is still not the worst in Europe for air quality.

And the good news is that Brussels is planning to implement a low emission zone and that the city does have a plan to reduce air pollution.

The Commission official says that cutting air pollution means reducing traffic emissions, particularly from diesel. Of the total emitted NOx from traffic, around 80% comes from diesel powered vehicles.

“There is a wide range of effective measures available to this end. Creating zones in city centres where polluting cars are either banned or charged is important, while making cities safe for cycling and walking cuts traffic too.”

Last November, ambitious targets to reduce air pollution and cut premature deaths from poor air quality were given the final sign off by the European Commission.

According to the Commission, air pollution kills over 450,000 people in Europe each year. This is more than ten times as many as road traffic accidents.

Member states must transpose the Directive into national legislation by 30 June 2018 and produce a National Air Pollution Control Programme by 2019 setting out measures to ensure that emissions of five main air pollutants are reduced by the percentages agreed by 2020 and 2030.

The impact of air pollution on children Two recent studies illustrate the scale of the issue, not just in Brussels but elsewhere in Belgium.

One found that pupils underperform in class on days when the air is more polluted. Researchers went to three Flemish primary schools in Zonhoven, Tienen and Hasselt and noted that pupils' scores increased when the air was purer. In contrast, this was not the case, for pupils whose home environment had greater levels of pollution.

Epidemiology Professor Tim Nawrot (University of Hasselt or UHasselt), says: “The differences are subtle but disruptive for the pupils and the effect of air pollution is almost as much of a determining factor on overall performance as the level of parents' education. We cannot deny that air quality has consequences on a cognitive level.”

Furthermore, separate research, which included 4,760 twins, conducted by Esmée Bijnens (Hasselt University/ Maastricht University), found that greater exposure to air pollution during pregnancy leads to a higher chance of low birth weight in twins, in proportion to the duration of the pregnancy. The results reveal that good air quality and green urban planning have positive health effects at birth and later in life.

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Alain Hubert, co-founder of the International Polar Foundation, which initiated and built the Belgian “Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Research Station”.

THE BELGIAN EXPLORER LIVING AND WORKING IN ANTARCTICA Interview with Alain Hubert at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Research Station: “It would be a planetary disaster if the sea level would rise as a result of the melting of the ice in Antarctica”

By Mose Apelblat

It may come as a surprise to many that a small country like Belgium, far away from both the Arctic in the north and Antarctica in the south, is actively involved in polar research. In fact, Belgium has a history of expeditions to both poles, starting at the end of the 19th century. The flagship of the current Belgian polar involvement is the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Research Station, a state of the art station, which monitors climate change.

Antarctica does not belong to any country - although some countries have territorial claims to this vast continent of 14 million km2 - and no passport is required to go there. The Belgian polar station was a private initiative from the start, established and built by the International Polar Foundation (IPF) as a legacy project of the 2007-2008 International Polar Year. Recently, the foundation has become entangled in a legal dispute with the Belgian government about the management of the station.

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“In the late 50’s, a number of Belgian scientists and meteorologists dreamed of building a station as other countries were doing. They approached Gaston de Gerlache, the son of the famous Adrien de Gerlache, a Belgian sea captain, who in 1897 equipped a ship, called it the Belgica, and manned it with an international crew and a team of researchers.”

Alain Hubert (63), born in Schaerbeek in Brussels, is an entrepreneur, civil engineer, mountaineer and explorer, following in the footsteps of previous explorers who on their own decided to explore distant places under extreme conditions and to contribute to scientific research. Currently, the most burning

research issue is climate change and its impact on the future of the world. If the ice in the Antarctic melts, the ocean level will rise with disastrous consequences for low-lying lands.

Alain, one of the co-founders of IPF, arrived with his team to the polar station last November. The Brussels Times managed to establish contact with Alain via satellite telephone. The station is located at an altitude of 1 382 meters and about 220 km from the coast, on the northeast side of Antarctica, with no other stations in the neighbourhood. The distance to the two nearest stations - Novolazarevskaya (Russia) and Syowa (Japan) is 450 km and 650 km respectively.

Up to 98 % of the continent is still covered by ice.

But in contrast to the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), the eastern side of the continent has been less affected by climate change and the melting of ice has only recently begun to be noticed. That makes the region ideal for scientific research and expeditions using the Belgian station as a base.

With Alain’s record of mountaineering and previous expeditions to the Arctic, it is no wonder that he would also become interested in Antarctica. This was not a state-founded enterprise similar to those

The Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Research Station is the first ”Zero emission” polar research station with windturbines, solar panels and satellite dish. The closest neighbouring structures is a Russian station located 450 km away and a Japanese station 650 km away. Credit: International Polar Foundation - René Robert

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15 months until it could return to Belgium. “My first expedition to Antarctica was a commemoration of the centenary of this event,” says Alain.

After the King Baudouin station was closed down in the 1960s, Belgium, though being a signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, did not have any station in Antarctica. In 1985, the government set up a scientific polar programme but still without any station.

Researchers sampling for micro-organisms around a region called “Utsteinen”. of the past when Belgium was looking for colonies on other continents. Alain explains that it all started when he and his colleague Dixie Dansercoer, another adventurous Belgian explorer, carried out an unassisted 4,000 km crossing of Antarctica in 1997-1998.

“I performed a number of scientific and educational activities, which laid the ground for what afterwards became IPF,” says Alain. “I felt that the impressive work of scientists in the Polar Regions was not getting the amount of attention that it deserved, especially in the context of climate change, when such efforts could supply extraordinary new insights into the dynamics of climate.”

Belgium was one of the original 12 signatories to the Antarctic Treaty in 1959. Belgium also established a research station named after King Baudouin in 1958-59 but it closed down after a few years.

What was the main drive for a small country like Belgium to explore Antarctica?

Alain says that Belgium’s desire to build a station in Antarctica was only driven by science.

“In 1957-58, the International Geophysical Year inspired a number of Belgian scientists and meteorologists to dream of building a station as other countries were doing. They approached Gaston de Gerlache, the son of the famous Adrien de Gerlache, a Belgian sea captain who, in 1897, followed the call of the Royal Geographical Society in London to explore Antarctica. He equipped a ship, called it the Belgica, and manned it with an international crew and a team of researchers.”

“That’s where I came into the picture in 2004 and proposed to the government to set up a station. A station in Antarctica is important for one major reason. Antarctica plays an important role for the balance of the climate on earth. It would be a planetary disaster if the sea level would rise as a result of the melting of the ice in Antarctica.”

Today, there are 53 parties to the Antarctic Treaty operating more than 80 stations. The Treaty aims to promote scientific research but 7 countries have pending territorial claims covering three fourths of Antarctica, which is rich in mineral, fossil and

Climate changes in the Polar Regions The European Environment Agency writes in a recent report on climate change and its impacts in Europe that the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are important in the global climate system.

The report confirms that the cumulative ice mass loss has been much bigger in Greenland than in Antarctica in recent years. However, the uncertainties around the ice discharge from Antarctica, and the associated projected sea rise level, are larger than for Greenland.

By 2100, the rise of the global sea level will be clearly influenced by the development of the Antarctic ice sheet. If global warming exceeds 1.5 – 2 degrees C, which already seems to be happening, the major Antarctic ice shelves would collapse in the long term and this could result in a faster and greater rise in the sea level, underlining the need for urgent mitigation measures.

Source: Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2016 – An indicatorbased report (European Environment Agency, released 25 January 2017)

Adrien de Gerlache’s expedition was the first to overwinter in Antarctica after the ship was trapped in the ice and it would take the expedition

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The Belgian station is only manned during the summer season, when it is light all the time. The rest of the year no-one is there, but the team has access to its computer system and manage the station with remote control via satellite.

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other valuable resources, both on the continent itself and in the surrounding seas. These countries are: Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

The US and Russia, although they are maintaining a “basis of claim”, do not recognize the claims of the other countries. “Occupying and claiming land that does not belong to anyone (terra nullius in legal jargon) is a relic of past colonialism,” says Alain. “Furthermore, the Antarctic Treaty is very formal on this point and states that no activities undertaken during the period when the Treaty is in force shall in any way assert, support or deny territorial claims or create any new rights.”

Alain does not believe that it would be profitable to extract the resources in Antarctica. The operating costs are so high that any business project would probably not be financially viable, at least for the time being. He also refers to The Protocol on Environmental Protection of 1998 that extended the Antarctic Treaty to cover the protection of the environment by banning mineral resource extraction in the Antarctic area.

The Madrid Protocol, as it is known because the Protocol was signed in Madrid, will expire in 2048. This will effectively open the door to a new race for land and resource wealth, warns Alain, unless the Treaty term will be extended. Some countries have already claimed the continental shelf around the Antarctic in preparation for the expiry date of the Treaty.

Antarctica has a glacial climate with average temperatures of minus 40 to minus 80 degrees Celsius in the winter season and minus 10 to minus 40 degrees Celsius in the summer season (November – March).

What does it take to live and work in Antarctica under such extreme weather conditions? How many people normally stay in the station during the winter season?

“The usual average occupation of the station during the season is about 20 persons, including researchers and station crew. Some years we have been more, e.g. pilots and scientists from other stations.

If necessary, we can accommodate up to 48 people.

This is no place for tourists and we have no facilities for tourism,” replies Alain.

Researchers on a visit to the polar station, travelling by snowmobile around its vicinity.

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FULLY ZERO-EMISSIONS POLAR STATION WITH PLENTY OF RESEARCH Alain is proud of the Princess Elisabeth Research Station that he was instrumental in establishing in 2009. The station is unique as it is the first and, until now, only zero-emissions station in the world, using wind and solar energy and built in an energy-efficient way.

“Other countries are looking to us to learn how to reduce their emissions, which they are supposed to do according to the environmental protocol.”

The polar station used existing technologies for the production and management of the energy through a smart grid. “However, it’s the way in which the production and use of energy is managed which is revolutionary,” says Alain.

“These techniques are available to all but need to be downsized for domestic users and up-scaled for industry,” he adds.

Asked about which current scientific projects that he would you like to highlight, Alain mentioned the following projects, funded by various sources: “There are a lot of different activities, including a new geomagnetic observatory which was built by the Geophysical Center at Dourbes in south Belgium, an affiliate of the Royal Meteorological Institute in Uccle, Brussels. It will house a revolutionary new instrument developed by Prof. Jean Rasson and his colleagues,” says Alain.

“There are also several automatic weather stations belonging to the Zurich Research institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape.

Scientists from the Snow and Avalanche Research Institute in Davos have installed observatories for studying the behavior of snow and ice in this region. This work will feed into the surface mass balance calculations.”

The Belgian Baillet Latour Fund, a non-profit organization founded by the late Count Alfred de Baillet Latour, supported a project that looked at the interactions between the ice shelves and the ocean. Another project currently financed by the Baillet Latour Fund studies the unique microbiology of the area.

The Fund is also awarding fellowships to young scientists.

“The part of East Antarctica, which is different from the Western part, still remains a ´grey zone´ because there is very little data available for this region. This is why the research there is so important.”

According to Alain, few scientists stay in the stations in Antarctica during the winter season. The Belgian station is only manned during the summer season, when it is light all the time. “The rest of the year no-one is there, but we have access to its computer system and manage the station with remote control via satellite.“ He continues: “Living and working at the station during the summer season is not at all a hardship.

It’s relatively warm and comfortable, and you can take showers and eat hot meals, which after a day working in the field is a great bonus. Taking into consideration that the team always seems to be in good spirits, I would say that life at the station is quite enjoyable. It is of course another story when carrying out field work for weeks on the plateau at temperatures of -35°C with 20-40 knots of strong winds.”

In November last year, news media reported that Danish and American researchers were alarmed by “extraordinarily hot” Arctic temperatures on the other side of the planet. “It’s been about 20 degrees warmer than normal over most of the Arctic Ocean, along with cold anomalies of about the same magnitude over north-central Asia. This is unprecedented for November,” one researcher said in an interview.

In the Arctic, sea ice, which forms and melts each year, has declined by more than 30% in the past 25 years, according to researchers. They are convinced that the reason for the high temperatures and ice loss is climate change. What is the situation in Antarctica, known for its huge icebergs, which break away from the mainland shelf ice and float out to sea?

Do we have any figures on the melting of ice in Antarctica?

Apparently the situation in Antarctica is not as worrying as in the Arctic. “Antarctica is still covered by ice and the floating ice shelves are still there,” says Alain. “The big question today is what would happen if the land ice would melt at a faster rate than the accumulation of snow and ice on the continent. If there is more ice lost to the ocean, sea levels would rise significantly.”

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Much scientific research activity is dedicated to calculating the so-called Surface Mass Balance in Antarctica and finding the correct answer to the question “Is Antarctica melting?” Some parts are melting and ice shelves are breaking off (or calving, as it is called) but the net result is still not entirely agreed upon, Alain explains. Satellite data and ground observations will allow researchers and modellers to agree on the final figures.

“Antarctica does not belong to any country - although some countries have territorial claims to this vast continent of 14 million km2 - and no passport is required to go there.”

“Our part of East Antarctica, which is different from the Western part, still remains a ´grey zone´ because there is very little data available for this region. This is why the research here is so important.

We are making progress, but it could take years to find the final answers to this crucial question.”

station. This was to be a collaborative partnership between the private and public sectors, in the service of Belgian scientific research in Antarctica.

The Princess Elisabeth Research Station functions both as a research centre and logistic hub for field expeditions. The station provides facilities for researchers to install their instruments, to carry out activities in the laboratories and, last but not the least, to allow them to go in the field and obtain the data and samples that they need for their research.

It also provides technical and logistical support for field expeditions in a radius of 500 km around the station, lasting for up to 6 weeks.

Perhaps the most complicated question has been left to the end of the interview. After building the polar station with private means, IPF donated the station to the Belgian state in March 2010.

Why? Is it something you regret today in view of the legal dispute with the government?

“The intention was to donate the station to the Belgian Federal State in return for an agreement to fund the operations at the station,” replies Alain.

“This type of scientific research is not profitable since it does not produce inventions or products that can be commercialized. Basically it is a public service that should engage public bodies and foundations, as is the case in other countries.”

“Through a donation linked to an agreement which preserved the role of the IPF, we also wanted the Belgian people to feel involved in the research being done in Antarctica. But seeing how the donation opened the way for the Belgian public administration to direct unfounded allegations against IPF and to obstruct our work, it’s unlikely that we would have adopted the same naïve strategy today.”

The polar station was donated to the Belgian state under a Partnership Protocol, governed by a set of conditions, enshrined in law, which were implemented by an Executive Order laying down the rules for the functioning of a new body, the Polar Secretariat, which would oversee the funds for managing the

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However, for some reason unknown to The Brussels Times, the new arrangement was not accepted by the Belgian science policy office and the department in the government in charge of science policy.

This resulted in several court rulings by the Council of State, the supreme administrative court in Belgium, all in IPF’s favour. But the rulings have not been respected by the government. The Secretary of State concerned is regularly questioned in the Belgian parliament about the dispute, but the government as a whole is apparently not intervening.

Following the latest court ruling, IPF fears that the government will continue to disregard the court’s decisions and continue to breach earlier agreements on the management of the polar station. For more than three years, the IPF has been calling for an independent audit of its accounts regarding the management of the station.

Alain feels frustrated and disappointed with his own country. “It is shocking for ordinary citizens to

realize that their representatives are allowed to disregard the law with impunity. We were given a permit for this season’s activities by the Belgian Ministry for the Environment. We are here at the station as its sole operator, recognized by the courts.”

“The failure of the state to respect the terms of the donation has led to its de facto revocation.”

“No-one here really understands why a legal dispute has been blown out of all proportions and become politicized,” concludes Alain. “We are in the middle of a dispute we haven’t chosen. We are willing to continue to enthusiastically support Belgian and international scientists, but the Belgian government leaves us no other option than to seek partnerships with other stakeholders that are more interested in scientific research than in politics.”

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SPONSORED

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The school offers affordable, quality education for children aged 3 to 18. With students from all corners of the globe, ACE of Brussels is a truly international environment. The youngest children (3-6 years) attend ACE START, which provides a safe, stimulating and happy environment. The children discover the early stages of reading, writing and maths through play. ACE Juniors (6-11 years) offers a programme of hands-on activities where ACE fosters character development, collaboration and learn-

ing. The eldest students attend ACE Seniors (11-18 years) where the school’s enquiry approach is enhanced and enriched by a programme of project based learning. The ACE curriculum develops divergent thinkers who are capable of working independently and in groups.

Jackie Daire, Principal of the school, explains that the ACE blend of traditional and modern teaching, together with their use of technology, allows ACE to provide individual programmes of study according to the needs of each student. Lessons are taught in English with French as an integral part of the curriculum. Learning strategies are developed for each student and support for EAL (English as an Additional Language), Occupational and Speech Therapy are offered.

Jackie says “We are based in a stunning chateau, steeped in history. The children love to explore our grounds and we take full advantage of the beautiful forest in which we are based”. Jack-

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Statue in Tongeren in Belgium, depicting Ambiorix, one of two kings of the Eburones

AMBIORIX AND BELGIUM:

A MYTHICAL BOND

By Tom Vanderstappen

I

n the oldest city of Belgium, Tongeren, located about 80 km from Brussels, a mysterious warrior is proudly standing on the city square and closely watching the surroundings. Who is this figure and what does he mean for the Belgian people?

Before we relate the story of this legendary figure, Ambiorix, his tribe the Eburones, their fate 2,000 years ago and legacy today, we have to travel even further back in time. We know their story mainly

through the expansion of Rome and the rise to power of Julius Caesar, as described in his classical book on the wars he waged in what is now mainly France and Belgium.

Gallia in the sight of Rome Rome had been expanding for centuries, crushing enemies in its way. In the second century BC, the process of conquering Gallia Cisalpina (Gallia

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“The Eburones asked for a meeting and Roman delegates were sent to Ambiorix. But the Romans were deceived.

Ambiorix told the Romans that the other tribes, including the feared Germanii, were going to attack them. This resulted in the Romans preparing to leave their winter camp. When they did, the Eburones ambushed them from all sides. Ambiorix’s attack left about 6,000 Romans dead and their winter camp destroyed. ”

on this side of the Alps, from the Roman point of view) was completed.

Rome did this to secure its own peninsula in the north, long after it had set foot in North Africa, Macedonia and Spain. The threat of the Gallic tribes was dealt with, for the time being. However, new Gallic tribes were pushed over the Alps by the movements of others in the north.

Gallia Transalpina (Gallia over the Alps) was established in 121 BC to secure the Roman routes to Hispania (Spain). Later it was renamed Gallia Narbonensis, after its newly established capital city. The Romans also called it Provincia Nostra (Our Province) for years, as their first province over the Alps. This name is still used in France today: Provence.

Caesar rises to power Another contributing factor to the conquering of Gaul lies in the personal ambitions of Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BC). This story starts in 60 BC, when he and Marcus Bibulus were elected consuls – the highest executive office in the Roman Republic and held for one year. From 62 BC onwards, he also governed Hispania Ulterior as proconsul.

In 60 BC, he had already formed the First Triumvirate, an informal political bond solely based on a private agreement and kept secret during the first year. Caesar teamed up with two of the most

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powerful men of their time, Crassus (115-53 BC) and Pompeius (106-48 BC), to dominate the Roman Senate, through their networks of patronage.

The relationship between these two former consuls had been strained for decades, however Caesar finally reconciled them. From now on, “nothing would happen in the state, without the approval of the three.”

Caesar knew that after a term as consul, his military powers would end. He must have realized that to stay in the picture for a next term as consul, he needed armies at his command and glorious military victories, which would result in triumphs for Rome. In 58 BC, he became governor (proconsul) in Gallia Cisalpina, Illyricum and Gallia Narbonensis for five years. This allowed him to command four legions from the start, but only for the defence of these territories.

The Belgae in the sight of Rome When referring to Belgica, roughly the territory of nowadays Belgium, the tribe Eburones, and their leader Ambiorix, we have to turn to Caesar’s account, although it may not be completely reliable. It has to be read with a critical mind.

During the first year of Caesar’s campaigns in 58 BC, he had already conquered a large part of Gallia. Conflict had started when the tribe Helvetii requested peaceful passage. This wasn’t granted and their defeat resulted in the clearance of the Rhône and Saône valleys, creating an easier path to Belgica. The next year, his armies advanced their actions up north, where the tribes of the Belgae lived.

Note that Belgae or Belgica are Caesar’s terms.

The territory was never united before. The Belgae consisted of dozens of tribes and peoples.

We don’t know whether the tribes referred to themselves by this name. However, the name had its roots in Proto-Germanic and refers to “swelling (with anger)”. The word also survives in Dutch today, verbolgen, meaning “being very angry”. The tribes of the Belgae would remind Caesar of this meaning later on.

First coalition of the Belgae: 57 BC This first of two larger military operations in Belgica had not left any archaeological traces – or they have not been found yet. In 57 BC, Caesar mentioned the Eburones and Ambiorix for the first time. The Remi in the south of Belgica were allied with the Romans and gave details about the tribes to the north of them.

The group of tribes that Caesar called the Belgae were living among the Gallic tribes and the tribes across the Rhine, the Germanii. Their origins or culture were not always clear, actually not even for Caesar. From the dozen tribes that assembled, he was told that five of them originated from over the Rhine, including the Eburones. However, if we look at their names, they were clearly Gallic. Ambiorix means rich king, and the Eburones are the people of the yew-tree (taxus).

Caesar anticipated the war and sent his armies into their territories. This resulted in the so-called “Battle of the Sabis.” Here, the Nervii, Viromandui and Atrebates tribes were defeated and the oppidum (stronghold) of Atuatuci was captured.

The place was also called Atuatuca (possibly meaning fortress).

The people in Atuatuca were sold into slavery, as reported by Caesar. Afterwards, he learned from his merchants that there were 53,000 of them.

During the battle itself, the Eburones were not specifically mentioned… but we will hear from them again.

How reliable is Caesar on the wars in Gallia?

Caesar’s arrival in Gallia meant war, as other Gallic peoples were already on the move and “threatening the Roman peace,” pushed forward by others and/or attracted by Roman wealth.

The main written account on the following wars in Gallia are the Commentarii de Bello Gallico (Comments on the Gallic Wars), written by Caesar himself or his scribe, based on military reports.

The work is divided into eight books, one per year, of which the last one was written by Aulus Hirtius after Caesar’s death. It has been said that Caesar made his final notes of the first seven books in 52-51 BC during his winter camp.

It is also believed that they were presented each year to the Roman Senate. Note that Caesar does not use the word historia (history) in his title but rather “comments.”

This raises some historical concerns. Caesar’s comments are the main surviving source about his own acts. Unfortunately, accounts by contemporary historians were mostly lost. Caesar used his “comments” to present “his” narrative

Map depicting the tribes in the region during Julius Caesar’s times

to the Senate. From that point of view, most of his personal motives or ambitions were missing.

In his comments, Caesar focused on his military actions.

He is always depicting himself (in third person) as the merciful and patient leader, however ruthless when necessary. Some proceedings are described in detail, while others remain deliberately vague when needed. Military actions are never the fault of Rome but instigated by “others”. He never provoked them - they provoked Rome.

Note that Caesar was not given a mandate by the Roman Senate to conquer more lands. In his writings, he always answered or anticipated threats. Through the reporting, he ensured the necessary logistics for the following year.

It is possible that he is giving “history a hand”.

However, blatant lies would be discovered, since literate officers sent letters to the elite and Roman Senate as well. The Gallic tribes were always described as “great adversaries”. When he defeated them, it added to his glory.

The oldest surviving copy of Caesar dates from the 9th century. That’s almost one thousand years of textual history we know very little about.

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Coins thought to have been minted by the Eburones. The coins were mostly used to pay warriors. They showed an ancient or Celtic symbol consisting of a triple spiral (triskeles) on one side and a stylized horse on the other side. To this day, they are believed to be the most definitive proof of the Eburpmes presence. Photo Credit: Gallo-Romeins Museum

Second coalition of the Belgae: 54 BC The event that gave the Eburones a place in world history took place in 54 BC. In Book V, Chapter 24, Caesar tells us the story of a second coalition of the Belgae, under the leadership of Ambiorix, one of two kings of the Eburones. The other king was Cativolcus. According to Caesar, the Eburones lived mainly between the rivers Meuse and Rhine.

Later authors added that the natural border between the Nervii and the Eburones was the river Dyle.

Because the corn had not flourished that year, due to a drought, Caesar decided to distribute his legions across several places to set up winter-quarters. The commanders of the army that was sent into Belgica were Sabinus and Cotta. About fifteen days after assembling their winter-quarters, a disaster was about to befall the Romans.

The two Eburones leaders had met with Sabinus and Cotta at the borders of their kingdom and had supplied corn to the Roman winter-quarters. Then the Eburones suddenly attacked Romans gathering wood, after which a larger group attacked the Roman camp. The attack was successfully stopped and the Eburones withdrew.

The Eburones asked for a meeting and Roman delegates were sent to Ambiorix. But the Romans

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The fate of the Eburones

Driven off from all parts; the corn was not only being consumed by so great numbers of cattle and men, but also had fallen to the earth, owing to the time of the year and the storms; so that if any had concealed themselves for the present, still, it appeared likely that they must perish through want of all things, when the army should be drawn off. And frequently it came to that point, as so large a body of cavalry had been sent abroad in all directions, that the prisoners declared Ambiorix had just then been seen by them in flight, […] but he rescued himself by [means of] lurking-places and forests, and, concealed by the night, made for other districts and quarters, with no greater guard than that of four horsemen, to whom along he ventured to confide his life.

Source: Comments on the Gallic Wars, book VI, by Julius Caesar

were deceived. Ambiorix told the Romans that the other tribes, including the feared Germanii, were going to attack them. This resulted in the Romans preparing to leave their winter camp. When they did, the Eburones ambushed them from all sides.

Ambiorix’s attack left about 6,000 Romans dead and their winter camp destroyed.

The news of his success spread among the tribes of the Belgae and boosted their confidence. Immediately, Ambiorix personally contacted the Nervii and the Atuatuci. That first tribe informed and mobilized five other tribes. This resulted in an attack on the winter camp of the Romans by the Nervii. It is believed that this camp was situated close to modern day Brussels, probably at Asse.

Caesar had written that the Nervii not only had been defeated but been “destroyed” in the previous war in 57 BC – and here they were back in full force. He is obviously not careful with the facts and it also supports the theory that the book was published in parts with little or no final editing.

A messenger with a hidden message was able to reach Caesar in Amiens, who sent reinforcements to defend the camp. Then he turned to the tribes of the coalition, defeated them all and surrounded the Eburones. Tribes from across the Rhine were invited to join and plunder. The uprising of the Belgae was defeated in about a year.

“With the birth of the Kingdom of Belgium in 1830, the new nation looked at its past and raised statues in honour of its legendary heroes. In 1866, the statue of Ambiorix was added to an impressive lineup of “national figures” in the main cities. The statue was erected in the city square of Tongeren, long believed or supposed to be built on the very site of the former stronghold of the Eburones.”

Ambiorix is regarded as a national Belgian hero for his uprising against the Romans

According to Caesar (Book VI), Ambiorix was seen fleeing in the night into the forests, protected by four horsemen.

The Belgae and archaeology The original Roman name of Tongeren is Atuatuca Tungrorum, referring to the tribe that was invited to live in the lands of the Eburones after their defeat and dispersion. This led to confusion for many years.

Was this the Atuatuca of the Atuatuci tribe? Or does it refer to the fortification of the Eburones, which Caesar also called Atuatuca?

Archaeologists have not uncovered any trace of inhabitants in Tongeren before 15 BC, when Roman settlers founded the city. However, in 2002 in Heers (close to Tongeren), a large coin deposit was found.

Of the 158 gold and silver coins, 116 were thought to be related to the Eburones. Together with the other coins, they matched the coalition that Ambiorix had set afoot. They were freshly minted and by the same stamp.

The coins were without any text and they all looked alike. They showed an ancient or Celtic symbol consisting of a triple spiral (triskeles) on one side and a stylized horse on the other side. The horse is called "Macedonian" after King Philip II of Macedonia who was the first to mint coins with a picture of a horse.

Coins were mostly used to pay warriors, not for trade. In 2008, in Amby (Maastricht) in the Netherlands – also close to Tongeren – other coins thought to be related to the Eburones were found. To this day, they are believed to be the most definitive proof of their presence.

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The battlegrounds, burned houses, fortifications and corpses did not leave any traces or are yet to be found. If Caesar wanted to wipe out the Eburones from the face of the earth, he mostly succeeded.

When Caesar wrote that a tribe was completely destroyed, a major part of its members may have been sold as slaves. By not reporting it, he evaded taxes.

Traces of mass massacres have not yet been uncovered in Belgium. Another military action, described

by Caesar, did leave traces in the Netherlands. His war against the Tencteri and Usipetes in what is now the Netherlands, would today be described as war crimes or genocide. The remains of more than one hundred individuals, including women and children, have been found.

The name of the Eburones disappeared from history. Ambiorix was believed to have successfully fled, never to be grasped by the Roman Eagle. Part of his people may have been dispelled or taken shelter with other tribes. The unknown fate of Ambiorix must have fed his almost mythical status.

Ambiorix and modern-day Belgium The legendary Ambiorix survived in a way. With the birth of the Kingdom of Belgium in 1830, the new nation looked at its past and raised statues in honour of its legendary heroes. Among the best known internationally were Charlemagne in Liège (1842) and Godfrey of Bouillon in Brussels (1843).

In 1866, the statue of Ambiorix was added to this impressive lineup of “national figures” in the main cities.

The statue was erected in the city square of Tongeren, long believed or supposed to be built on the very site of the former stronghold of the Eburones.

This statue was also the result of 19th century romantic sentiments and values. His figure played an important role in the education of the new nation.

Ambiorix had stood up against great powers, against Caesar himself. And most importantly, he united the other Belgae “for their independence”. What could make him more admired by Belgian nationalists?

In the textbooks of Belgian elementary and even high schools, the tribes of the Belgae became “Belgians”, or the “Old Belgians,” connecting the new state of Belgium to the tribes of the past. This led to the popular misquoting of Caesar that “the Belgians are the bravest of all the Gauls”.

He is telling us about the Belgae, which he indeed considered the bravest or strongest, but this was because they were the furthest from the Roman Province, with their luxuries that softened the mind, and because they were close to the warmongering Germanii.

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The memory of the Belgae was used to teach Belgian students about loyalty, dedication, hospitality, equality, respect for nature, devoutness and above all unity among the peoples of the Belgae leading up to the state of Belgium. Caesars Commentarii were read by generations of students of Latin, as it still is, without much source criticism. That way they still feed the romantic views of these tribes.

In 1954, indeed 2,000 years after the uprising by Ambiorix, a museum was opened in Tongeren, named the Gallo-Roman Museum. The museum was conceived as a walk through time, from the first inhabitants in the region and their different cultures, up to the Roman period.

In 2011, it received the European Museum Award. In 2012, the museum, together with attached universities, started to exhibit the findings of eight less-documented coin deposits and the discovery of the oppidum (stronghold) of the Atuatuci in Thuin (Henegouwen).

Bart Demarsin, exhibition coordinator at the museum, explains that although the names of the tribes are never mentioned on the coins, “we are quite sure, based on the date and place, that the coins found in Heers and Maastricht belonged to the Eburones.”

In 2005, the media of the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium chose their “Grootste Belg” (“Greatest Belgian”) while the French-speaking media named the “Plus grand Belge.” In the northern part of the country, Ambiorix came in 4th place, in the southern part he was only awarded 50th place.

The legacy of Ambiorix apparently lives on, although maybe a bit stronger in the parts of Belgium where he supposedly lived and centuries later was honoured with his own statue and museum.

“Ambiorix played an important role in the education of the new nation. He had stood up against great powers, against Caesar himself. And most importantly, he united the other Belgae “for their independence”. What could make him more admired

by Belgian nationalists?”

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A Diamond craftsman hangs up a diamond necklace with care and admiration in Antwerp.

Antwerp’s links with diamonds go back as far as the 16th century. Today the sector employs thousands of people and accounts for 5 percent of the total value of Belgian exports. The city is the largest diamond trading centre in the world, accounting for 85 per cent of global trade in rough diamonds and around 50 per cent of cut diamond trade.

“Antwerp is a trading centre for 85 per cent of the world’s rough diamonds and around 50 per cent of the globe’s cut diamonds.

This glittering industry accounts for an impressive 5 per cent of all Belgian exports and demand is now higher than ever.”

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THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF ANTWERP’S DIAMOND INDUSTRY

By Kim Clayton

D

iamonds have been synonymous with Antwerp for centuries and have long been a jewel in Belgian’s economic crown. Even now it remains the largest diamond centre in the world. The Flemish city is a trading centre for 85 per cent of the world’s rough diamonds and around 50 per cent of the globe’s cut diamonds.

This glittering industry accounts for 5 per cent of all Belgian exports and demand is higher than ever.

The diamond sector, a multi-billion euro industry, employs thousands of people in Antwerp from many nationalities. The city’s diamond quarter near the beautiful Central Station is the nerve centre of the trade. You will find many Hassidic Jews, Gujarati Indians, Russians, Lebanese and Chinese, to name but a few of the ethnic groups and nationalities, working as merchants, cutters, graders, insurers, bankers and diamond dealers in the unassuming buildings around Hoveniersstraat.

The street is also home to Antwerp’s main rough diamond bourse, the Antwerpsche Diamantkring, the beating heart of diamond trading in the city, where security is extremely tight. Visitors not only have to hand in their passports, but are fingerprinted before entering the building.

According to the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, which regulates imports, exports and promotes the industry, the diamond trade overall was up by six per cent last year though the rough diamond trade continues to be the dominant force compared to its polished diamond counterpart.

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“Why did Antwerp become a leading diamond trading centre? It is thought that the city was the last port of call for the Asian trade to Europe. This was thanks to India, which was once the hub of the diamond trade long before mines were discovered in Africa and other parts of the world.”

To date, employment remains high and stable despite today’s technological boom, which has affected countless other sectors. Diamond cutting and polishing still requires the expertise of the human hand and eye to establish shape, colour and weight.

Further stability was introduced to the industry recently by the Belgian Government. A new socalled “Carat Tax law”, which will take effect this coming tax year, aims to aid registered diamond traders by removing the complexity of the prof-

it-based tax system. The traders will no longer be taxed on profits but on a percentage of their overall turnover. It remains to be seen whether traders will end up paying more tax, but it has largely been welcomed by industry stalwarts, who believe Antwerp’s diamond future will forever be on solid ground.

The future may look firm but what of Antwerp’s past? Why diamond encrusted roads led to Antwerp in the first place is not really known. It is thought that the city was the last port of call for

The trading hall in Antwerp’s Diamond Bourse. The bourse was founded in 1904 to give traders and manufacturers a more secure and structured place to conduct business.

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the Asian trade to Europe. This was thanks to India, which was once the hub of the diamond trade long before mines were discovered in Africa and other parts of the world. Antwerp’s position on the River Scheldt’s Westerschelde estuary, lying just 80 kilometres or so from the sea, made it an accessible gateway in and out of Europe. Many fine craftsmen from all over the world came to Antwerp and made it their home, another reason the city became a popular choice for the industry.

Despite a period when Amsterdam briefly replaced Antwerp as Europe’s leading diamond trade centre and Bruges that, for a short spell, was the preferred destination on the Asian/ European diamond trade route, Antwerp has always remained in poll position.

Antwerp’s links with diamonds go back as far as the 16th century, but trading was briefly interrupted during the Second World War when many of its precious gems were shipped to England for safekeeping to avoid Nazi control over the industry, which employed a large number of persecuted Jews. But it wasn’t plain sailing for Antwerp’s diamonds when they returned to the city as the diamond quarter was also the centre, in the post-war period, of criminal activity. What was then known as the “world’s biggest heist” took place in 2003, when around 100 million dollars worth of diamonds and gold was stolen from vaults in the diamond district. There have also been many anti-semitic attacks in the district. The most serious one took place in 1981, when a car bomb went off, killing three people.

Despite this, Antwerp has refused to give up its crown. Of course the law of supply and demand is playing its inevitable role, as the current demand is higher than ever while supplies cannot match the request. This imbalance means the price of just one 5-carat diamond can cost as much as 700,000 euro. Mines are often in inhospitable places, especially in some parts of Africa, which has led to research into producing synthetic diamonds. However, attempts have largely failed, and it is the real thing, which remains highly sought after. The rich and famous desire the precious stone, which sparkles like no other gem on earth, but its origins are just as dramatic as its appearance.

Diamonds, a carbon, are found in volcanic rock deep underground and take millions of years to form. They appear in a pipe substance called Kimberlite but hundreds of tonnes of rock may be unearthed before one tiny carat of diamond is found. There are around as many as 16,000 different categories of diamond, which can be white, yellow, blue, green or brown in appearance.

“Antwerp’s links with diamonds go back as far as the 16th century, but trading was briefly interrupted during the Second World War when many of its precious gems were shipped to England for safekeeping to avoid Nazi control over the industry, which employed a large number of persecuted Jews.”

In stark contrast to the beauty of diamonds, ugly controversies often surround the industry, such as little or no human rights for diamond miners in some countries like Sierra Leone for example, a so-called “Blood Diamond” area of the world.

But many traders in Antwerp have stressed that they only source diamonds from legitimate areas where workers are treated with respect by using the tracing process known in the trade as the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.

“We source many of our diamonds from Africa, Canada and Australia, but we choose our diamond mines carefully,” said a spokesperson from Moppes DiamondLand in the city’s Appelmansstraat quarter. Representatives from Tiffany and Co., which has an established base in Antwerp, have voiced their concerns about human rights of workers in Angola and Mugabe-controlled Zimbabwe, and are reluctant to source diamonds from these countries. This is a principled move partly in defiance – some think – of the lifting of a ban by the European Union on sales of diamonds from the Marange region of Zimbabwe to Europe.

Antwerp’s diamond industry’s road to riches has never been an easy one, but nevertheless it continues to fascinate. To celebrate its history, a grand exhibition has been planned for the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) in the city’s port area this October. Whatever the future holds for Antwerp’s diamond industry, it has no doubt played a major role in Belgium’s history and economy, and will likely maintain this as the industry grows and the city remains the largest diamond trading centre in the world.

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BRUSSELS FORGOTTEN MUSEUMS WIERTZ MUSEUM

By Derek Blyth

“Wiertz came up with a cunning arrangement to pay for the studio.

In 1850, he wrote to the Belgian interior minister offering to donate all his unsold paintings to the state if they would pay for it.

The museum must be free, he insisted, and the paintings had to remain permanently fixed to the walls for all time.”

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A

French travel magazine once listed the Wiertz Museum in Ixelles as one of the most beautiful in the world. And it is. The only problem is that almost no one knows about it. The museum is located in a forgotten corner of the city, hidden away behind the European Parliament.

And it is filled with paintings that almost no one likes.

Located on a hill above Place du Luxembourg, the museum was originally built in 1851 as a studio for the Belgian romantic painter Antoine Wiertz. He chose to settle in an unfashionable location on the edge of the city, although he was convinced that the area would one day become “the centre of an immense and rich population”.

The main hall of the Wiertz museum. Wiertz liked to paint in huge formats and expressed social and philosophical issues. He took inspiration from Ruben and Michelangelo.

Wiertz came up with a cunning arrangement to pay for the studio. In 1850, he wrote to the Belgian interior minister offering to donate all his unsold paintings to the state if they would pay for his studio. The idealistic government agreed to the proposal, seeing Wiertz as an important artist who could enhance the identity of the young nation.

But Wiertz made sure there were some conditions attached. The museum must be free, he insisted, and the paintings had to “remain permanently fixed to the walls” for all time. The French poet Baudelaire thought it was a disastrous arrangement.

“What is Brussels going to do with all that?” he grumbled. An article published in The Economist

in 2009 made a similar point when it described the deal as “a masterclass in maladministration”.

Yet the government honestly believed Wiertz was special. Born in Dinant in 1806, he studied art in Antwerp, where he spent hours in cold baroque churches copying religious paintings by Rubens.

The young artist then headed off to Rome in the footsteps of Rubens to paint romantic landscapes and pretty young women.

Back in Brussels, Wiertz started to work on a gigantic painting which he submitted to the Paris Salon in 1839. He hoped this would be his breakthrough, but the organisers hung it in a place

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where there was no hope of anyone seeing it.

Wiertz never forgave the French.

Still convinced of his genius, Wiertz moved into an abandoned church in Liège where he started working on a huge painting called “The Triumph of Death”. His mother died while he was working on the canvas, which plunged him into a deep depression. But he kept on working in that gloomy church for another year. A friend finally persuaded him to move to Brussels, where he started work on another enormous painting called “The Triumph of Christ”. The foreign critics continued to attack him mercilessly. Baudelaire called him “a charlatan, idiot and thief”.

Yet Wiertz was celebrated as a national hero when he died in 1865 and a monument was put up in his honour in Ixelles. Following his wishes, the former studio was turned into a museum, displaying more than 200 of his works – all fixed permanently to the wall, as he had instructed – along with his easel and other sentimental relics.

Antoine Wiertz: “Selfportrait”, ca. 1840-1845

“Hanging on the wall just beyond the little custodian’s office is a framed manifesto.

Written by Wiertz in 1839, it is a long rambling tract that dismisses Paris as a second-rate provincial town and calls for Brussels to be recognised as the “capital of Europe”.”

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In the early days, Belgians would enjoy the macabre thrill of visiting the museum to look at paintings such as “Premature Burial,” in which a terrified man struggles to escape the coffin in which he is about to be buried. They also enjoyed the moral lesson of his painting “Hunger, Madness and Crime,” showing a destitute mother boiling her baby’s leg in a cooking pot. And they no doubt felt empathy for the dead man in “The Suicide,” who blew his brains out after receiving a tax demand.

The English novelist Thomas Hardy captured the depressing mood of the place in Tess of the D’Urbervilles, where he described “the staring and ghastly attitudes of a Wiertz Museum”.

Belgian art lovers now struggle to find anything good to say about Wiertz. The museum, open limited hours, barely attracts more than a dozen visitors a day. On some days, you will be the only visitor in the vast chilly building.

Yet the huge studio is worth a look. It is a rare example of a perfectly-preserved midnineteenth century museum, with rooms lit by natural daylight and paintings protected by low brass rails. It would the perfect setting for a romantic film once the more gruesome paintings had been hidden from sight.

Two Girls (La Belle Rosine) painted in 1847 is probably Wiertz’s most famous painting, depicting his fascination with death and the fragility of human life.

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In the early days, Belgians would enjoy the macabre thrill of visiting the museum to look at paintings such as “Premature Burial,” in which a terrified man struggles to escape the coffin in which he is about to be buried.

A new deal is signed One of the most interesting details is seldom noticed by visitors. Hanging on the wall just beyond the little custodian’s office is a framed manifesto. Written by Wiertz in 1839, it is a long rambling tract that dismisses Paris as a secondrate provincial town and calls for Brussels to be recognised as the “capital of Europe”.

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Most people thought that Wiertz was deranged when he wrote this. But the cluster of glass-andsteel buildings at the bottom of the hill suggest that this neglected Belgian artist was something of a visionary. The European Parliament (official address: 60 Rue Wiertz) has slowly spread through the old neighbourhood that Wiertz put on the map.

“A few months ago, the Belgian government decided to get rid of its responsibility for maintaining the museum. In a controversial decision announced in October 2016, the state agreed to lease the museum and garden to the European Parliament for a token one euro.”

renovate the museum and use the hidden garden at the back for official events.

But the Leopold Quarter Residents’ Association immediately launched a counter-bid, offering to pay the Belgian state the sum of two euro for the museum. The local action group also launched a petition on change.org which quickly attracted almost 4,000 signatures. As well as criticising “indolent local governments” for neglecting the museum, the association attacked the plan to turn the museum into “the playground of dignitaries and their guests”.

A few months ago, the Belgian government finally got rid of its responsibility for maintaining the museum. In a controversial decision announced in October 2016, the state agreed to lease the museum and garden to the European Parliament for a token one euro. A European Parliament spokesperson said the EU institution planned to

“We want the museum to stay open to everyone,” the action group argues. “Instead of selling it to the European Parliament, we ask the Belgian state to honour the memory and will of Antoine Wiertz by opening the house to artists and ensuring the museum is more accessible.”

“To judge a painter, you have to wait at least two centuries,” Wiertz once wrote. With MEPs from across Europe now discussing the future of his museum, Wiertz might soon get the recognition he knew he deserved.

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Liz Newmark is a Brussels-based journalist. She is the former Editor of European Environment & Packaging Law and currently works for International News Agency and a number of different Belgian publications.

DISCOVERING THE ARCHITECTURE OF BRUSSELS

Evere

O

nce predominately agricultural, known especially for its chicons (endives), the Belgian vegetable grown extensively in the commune until the 1960s, Evere, dramatically urbanised after World War II, is now more known for its towering European Union offices, NATO or 1970s apartment blocks than picture-postcard farmhouses. The 5km2 commune of 40,000 inhabitants some 4.5 km north of the Grand Place also suffered heavy bombing in both world wars and few of its rural hamlets remain.

Evere’s charming Geuzenberg restaurant. Credit: Liz Newmark

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However, although Evere lacks a real centre and most of its smaller shops have lost out to big shopping complexes around the giant 1972-built Carrefour (then GB) on the Avenue Leopold III, a first for its time, it contains a fascinating mix of styles including small stone farmhouses, neo-Renaissance Flemish structures, 19th century workers’ cottages and a mass of Art Deco – notably the striking yellow-brick chemists (Place de la Paix 21) with its three top-floor waveshaped porthole windows.

Come the 1950s, many city dwellers wanted to find accommodation in the suburbs – and Evere became marked by big buildings: avant-gardiste 1950s [Maxime] Brunfaut housing, more traditional Etrimo (Jean Colin) apartment blocks and, jewel in Evere’s modern architectural crown, the renowned Ieder Zijn Huis complex built in the 1960s by Willy Van Der Meeren.

The commune is also famous for what it used to have: notably the Evere-Haren airfield, built in 1915 by the German army and transferred to Melsbroek in 1946 before reaching its final home in Zaventem in 1958. Peaceful Evere also boasted large country chateaux, little dairies and even clog makers to kit out chicon field workers. Saddest of all, a wonderful 1930s relic – Brussels’ last-surviving open-air swimming pool/solarium off the rue

The stately grey-stone industrial building turned neoApostolic church is not exactly in keeping with the Ieder Zijn Huis complex opposite it. Credit: Liz Newmark

White painted workers’ cottages on the Rue de Maquis. Credit: Liz Newmark

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de Genève – was finally forced to close in 1974 due to a lack of renovation funds.

Evere’s bourgmestre (mayor) Pierre Muylle, also responsible for tourism, is most proud of Evere’s iconic windmill, now a hugely popular museum aimed at children. He also highlighted the mid-17th century fermette t’Hoeveke, Evere’s oldest building, as well as Evere’s communal museum Pieter Cnops, full of wonderful old photos and itself set in a striking neo-Renaissance building in old Evere.

One of the white-walled terraced houses of the 1950s-built Home Familial Brabant ’cité jardin’.

Credit: Liz Newmark

The impressive Art Deco lettered entrance to the former 1930s school, now reincarnated as the cultural centre Espace Toots. Credit: Liz Newmark

However, he told The Brussels Times that the so-called “chicon museum” in the charming 1898-built Geuzenberg farmhouse behind the town hall was in Brussels parlance “la zwanze” (a myth): “There were a few tools in the Geuzenberg, that’s now a restaurant, but we never had a real museum.”

For the rest, “it depends on the period,” Muylle said. He also observed that Evere’s three cemeteries – including the massive 38-hectare Cimetière de Bruxelles built in 1874 – could not be ignored – not least as places to walk. Evere’s other green spaces include the beautiful Moeraske nature reserve and the parkland around the 1980s Triton sports complex (famous cyclist Eddy Merckx also hails from Evere).

He further noted the fascinating grey-stone industrial building turned neo-Apostolic church opposite Ieder Zijn Huis and, a personal favourite, the charming former brickworkers’ cottages around rue du Maquis – the area where he lives.

The mayor agreed Evere’s development was “a bit chaotic”, reflecting the so-called Brusselisation in the 1950s. “It’s also very cut up,” he said, citing the railway, tramlines and major roads (the Chaussée de Louvain, Chaussée de Haecht and, created in 1935 to link the airport to the centre, Avenue Léopold III) that run right through the commune.

Perhaps partly because of this, Evere has no Grand Place but it does have three centres – old Evere around Place de la Paix and the picturesque grey-stone Romanesque Saint-Vincent church with its famous centenary lime tree, place de Padua in upper Evere around the neo-Gothic Saint-Joseph church (1906) and Square Hoedemakers dominated by the modernist Maison Communale, inaugurated shortly before the Second World War. Evere also stands out for its vast variety of social housing – including a typical

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cité-jardin (the close-knit communities flanked by green areas initiated by Sir Ebenezer Howard in 20th century England including the flagship Welwyn Garden City – hence cité-jardin), the triangular-shaped Tuinbouw, created by Jean-Jules Eggericx of Logis and Floréal (Watermael-Boitsfort) fame in 1936.

The Tuinbouw’s sloping terracotta-tiled rooves, roughcast concrete walls and highhedged front gardens – making the site’s charms hard to see – contrast with the Home Familial Brabant’s white-walled terraced 1950s houses, Germinal’s giant apartment blocks designed by Brunfaut (1909-2003) in 1949 for Sabena (Belgium’s former national airline) and the rather less appealing multi-storey towers of the 1980s Picardie estate.

Evere needs more housing Muylle said, and the commune plans to reconvert the disused Sabena offices near the motorway into apartments. But the biggest project for Evere – a commune he says will always keep its “village in the town/village à la ville” spirit – while already well connected to the city, is a new Hoedemakers/Gare du Nord métro line set to start in 2024.

The extraordinary Art Deco flat and pharmacie at Place de la Paix 21 has wave-shaped windows. Credit: Liz Newmark

Evere’s bourgmestre Jan Muylle lives in the charming area of former brickworkers’ cottages around the rue de Maquis.

Credit: Liz Newmark

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(Just one of many)

Evere’s Top Fives 1. IEDER ZIJN HUIS (Avenue Cicéron 21) Le Corbusier was originally approached to design this fascinating social housing complex Ieder Zijn Huis (everyone has his house) – in upper Evere.

However, in 1954 the job was given to Willy Van Der Meeren (1923-2002), until that time best known for his chairs and low-cost furniture.

Van Der Meeren succeeded in creating a Le Corbusiesque 12-storey concrete block with characteristic ‘pilotis’ (concrete pillars lifting the building off the ground) and a huge roof terrace with boomerang-shaped concrete benches, doubling as a solarium in summer. Every three floors, an inner walkway cum interior street gives access to the flats either directly or via an inner staircase.

The impressively angular entrance to Ieder Zijn Huis is enlivened by bright blue paint details. Credit: Liz Newmark

The whole utopian structure, while not including the ground floor cafés and shops that Corbusier had planned for his ‘Unité d’Habitation’ in Marseille, like l’Unité, uses low-cost, prefabricated, modular materials. The stark concrete abstract lines are enlivened by bright block colours including yellow squared wall panels and primary coloured doors.

Inside, occupants can design their own duplex, even triplex, apartments using movable cupboards and panel walls – enabling the first, pre-Ikea, “kit construction” homes.

Evere’s piece of modern architectural resistance - the Corbusiesque Ieder Zijn Huis sits in parkland embellished with a Brutalist stone sculpture.

Credit: Liz Newmark

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2. LE CLOS DES LAURIERS ROSES

The wonky concrete covered walkway to one of the upper rows of houses in the Clos des Lauriers Roses. Credit: Liz Newmark

Charming semi-circular blue and yellow benches perfectly complement Willy Van Der Meeren’s Clos des Lauriers Roses.

Credit: Liz Newmark

Community living: the straightforward no-frills houses of the Clos des Lauriers Roses. Credit: Liz Newmark

Willy Van Der Meeren’s architecture abounds with playful features like the boomerangshaped door handles of the Clos des Lauriers Roses. Credit: Liz Newmark

Van Der Meeren’s aim to provide economical, community living, also seen in his student accommodation for Brussels’ Flemish University the VUB in Ixelles, is viewed “à merveille” in his two-storey rows of houses in the Clos des Lauriers Roses next to IZH. Built from 19571962, these 50 flats grouped in four “streets,” first aimed at the elderly, are now popular with families.

The pièce de résistance of this modernist enclave is the wonky concrete structure overhanging the stairs – also concrete – leading to the upper floor’s inner metal walkway.

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Look further and other Van Der Meeren features abound, including brightly coloured yellow, red and green doors and white boomerang-shaped steel door handles.

These small tree-lined streets set in grassland are enlivened by semi-circular yellow and blue concrete benches, in keeping with the stark, modernist style. The whole Van Der Meeren complex, including another giant apartment block on concrete triangular shaped pillars, formerly an old peoples’ home, is also marked by its angular grey Brutalist concrete sculpture between the two.

3. POST-WAR VILLAS: RUE HUBERT VAN HOORDE 20-22 AND RUE EDOUARD DEKOSTER 21 Particularly striking in a commune oozing modernist apartment blocks and modest terraced houses, Evere boasts two beautiful villas near the old village centre.

The first (rue Van Hoorde 20 and 22), designed

by Georges Dewamme in 1954 and Robert Rousseau in 1950, is a complete surprise after its neighbouring rows of workers’ cottages. It’s more French Riviera than Belgian suburb with its white-stone walls, pale blue doors and shuttered arched windows. Original features include the doorway’s Bambiesque faun stone bas-relief and the wacky, treble clef-shaped iron window bars.

The beautiful stone pillar-topped pergola crowning the elegant whole would have offered a wonderful view over the river Senne valley – but today’s vista is marred by the 15-storey Picardie apartment blocks.

The beautiful English-country-styled post war villa at rue Edouard Dekoster 21. Credit: Liz Newmark

The pergola-topped villa at rue Hubert Van Hoorde 20-22 is enlivened by a Bambiesque faun. Credit: Liz Newmark

The second villa – built in 1945 by J. F. Van Immelen – is more English late 19th century country-styled. This warm cream-fronted corner building features terracotta-tiled sloping rooves, a lattice designed veranda over the side – then tradesmen’s entrance–luxurious front and back gardens and an impressive black steel front gate.

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Evere’s imposing late Art Deco Maison Communale, inaugurated just before World War II. Credit: Commune of Evere

4. LA MAISON COMMUNALE, SQUARE SERVAAS HOEDEMAKERS 10 In 1938, Evere’s constantly increasing population led the authorities to commission a new town hall for the rapidly-developing central area near the aerodrome, replacing the modest building on rue Frans Pepermans – with the plans given to young architect Robert Rousseau.

The impressive result was inaugurated just before the outbreak of World War II (with 1939 written in bold lettering on the front facade). The massive building’s concrete structure and yellow brick walls convey a sober look, characteristic of 1930s architecture. However, showing Art Deco is never boring, the town hall’s striking, curved 22-metre clock tower is reminiscent of a Transatlantic liner’s chimney and its grand former front door is preceded by a three-arched stone entrance.

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In 2000, the town hall was renovated and expanded by Jacques Henry Baudon – with the new wing used for exhibitions and the library.

The town hall also features two beautiful bas-relief sculptures reflecting Evere’s heritage: one of Saint Vincent and the second a farmworker cultivating his chicons. Inside, Evere’s lofty “giants” including Kiete Witloof, brought out at local festivals, proudly stand outside the majestic marriage hall.

The municipal complex, while somewhat stranded, surrounded by busy roads and lacking a central square, is enlivened by two steel circular fountains also created by Baudon.

5. THE WINDMILL, RUE DE MOULIN À VENT 21 AND T’HOEVEKE FARM, RUE DE LA MARNE 3

Evere was once a mass of picture postcard pretty farmhouses like t’Hoeveke. Credit: Liz Newmark

The beautiful hidden courtyard of Evere’s oldest building - t’Hoeveke. Credit: Commune of Evere

These two Evere icons perfectly represent the commune’s rural beginnings: “Until the early 20th century, after the Chaussée de Louvain, there were only fields,” Evere museum’s Francis Darc said, adding that many houses (and Rue Edouard Stuckens 164 still does) had entrances wide enough to fit horsedrawn carts.

decorations. Formerly the mayor’s residence and part of the ‘De Vleugel’ country estate (Evere once belonged to the Dutch-speaking Flemish Brabant region), its huge green timbered gateway leads to a hidden courtyard, completing the “land-that-timeforgot” feel.

Evere’s imposing white windmill, “the only brick windmill in the Brussels region,” Muylle emphasised, with its wooden balconied “terrace”, black slate tiled decagonal parapet and striking bottle green doors, is set in charming gardens including an area with 60 types of aromatic plants. Built in 1841 by Charles Van Assche and once solely wind-powered by 22-metre sails, in 1853 the wings were removed, the windmill functioning instead from its steam boiler.

First used to grind cereals, in the late 19th century industrial milling competition forced the mill to make sausage skins or tan leather instead, before Oscar Tausig took it over for his spice factory premises in 1911 (until 1983).

Classified in 1990 and renovated in 2006, the building reopened in 2008 as the Museum for Mill and Food. As well as offering fascinating temporary exhibitions, a section remains devoted to the mill’s history complete with original machinery, millstones and a spice mixer.

Not far from the mill, on Evere’s oldest cobbled Cologne road, adorned with Victorian-styled lamp posts, sits the former farmhouse t’Hoeveke.

Built in 1638 from regional sand rubble and brick, it is marked by sloping slate rooves and ironwork

Evere’s iconic white brick windmill, now reborn as the flourishing Museum of Mill and Food. Credit: Commune of Evere

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DEREK BLYTH’S HIDDEN SECRETS

VERTIGO Two local barmen have set up a sublime little cocktail bar in a romantic cobbled street off the Sablon. It occupies a hidden 16th century brick building that was originally an inn. The interior has been turned into a relaxed candlelit space with quiet jazz playing in the background. Alexis Mosselmans works behind the bar mixing inventive cocktails with unexpected twists. Smile nicely and he might pass you the secret code that gets you into the hidden speakeasy.

Rue de Rollebeek 7, Sablon +32 (0)2 511 95 17

Vertigo

CREVETTE RECORDS

HEYDAY

Pim Thomas stocks his favourite new releases in this cool Marolles record shop. This is the place to discover emerging Belgian bands you won’t easily find anywhere else, along with an eclectic range of international music. Music fans hang around here listening to vinyl discs, chatting about finds and drinking coffee.

Here is a fabulous little shop in the heart of the Marolles where you can find some really odd things. It’s run by a woman from Nantes called Pauline Rauzy who posted a fun video on Facebook charting her search for the perfect Brussels location.

Having found the place of her dreams, she has turned it into a retro emporium filled with tin toy cars, art postcards and limited edition Japanese art books.

Rue Blaes 146, Marolles www.crevetterecords.be

Rue des Renards 8, Marolles +32 (0)2 502 88 61, www.heyday.be

BOZAR BOOKSHOP Head down to Bozar to check out the new art bookshop designed

by Ghent architects Robbrecht & Daem. It’s run by art publisher Walter König, who already manages sleek stores in art galleries across Europe, including Whitechapel Gallery in London, the Nationalgalerie in Berlin and the Stedelijke in Amsterdam. The Brussels shop sells beautiful art books, along with exhibition catalogues, photo books, novels, design objects and toys.

Bozar Bookshop

Rue Ravenstein 23, Central Brussels www.bozar.be

COBRA BAR Named after a postwar art movement, Cobra Bar has been around for more than 25 years. It’s a quiet place for a serious drink with a hidden upstairs den furnished with old sofas and dim lamps. Most of the customers are Flemish, but you can hear a dozen languages being spoken on a busy night.

Rue des Chartreux 1, Dansaert district +32 (0)473 54 30 61, www.cobrabar.be

Cobra Bar

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VIA VIA Forced out of its old premises, the travellers’ café Via Via was homeless in 2016 for a few months. But it finally found a new home in a striking industrial space. The interior has a bare, functional look, with rough brick walls, metal chairs and huge windows.

Yet it’s a friendly spot to stop for a drink among a mixed crowd of tourists and Dansaert quarter locals.

Via Via

Quai aux Briques 74, Central Brussels +32 (0)472 03 55 77, www.viavia.brussels

NOTOS

NIYONA

Constantin Erinkoglou left his EU job in 1995 to set up a small restaurant serving Greek food. He wanted to prove that contemporary Greek cooking can be just as sophisticated as French or Italian. He now serves fantastic modern Greek food in a bare Nordic interior, with wooden furniture and white table cloths.

Specialities include Santorini fava with dried tomatoes and capers, and slow cooked lamb with spices.

Nina Bodenhorst creates original leather handbags using hides selected from a local Belgian tannery.

She also designs menu holders, leather aprons and place mats for upmarket local restaurants such as Bozar Brasserie and Bon-Bon. You can check out her latest creations in her downtown Brussels atelier and shop.

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Rue de Laeken 86, Central Brussels +32 (0)2 219 20 74, www.niyona.be

HINTERLAND This corner coffee bar opened recently on the Chaussée de Charleroi. Friendly owners Julien and Olivia have decorated the interior in a relaxed Scandinavian style with bare brick walls, pale wood tables and tree trunk stools. As well as great coffee, they serve up organic quiches, sandwiches and cheesecake.

Chaussée de Charleroi 179, Saint-Gilles www.hntrind.be

Hinterland

BIKKENEK This stylish shop is aimed at people who want a bike that creates a bit of a buzz. The friendly owner assembles customised vintage bikes based on parts supplied by Belgian brand Achielle. You choose absolutely everything, from the colour of the saddle to the bell.

Place du Jeu de Balle 6, Marolles +32 (0)2 502 31 29, www.bikkenek.be Bikkenek

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