Expat Time 13 Spring 2016

expat time Essential lifestyle and business insights for foreign nationals in Belgium

In this issue The business of beer Look to the future: 2025 Digital: top mobile gadgets

Interview

“Art makes us human.

For me, it’s what makes our lives worth living ” RaphaËl sachsenberg Director MOT International gallery

Spring 2016 • n°13

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Moving forward

S

pring is a time for renewal, so it’s the perfect time to present an updated Expat Time. The changes may be subtle, but among the new pages we present our pick of digital gadgets, new launches and products, a series on entrepreneurs and a refreshed cultural guide. Creativity is always high on the agenda and in our cover interview we talk to contemporary art director Raphaël Sachsenberg. Read his reflections on the emotions incited by culture as well as buying art as part of a diverse investment portfolio.

In our lifestyle feature, we step into the future and take a light-hearted look at how technology could affect our lives in 2025. The people we speak to are optimistic about increased efficiency, less so about the spread of private data.

One pleasure with a proven business record in Belgium is beer, so we report on breweries that have gone from local to global. Getting a business off the ground can be tricky, especially for small companies. In the first in a new series, digital communications expert Philip Weiss shares his story.

Meanwhile, there’s considerable debate about the TTIP trade deal between the EU and US. AmCham Belgium’s chief executive, Marcel Claes, goes behind the acronym and explains the implications. Happy reading!

Dave Deruytter Head of expatriates and non-residents ING Belgium expattime@ing.be ing.be/expat ING Expat is also on Facebook:

facebook.com/ingexpats

expat time • spring • 2016 •

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IN THIS ISSUE

Editor • Sarah Crew Deputy editor • Sally Tipper Art director • Patricia Brossel Project coordinator • Thomas Buytaert Contributors • Derek Blyth • Bartosz

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Brzezinski • Alan Hope • Karen McHugh • Georgio Valentino Dewaele Sales executive • Helena

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Vreedenburgh Account executive • Evelyne

Expat Time is a publication of

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ING BELGIUM SA/NV, Marnixlaan 24,

16 Economy Marcel Claes of Amcham Belgium talks TTIP

1000 Brussel, RPR Brussel VAT BE 403.200.393 and Ackroyd Publications SA/NV

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Editorial • Content Connections (department of Ackroyd) and

BUSINESS The global rise of Belgian beer

ING BELGIUM Gossetlaan 30

INTERVIEW Raphaël Sachsenberg on the contemporary art market

Fregonese

Publisher • Hans De Loore,

PROFILES Meet four expats living in Belgium

Cover • Raphaël Sachsenberg, by Bart

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1702 Groot-Bijgaarden

ENTREPRENEUR The story behind digital communication company ZN Consulting

Photo credits P5 Bart Dewaele; Semois Kayaks; Art Brussels 2015 New Art

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Centre P10-14 Bart Dewaele

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Travel Explore the Ardennes town of Bouillon

P15 Lars Halbauer/dpa/Corbis P17 Craigemorsels P19 Gérard Guittot/Photononstop/

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Corbis P20 Hulton-Deutsch Collection/

Imagining life in 2025

Corbis P22 MT Bouillon, C François P23 Castle, Jeanmart/OPT P24 Rinspeed

LIFESTYLE

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P29 Louise Bourgeois, Pregnant

TECHNOLOGY New smartphones and gadgets

Woman (2009), courtesy Xavier Hufkens P30 Salvador Dali © Respective owners; Euro 2016, Manuel Blondeau/Corbis; Theo Van Doesburg, The Construction of Space-Time III, 1924, private collection, photo © Christie’s Images, Bridgeman Images P31 Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Herman

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AGENDA Cultural highlights in Brussels, Belgium and further afield

33 WHAT’S NEW Spring openings and accessories

Sorgeloos; L’art et l’enfant, Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson, Benoît Agnès Trioson regardant des figures dans un livre, 1797 © Cliché Guillaume Boynard

34 LAST WORD Derek Blyth muses on life in Belgium

/ Musée Girodet, Montargis; Wonders of Wildlife, Th Hubin@ Museum P32 Record Store Day, Ingimage expat time • spring • 2016 •

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Profiles •

Get connected Four expats tell us about their lives in Belgium

Amélie Coulet “Brussels was a natural choice after a masters in EU politics in London” Amélie is from Lyon, France. She has studied and worked in Berlin, London, Japan and the US

“I’m an associate director for a public affairs agency, APCO Worldwide, advising and supporting clients that want to engage with EU institutions. APCO is a member of the British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium, so I’m heavily involved in the chamber’s activities and have been chairing the Brussels New Generation group – the chamber’s young professional network – for two years. I came to Brussels almost six years ago; it was a natural choice after a masters in EU politics at the London School of Economics. The city is a good hub for travelling and eating: Italian food is one of my favourites and I like Riccio Capriccio in Chatelain and Dolce Amaro or la Bottega della Pizza in Saint-Gilles. Bistrot du Luxembourg is a nice ‘EU bubble’ hangout for after-work drinks: the food and gin and tonics are great. I also enjoy going to the cinema, concerts and festivals, and sometimes football matches. I also enjoy trying new things: for example I will soon be going to the Brussels Comic Con event. When friends or family visit, I usually take them to Ghent, where you can see the Altarpiece by the Van Eyck brothers, one of the world’s art treasures.”

Geoff Brown “My main retirement activity is as chair of the Community Help Service” “I came to Brussels in 1975 as a newly qualified chartered accountant because I wanted to live and work in another country. Price Waterhouse offered me a choice between Stockholm, The Hague and Brussels and I chose here since I already knew some French. At the end of 2011, I retired from Euroclear, where I was a director in the finance division. My main retirement activity is as chair of the Community Help Service (CHS), a non-profit organisation with a confidential helpline in English (02.648.40.14), providing information, support and help in a crisis, and a mental health centre in Brussels. I also volunteer at a hospital half a day each week and enjoy gardening and golf. The Fondation Folon museum in La Hulpe is really worth a visit, and I think every visitor should try to attend the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres.”

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Geoff is from Northern Ireland and lives in Overijse with his wife Carmel

Dr Tom Beardslee “I have added beer drinking as a second hobby” “I’m a musician and guitar teacher. I’ve been in Brussels since 2012 and have previously lived in Ghana and Morocco, where I did research into ethnomusicology. I play guitar, banjo and lap steel in lots of bands, and I also do English-language consulting. I came to Belgium to be with my girlfriend (now wife) who works around Europe as an interpreter. We met while studying Arabic in Morocco, were Transatlantic for a while, and are finally managing to live in the same country. When you’re a musician, your hobby and your work are kind of the same thing. I play every chance I get. Brussels has a ton of great musicians from all over the world – while perhaps not being the easiest place for all of us to make a living. Living in Brussels, I’ve added beer drinking as a solid second hobby, much to the detriment of my waistline. L’Imaige Nostre-Dame in the city centre has a great beer selection and is still cosy, and Exodus in Ixelles has Thai food that will blow your mind.”

Tom is from Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his German-English wife in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe

Zeynep Gürcan “It’s not always easy to make a commitment when you’re an expat”

Zeynep is from the Turkish capital, Ankara, and lives in Ixelles

“I’m currently doing my LLM at VUB’s Institute for European Studies, and my thesis is about better access to justice for women. I practised law for three years in Istanbul, first as a corporate law firm intern and then as a self-employed human rights advocate lawyer. My partner and I were friends first, then companions, before becoming a couple. It’s not always easy to make a commitment when you’re an expat. We have recently signed up as volunteers at SB Overseas to do activities with refugee kids at weekends and I’m trying to stay involved with my political party in Turkey.

I love writing and hope to get back to my blog once I’ve finished writing my thesis. I feel at home in the Ixelles area: I love the Sunday market at Flagey, and l’Athénée bar near Idalie is a favourite. One thing I never thought I’d grow to love is camping, but last summer I went to Blaarmeersen campsite in Ghent.

I learnt how to cycle there and am now practising in local parks with my first ever Villo card.” expat time • spring • 2016 •

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Interview •

“What would humanity be without art? Even as cavemen we were using it as a form of expression”

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Art and soul Brussels gallery director Raphaël Sachsenberg on the power of art, and why it’s not just for the elite ✶ By Karen McHugh

Photos by Bart Dewaele

R

aphaël Sachsenberg has a master’s in art history from the Sorbonne in Paris, has worked with renowned art dealer Daniel Templon and is now director at MOT International, a contemporary art gallery in Brussels and London. Born in Germany, he has lived in Brussels since 2014, and with French and German roots, he appreciates life in a country that also has its feet in two cultures. He spoke to ING’s Dave Deruytter at the gallery in Ixelles.

art. I did an MA in art history in Paris and I got a fellowship at Christie’s Education in Paris, after which I started my first job at Galerie CazeauBéraudière, one of Europe’s most renowned impressionist and modern art galleries. During my years with Daniel Templon, I met my wonderful partner, who is from Antwerp, and we thought, let’s meet in the middle, in Brussels. I had the opportunity to start at MOT International just over six months ago.

How did your background influence your career?

How would you describe MOT International?

My mother is French and my father is German so I have both nationalities.

I grew up in Munich but went to a French school. My father studied at the Academy of Arts in Munich and was an antique restorer. And my mother was editor-in-chief at a German publishing house, so it was an artistic environment. I always loved art, but I wasn’t sure what to do when I finished school. I’d always wanted to go to Paris and had always felt torn between the two places, so I started studying psychology there, but eventually I decided to return to Munich and study

It’s quite different to other galleries.

We’re a mix of emerging and established artists, but with lots of dematerialised art: video art and performance art, which isn’t always as easy to access. But I like challenges, and a gallery is all about challenges.

It was founded by Chris Hammond, who started as an artist in London. He teamed up with other artists to create their own space to exhibit themselves and other artists. Unlike many galleries, MOT International is strongly backed by academics, art critics and museum curators. Chris Hammond is a teacher expat time • spring • 2016 •

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Interview •

at Goldsmiths in London, one of the most renowned art colleges. We’re still commercial, everything you see is for sale – you have to make sales to make a living – but in the end, what makes this gallery is the curatorial side. We always try to make the most relevant shows; that’s what people like us for.

What are the trends to watch in the art market?

There are so many. Installation and video art are going very strong. New American Abstraction – which is based in New York and LA – is very interesting to follow. In Europe, alongside conceptual art, there is a strong return to figurative painting, which hasn’t been seen here in decades. Social media plays a very important role in video art. The border between social media, film and art is blurring at the moment, towards a new genre.

What do you think of intermediaries in the art world?

Taking pictures of art influences people, of course. The advent of new media has had a tremendous effect – the new generation are creating a new culture, a new visual world, a new acoustic world.

The art market is developing but it’s not changing radically at the moment.

Gallery space will always be needed.

You need a relationship, a gut feeling, an emotion, created between you and the artwork – you don’t have emotion with an image on a phone. Artists will always want to show their artwork in a space. It’s good to play with the new

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media, but for the moment I don’t see how gallery space can be replaced by virtual space.

Can art be an investment?

The best investment, and the best return, is when you buy what you like.

Buy an artist you believe in, and even better if the market believes in him.

It’s a good investment for people with passion – you’re not buying a house, it’s not a way to become wealthy quickly.

Hugh Grant bought a Warhol for £2 million and sold it for five times that price, but that’s on a high level. In a more normal sphere, as an investment it’s difficult. You can’t expect every artist to be the next Jeff Koons. Art is good as an investment but only if you have invested in all other possibilities – diversification is important. You can’t sell artwork like you sell a stock option.

By selling an artist too quickly, you devalue the artist and the works you have.

The first thing you should have in your mind as a small private investor is to buy with your heart, not necessarily just with your brain. That would be a bad start. Buy art you love. First thing in the morning, your work of art should put a smile on your face. On a more professional level, you should do your homework about the artist and the market if you can. It can be a complex world. Research online and don’t be too shy to push open gallery doors. Know the market, know the artist and their CV, see if you like their practice, and find a gallerist you trust who’s not just trying to sell you something.

“You need a relationship, a gut feeling, an emotion, between you and the artwork”

Why do you think art can seem inaccessible?

Maybe it’s because a gallery is behind closed doors. You have to ring a bell, people are looking at you… there are things that could put you off. The art world is seen as glamorous as it’s related to fashion, business, movies, but behind the scenes it’s hands-on. You end up driving trucks to transport the art, you do everything yourself. But people shouldn’t think that they can never be part of it. It can seem elitist but I’ve never understood that policy; it was never mine. I am an art specialist and I can offer insight and advice to anybody who would like to enrich their life with art. I certainly greet people, whether they are connaisseurs or are coming in to browse. So I would say, overcome your shyness, just see a gallery as an easy, accessible opportunity to discover something new. I encourage everybody to come in. A good gallerist would be happy to meet anyone. You can just have a conversation, and don’t be afraid to look stupid because you don’t think you have the right questions. Go and see the art, that’s what it’s for!

Is there a need for the state to subsidise the arts?

I’m in favour of subsidies for the arts. Budgets are being cut more and more each year, so it’s a difficult time for cultural institutions. As a gallery it’s a little different – a gallery is a commercial business. In Belgium you can have subsidies, but we are a British gallery so we’re not eligible. But it’s very important to support art. What

“We always try to make the most relevant shows; that’s why people like us”

 expat time • spring • 2016 •

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Finance •

What do you do when you get free time?

I try to have one day off during the week, to spend with my partner, family and friends. I love culture, I like to read about art, and I listen to music a lot. That’s probably my first passion. I play guitar, and that’s a very important part in my life. I go to concerts at La Monnaie, Bozar and AB. But I never really stop working. It’s all entwined.

I love my job, which is very satisfying.

During the holidays we find a remote place for a few weeks and recharge our batteries, relax and reflect on the past year. In August the gallery is closed and we do all the summer opera festivals.

What do you like about life in Belgium?

would humanity be without art? Even as cavemen we were using it as a form of expression. Life without art, I would say, is meaningless in a way. Art is a fascinating filter for what surrounds us, for all the things that are not expressed in daily life. The people cutting budgets are very short-sighted. Art makes us human and helps us to comprehend life.

For me, it’s what makes our lives worth living.

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“Brussels is a city that wants you to discover it”

I like the people very much. I find them friendly, good-humoured and welcoming. I also like how it’s binational. I always felt a bit torn inside; I’m now trying to take the best of both worlds, so I relate very much to that and feel quite at home here. And aesthetically – well, Brussels is different to Paris. Paris gives itself to you the first time you go there. Brussels is not like that; Brussels is a city that wants you to discover it. At first I thought it was ugly, but now I stroll around and think it’s amazing because of its cultural and historical past. I love Forest, where I live; the park there is amazing. I also like the abbey in Ixelles and there are very nice places in Saint-Gilles, Uccle and around the Bascule area. Brussels is an amazing city that should be discovered, and not just the Grand Place.

Big deal Marcel Claes, chief executive of AmCham Belgium, on what TTIP means for business and the wider economy in the US and Europe

T

he agreement currently being negotiated between the US and the EU is a comprehensive, 21st-century trade deal. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, better known as TTIP, goes beyond traditional trade agreements, which have generally focused on reducing or eliminating customs tariffs. TTIP also aims to align regulatory regimes and create a rulesbased international trade framework.

Negotiations started in mid2013 between the European

Commission (on a mandate from the EU governments) and the US Trade Representative. The 12th round of negotiations took place in Brussels in February this year. While there may be some results by the end of 2016, realistically it will take more time to reach an agreement. Indeed, there is a lot of debate around several aspects of this agreement; typically, negotiations of other, more traditional trade accords have taken at least four years. Any agreement reached will also need to be approved by the US Congress, the European Parliament and member state parliaments. So it will take some time before we start seeing the real impact of a TTIP deal.

The agreement is expected to have a major effect on our economic development, which is the main driver for our societies’ prosperity and well-being. Through its effect on trade, it will create jobs and increase purchasing power. A study by the WTI on TTIP and the member states predicted an average increase in Belgium’s national income of more than 1% as a result.

If properly structured, TTIP will bring lower prices and wider choice for consumers. As shown in many other expat time • spring • 2016 •

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Finance •

trade agreements, one of the expected benefits is a decrease in the cost of trade. Companies are expected to pass on a good part of their savings to consumers, with the biggest benefit of lower prices going to people with lower incomes.

of a very high level on both sides of the Atlantic but are applied (often slightly) differently, convergence can significantly reduce the cost related to trade, without affecting safety or health. Where the two regions work with totally different standards, in sensitive areas such as hormone beef or genetically modified food, we don’t expect major changes.

As trade will be facilitated under TTIP, it will open the market for many new companies for which such access was previously often impossible. This creates opportunities, especially for SMEs, and will make our economy more competitive and stronger. Bigger companies will be under pressure to pass on savings to consumers if they want to remain competitive. Next to those benefits for consumers, more trade also strengthens longer-term competitiveness and brings economic growth and high-quality jobs. The WTI study predicts that Belgian exports will increase by 27%, resulting in significant job creation.

Those benefits can only be achieved if TTIP is comprehensive and ambitious.

In that case, it will lead to a significant reduction of the cost of trading across the Atlantic. To be successful, TTIP must open up the markets for goods and services, facilitate investment and public procurement and, above all, achieve progress on regulatory cooperation. But consumers also need to be able to trust the products available to them, and trust that their governments will protect their safety, the environment or their financial situation and will continue to provide high-quality healthcare and education. An ambitious TTIP deal should allow that while bringing economic growth, allowing us to improve public services.

As with other trade agreements, TTIP will not limit member states’ ability to govern and organise their educational, health or environmental systems. As standards in those areas are mostly

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An ambitious deal on regulatory cooperation offers the chance to improve the quality of regulation on both sides and lead to better outcomes for consumers. Instead of inspecting pharmaceutical plants twice in slightly different manners, a strengthened but coordinated approach will provide new resources that can be used to improve patient safety and lower healthcare cost for patients and governments.

The Transatlantic partnership over the last 60 or 70 years has not only greatly contributed to rapid economic growth and the development of a strong social model, it has also brought peace and security. The cooperation between the US and Europe has also led to an unprecedented rate of progress in technology, innovation and economic prosperity. I believe an ambitious TTIP deal is an important step on the path of further economic and social development.

We should make sure that our values and standards can be protected

While there are challenges in expanding our collaboration, it is important that both regions can retain their economic influence in the world. We should make sure that our values and standards which, while different, are mostly of a comparable and high standard, can be protected and that we can continue to help shape global standards. Together Europe and the US stand a much better chance of doing so and ensuring our future prosperity and security.

amcham.be

No small beer After something of a decline, it’s now business as usual for Belgium’s thriving brewing industry ✶ By Alan Hope

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Business •

B

eer is a global industry.

Belgian beer is a global industry. The largest brewer in the world is now AB InBev, a company that started off in Leuven and is now, with the coming acquisition of SABMiller, crossing international boundaries even further. Even small Belgian brewers have their eyes on the global horizon. The beer brewed by the monks of St Sixtus abbey in West Vleteren have seen their exclusive, small-scale beer rated best in the world yet again by the website Ratebeer.com. Another elite Trappist beer, Orval, is becoming scarce as the number of brewer monks dwindles and only one beer is produced for the general public. Meanwhile, there’s not a Top Ten compiled anywhere that doesn’t have at least one Belgian beer on it, most often something by a small, artisanal brewery like Struise, Millevertus, Hof Ten Dormaal or Dochter Van de Korenaar.

According to the federal planning bureau, in a report published in January, the Belgian beer industry was worth €1.88 billion in 2013, the last year for

There’s not a Top Ten compiled anywhere that doesn’t have at least one Belgian beer on it

which figures are available. Production value is rising at 3.8% a year, but exports are growing more than twice as fast, at a rate of 7.9% a year to €861 million in 2013 and €911 million in 2014.

According to the Belgian Brewers Federation, the industry employs 45,000 people and invested €180 million in fixed assets in 2014. And after long years of decline, the industry is seeing a resurgence.

“Six or seven years ago, we’d gone down to 120 breweries, but now we’re back up to 168,” says federation president Jean-Louis Van de Perre. The figure is a fraction of how many there used to be: at the end of the 19th century the country had more than 3,000 breweries, with most villages and all towns having at least one. Then came World War One, when many smaller breweries didn’t survive having their copper brewing vessels confiscated by the Germans and shipped off to make munitions.

Some rebuilt, only to find the same thing happening in World War Two. And for those that survived that second test, the post-war years saw a wave of consolidations, takeovers and mergers, reducing the number of brewers even further and leading to the creation of mega-brewers like AB InBev, AlkenMaes and Haacht, the top three.

Founded in 1898, the Haacht brewery bet on the newly fashionable pilsner beer and was the leading brewer in Belgium in 1937. After the war Haacht took over other smaller breweries in Brussels, Liège, Tournai, Kortrijk, Aarschot, Ghent, Ypres and Bruges, as well as half a dozen or so in northern France.

The brewery is now the third-largest in the country, and the largest to remain wholly Belgian. AB InBev is the result of a takeover of the Belgian Interbrew by the Brazilian AmBev and successive mergers of three international brewing groups, while Alken-Maes is owned by the Dutch giant Heineken.

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Beer production at the Orval abbey

“You need luck, but sometimes you need some nerve as well”

One of the newest of the small craft breweries is En Stoemelings, created by two school friends, Samuel Languy and Denys Van Elewyck, who decided to turn a hobby into a profession.

It’s only two years since the idea was born, but the brewery, in a shop front premises in the Marolles area of Brussels, was up and running within six or seven months. En Stoemelings (the name means “under the table” or “in secret” in Brussels dialect) is a story of everything going right.

“I’d be astonished if it were possible for anyone else to set up a business in

less time than we did,” says Languy.

“We made the first Curieuse Neus in May 2014, then tested it in the summer. The last tasting we did was in October. Then we decided to put the brewery together, and within six months we had organised financing and permits and we were brewing.”

They have now been up and running for about six months.

Setting up a brewery in the city requires four permits, he explains: an excise licence from the federal government, an environmental permit from the Brussels Capital Region, a expat time • spring • 2016 •

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Business •

“Our own hygiene standards are stricter than the official standards applied by law”

fire safety licence from the Brussels City fire brigade and a town planning permit, also from Brussels City.

business of setting up and becoming established are done, what challenges does a more mature brewery face?

“We did it all by ourselves,” he says.

“We had one advisor from Impulse Brussels, the enterprise agency. I agree that we had a lot of luck, but we did a lot of hard work as well, pushing things when they seemed to be becoming blocked, and making things happen. You need luck, but sometimes you need some nerve as well.”

“For me there isn’t any problem that’s particular to the brewing industry,” explains Yvan De Baets, one of the two founders. “The problem is one that affects all kinds of businesses in Belgium, and it’s mainly related to the administration we’re obliged to take care of, all of which is much too onerous.

We really need some simplification of what’s required. We’re losing tens of hours every month just filling out forms. Once your business is up and running, that’s the thing that weighs the most.”

Financing came partly from crowdfunding, for about 26% of their requirements. Talks with the banks didn’t get far. “Banks don’t lend to young entrepreneurs. Luckily the region has structures that exist to alleviate the problem, like Brusoc. We borrowed €25,000 at 4% from the region. We also have a subsidy of €20,000, which we had to fight hard to get.”

En Stoemelings is Brussels’ third brewery, with Cantillon being the oldest.

Brasserie de la Senne was the second, established in Molenbeek in 2010, and is now a well-established brand with a huge, devoted following. Once the The monks of St Sixtus abbey, West Vleteren

One issue that affects the drinks industry especially is excise duty. “I have nothing against taxation, because as a citizen I want there to be roads and schools and hospitals, that’s not the point,” he says. “But there is one tax that is I think more damaging than the rest, and that’s excise duty.

The problem is that it’s a tax levied on an amount of money which already contains a tax (VAT). It’s a tax on a tax, and with that we attain the summit of surrealism.”

The other problematic issue is one brewing shares with other parts of the food and drinks industry: hygiene rules.

“I’d be the first to agree with the need for strict hygiene controls,” he says.

“Our own hygiene standards are stricter than the official standards applied by law. But we are regularly obliged to undergo inspections, sometimes including demands that bypass all common sense. We’ve had to invest serious sums of money that we didn’t have at the time to make arrangements that in my opinion were completely useless. That money could have been used elsewhere on investments that were far more important.”

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Start me up CEO and founder Philip Weiss tells the story behind ZN Consulting, a Brussels-based digital communications company

I’

ve always been interested in communications, having started several magazines at school and university. In my final year, I also launched a student radio station with a team of 300 volunteers and saw that the power and potential of internet technology was enormous. I started my company in Brussels in 1998, advising clients in communication, public affairs and marketing on how to integrate the internet into their strategy. Brussels is a global hub with access to people from all over the world and highlevel decision-makers in a wide range of fields. There’s a real opportunity here to provide the international business world with innovative ways of communicating.

Do it – but be prepared for a challenge!

On the other hand, the administrative and tax structure is complex and expensive in Belgium. The environment doesn’t encourage entrepreneurs – though this might be changing – so you can feel isolated. The red tape is clearly too burdensome; once you accept that, you realise that it’s possible to get things done but it takes longer and costs more than it should. The question is: does the burden weigh more than the opportunity Brussels offers? The key is perseverance and adaptability: there is always a way to make it work. The best solution is to hire professional advisers and accountants to make sure you do things right, but for smaller companies that cost can be challenging.

Our team of 20 is young and global and we use an extensive network of freelance experts. There is a great deal of talent in Brussels, especially in our industry. People come from all over the world to work here and they often stay longer than they planned, as they become attached to the comfort and benefits of living here.

As an entrepreneur, you accept that you need to adapt to changes in the business environment. At certain times you can have flexibility and take longer breaks, but you always need to be ready to be there when you’re needed, so you’re never really on holiday. If I had one piece of advice for anyone thinking of setting up a company in Belgium it would be: do it – but be prepared for a challenge!

znconsulting.com expat time • spring • 2016 •

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Travel •

Escape to…

BOUILLON Deep in the Ardennes, close to the French border, lies Bouillon, an ancient town in a forested valley prized for its fairytale castle soaring over a serpentine river. Also known as the pearl of the Semois valley, Bouillon combines dramatic views with bundles of history. The town is easily walkable, if sometimes steep, on a day trip. And there’s plenty more to explore in the surrounding area, especially outdoors, for a longer stay.

This frontier town boasts a French influence in its architecture and there’s a suitably Gallic laid-back atmosphere, with cafes and restaurants serving Ardennes staples from local farms, forests and river. By car, Bouillon is 130km from Brussels via the E411 and N89. The nearest station is Libramont; from there take bus 8.

bouillon-tourisme.be

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Castle Step back into the Middle Ages and experience a unique masterpiece of medieval military architecture. The spectacular fortress is hewn from a rocky precipice in a bend on the Semois. The finest example of Belgium’s feudal system, dating back to the eighth century, it became famous in the 11th century when Duke Godfrey of Bouillon joined the first crusade and became the first ruler of Jerusalem. He mortgaged it to raise funds for his crusade, handing it to the Prince-Bishops of Liège, who retained control for the next 600 years until the French took it over. It did at least benefit from improvements by 17th-century French military engineer Vauban, including bridges, ditches, drawbridges, towers and gun turrets, which all add to the atmosphere.

Tours are recommended and include the dungeons and torture chamber. The Austrian tower (1551) provides the best vantage point and there are falconry displays and other medieval events during the year. Don’t miss the 30th edition of medieval festivities in August.

bouillon-initiative.be

Activities Wider and wilder – in terms of flora and fauna – than other Ardennes rivers, descents of the Semois are popular during the summer and are accessible to families. Take your pick from canoe, kayak or paddle board and 4 or 15km distances. A free shuttle bus will return you to your departure point. Alternatively, hike in the surrounding valleys. There are also adventure courses, trails, guided climbing routes and archery. For children, there are farms and an animal park (pictured) in nearby Rochehaut, accessible by tourist train.

semois-kayaks.be

Sleep & eat Book For an appreciation of the character of (not only) Bouillon but Belgium itself, read Patrick McGuinness’s award-winning memoir, Other People’s Countries.

The Oxford University professor (pictured) spent childhood holidays in his Belgian mother’s home town, where he still has a home. Accompanied by illustrations and old family photos, this is a personal and loving portrait of a region and its colourful characters. He writes: “In my mind, Bouillon was never changing but never static either, like endlessly falling never-settling snow. Just the idea that Bouillon might go on while we weren’t there, that it might have a normality we were not part of, was troubling and melancholy.”

For a night in the historic heart of the town, climb up to the four-star Hotel Panorama complete with restaurant, panoramic terrace (pictured) and wellness centre. B&B for two costs from €110, with gastronomic and wellness packages available. Across the river, Hotel de la Poste is central and has a cosy Art Nouveau decor and a stylish terrace. Double rooms from €110. A local speciality is fresh river trout, which is honoured in its own festival every April.

panoramahotel.be hotelposte.be

expat time • spring • 2016 •

23

Business • Lifestyle

Future proof A trendwatcher and an architect consider how our lives might look in 10 years’ time ✶ By Bartosz Brzezinski

A

s you drowsily open your eyes, the day’s schedule displays itself on a holographic screen – you have a report to file by 10.00, followed by a videoconference at noon. A soothing voice tells you how well you slept and gives you some suggestions for the following night. Slowly making your way to the kitchen, you hear the coffee maker brewing a fresh cup of espresso, while the grill is heating up some toast.

Half awake, your mind drifts as you watch the news projected on the wall.

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The year is 2025, and, as it promised in 2015, Nasa has discovered life in space. The latest iPhone has no screen but instead projects the information directly on to your retina. Everything from fridges and toasters to toothbrushes and light fixtures is connected to the internet, anywhere, at any time.

Making predictions like these is, by nature, a dicey business, but Joeri Van den Bergh is quick to point out that he’s not a futurologist. Instead, the Ghent-based market researcher analyses trends and consumer interests

to help businesses stay ahead of the game.

His focus is on the youngest generations, those born after 1980, and in his research, Van den Bergh has identified some characteristics that will define what life will be like in years to come.

“Generations Y and Z are definitely more impatient than the previous ones and want everything instantly,” he says. “In ten years, drones will deliver our goods the day we buy them online and shops will predict when we’re going to order something before we even

Rinspeed’s XchangE: the car of the not-toodistant future?

think of it and send it to a distribution centre nearby. Phones will have holograms or be projected directly into our eyes, so we won’t need to look down.

We will have smart domestic appliances that learn about our habits and perform simple tasks automatically.”

All in the name of saving time.

Every product will also be hyper-customised. Imagine being able to design your own car, or if that’s too far out there, how about effortlessly creating your own line of cutlery or coffee mugs? “Thanks to advances in 3D

The year is 2025, and, as it promised in 2015, Nasa has discovered life in space

printing, technology is already there to customise everything from packaging to content,” says Van den Bergh. “In ten years, if something isn’t hyperpersonalised, it will be too boring for the youngest generations.”

Meanwhile, as the dial on your futuristic clock hits 8.30, it’s time to leave for work. The electrical engine of your driverless car is already running, but there’s no steering wheel or pedals, so you can just lean back and relax, enjoying the last minutes of freedom. The computer on board asks how you’re expat time • spring • 2016 •

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Lifestyle •

doing and engages you in a debate on last night’s football.

“Oh come on, that won’t happen in ten years,” says Silvia Talevi, who lives in Ghent. “I can’t imagine the Knight Rider scenario coming true. KITT won’t talk to us just yet.”

In her work as an architect for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Talevi is tasked with preserving the past. Among her many duties, she surveys and records British World War One and Two memorial sites scattered across Belgium. But in her free time, the 31-year-old, who moved here five years ago from Italy, likes to ponder the future.

“I’m excited about the prospects of 3D printing and how it will change the field of architecture,” she says. “With the ability to print our own customised structures, we’ll see designs inspired by nature that are much freer, braver and less conventional.” Think more Guggenheims and Gehrys and fewer Trump Towers and boxy warehouses.

“And in our daily lives, we’ll be able to go into our kitchen and say, ‘turn on the light, heat the oven, prepare the coffee’. Or we’ll be able to touch an icon on our phones and have the oven start cooking dinner before we get

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“Generations Y and Z are more impatient than the previous ones and want everything instantly”

back from work.” As for the artificial intelligence and cars that can talk to us, her expectations are more down to earth. “I’ll be content with Siri that actually works,” she says.

What about our social lives? According to Van den Bergh, while we do have much more interaction with other people thanks to technology and social media, these connections are becoming more superficial.

In the cartoon film Wall-E, citizens of the spaceship Axiom go through life glued to holographic displays that bombard them with anything from news to ads and entertainment, and enable them to video chat with their fellow Axiomians, even if they’re sitting right next to them.

The film is set in 2805, but that image could well represent where life might be in just 10 years. “We already engage in a lot less face-to-face contact, but I don’t think we’ll become self-absorbed individualists and only look at our own screens,” Van den Bergh says. “On the contrary, the lack of physical interaction will eventually fuel the need for more extensive and intimate forms of bonding.”

In 10 years, he predicts, we will value the moments when we turn off all our

Joeri Van den Bergh

screens and holograms and go back to the old way of connecting with others.

“As apartments become ever smaller, we will see larger communal spaces, such as bars, cinemas and rooftop terraces.

In the end, the physical need to be with other people will always be important.”

Talevi takes the same view. “Social media will be more ingrained in our lives but I believe people will still go out searching for human contact,” she says. “And in Belgium, especially, how can you live without going to a bar and enjoying one of the thousands of beers with your friends?”

She also dismisses the notion that in their focus on the future, people will forget where they come from. “Technology will simply change the way we interact with history,” she says. “You’ll be able to put on your glasses and feel like you’re walking through the Imperial City in Beijing. Every building and statue will be scanned and recreated digitally.”

Thanks to virtual reality, we will have the ability to visit ancient sites without ever leaving the comfort of our homes, but will this mean the end of traditional tourism and conservation and lack of new opportunities for specialists like

Talevi? Not quite. Luckily for her, she says, her employers, the British, are very committed to the preservation of their monuments. “So even if I might not be working for them in ten years’ time, my job will still definitely be there.”

And as for life in space, she responds with a chuckle. “I’m not a strong believer in alien civilisations, but would I give Nasa another decade to convince me otherwise? It’s a bit cocky to assume we’re alone out there, so yes, ten, fifteen years, maybe.” expat time • spring • 2016 •

27

Technology •

Digital world Huawei MateBook After a few years of experimentation, there’s finally a burgeoning market for hybrid tablet/PC products. Microsoft developed the market with its Surface Pro products, and other manufacturers are now joining in. Chinese manufacturer Huawei has launched MateBook, a device that doubles as a ‘pro’ Windows 10 tablet and a laptop PC, simply by clicking the tablet part into a keyboard case. The tablet, with a colourful 12in screen, is the lightest of its kind at just over 600g, the perfect heft for a device combining professional and private use. From €800 + €150 for keyboard case

huawei.be

LG G5 While most of its competitors have settled into the race for sheer hardware power, Korean manufacturer LG Electronics is trying something different with its modular LG G5. The most recent outing of the company’s flagship smartphone brand comes with a 5.3in HD screen, boasts a fast SnapDragon processor and runs on Android 6.0. It stands out due to its LG Friends accessories; simply snap on to the bottom of the device and add features such as a superior camera, hi-fi amplifier and extra battery. Price to be announced

lg.com

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge What a show the South Korean company put on for its Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones on the eve of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. Not that the latter, Samsung’s flagship product, needs such a lavish splash. Fans are already won over by the extra processing power the phone delivers (it runs 30% faster than its predecessor, the S6), plus its dual-pixel camera and water and dust resistance. €800

samsung.be

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What’s happening

ART BRUSSELS Brussels’ annual contemporary art fair is back with a new concept and a new location. Pursuing quality over quantity, Art Brussels has abandoned its usual digs among the spacious halls of Brussels Expo for a slightly scaledback edition at Tour & Taxis. Don’t worry, though, there’s still plenty of art to browse. There remain a full 140 participating galleries (as opposed to last year’s 191). In addition to their customary Discovery, Prime and Solo categories, the curators present a new Rediscovery selection spotlighting neglected 20th-century artists.

21-24 April, Tour & Taxis, Brussels artbrussels.com

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29

Agenda •

DE SALVADOR A DALI

THEO VAN DOESBURG

Liège’s high-speed railway station, designed by Spanish modernist Santiago Calatrava, is a work of art in its own right. This year the architectural marvel hosts a treasure trove of paintings and sculptures

by Calatrava’s countryman, Salvador Dalí. The sprawling 2,000-squaremetre exhibition plunges visitors into the wild and crazy world of the 20thcentury Surrealist with life-sized recreations of many of his most iconic works. It promises to be a smorgasbord of melting clocks.

The Netherlands Presidency of the Council of the European Union is the perfect opportunity to showcase Dutch culture and its contributions to the contemporary European arts scene. The Bozar retrospective Theo van Doesburg: A New Expression of Life, Art and Technology looks back on the beginnings of the European avant-garde when aesthetic and political revolution was very much in the air. Van Doesburg helped found the Dutch art movement De Stijl and then toured Europe to spread the message and form alliances with fellow artists like the Dadaists in Paris.

EURO 2016 Get ready for football fever as Belgian fans rally around the national team, when Uefa’s massive quadrennial championship tournament returns for its 15th edition.

Competing in Group E, the Red Devils face Italy, Ireland and Sweden.

10 June-10 July uefa.com

Until 31 August Liège-Guillemins, Liège expodali.be

Until 29 May Bozar, Brussels bozar.be

EVENTS WITH ING • Peter Kogler: Next Exhibition, until 19 June, ING Cultural Centre, Place Royale, Brussels, ing.be/art • Belgium vs Portugal Football match, 29 March, Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels, belgianfootball.be • Fête du pain Part of Europe Day, 28 May, Schuman, Brussels, ec.europa.eu

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• Belgium vs Finland Football match, 1 June, Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels, belgianfootball.be • Belgium vs Norway Football match, 5 June, Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels, belgianfootball.be

DINNER IN THE SKY In 2006, a group of Brussels daredevils cooked up a plan to take Belgian cuisine to new heights. The concept is simple: hitch a dining room to a construction crane, strap in 22 hungry diners (plus a Michelinstarred chef) and haul them 50m into the air for a meal they’ll never forget.

Naturally, the event took off. In the past decade it has been replicated in 40 locations worldwide, from the Las Vegas Strip to Sydney Harbour. Now Dinner in the Sky comes home for a delicious 10th anniversary edition.

1-5 June Brussels dinnerinthesky.be

KUNSTEN FESTIVAL DESARTS As its hybrid name suggests, Kunstenfestivaldesarts is a bridge between Belgium’s two largest linguistic communities, who tend – even in officially bilingual Brussels – to explore their respective art worlds in splendid isolation. But it’s much more than a gesture of national amity.

Artists from around the world are also invited to participate in what has become one of the capital’s biggest celebrations of contemporary performance.

For three weeks, KFDA hosts dozens of cuttingedge productions ranging across the performance spectrum from theatre to dance to music to multimedia.

ANTWERPEN PROEFT

WONDERS OF WILDLIFE

Antwerp’s sprawling, openair food festival celebrates its 10th anniversary. The event takes place in the port city’s trendy Eilandje district and is a foodie’s dream. Dozens of local restaurants arrive, set up mobile kitchens and push their signature dishes all weekend long to thousands of strolling visitors. There are even a handful of Michelin-starred establishments to class up the proceedings. It’s not just restaurants either; producers and distributers are on hand to show off delicious regional products that you can use in your own kitchen.

The Brussels Museum of Natural Sciences’ latest exhibition is pretty wild.

Visitors young and old will marvel at hyper-realistic, multimedia depictions of nature’s fastest and most agile animals in action. Get up close and personal with lions, tigers, ibexes and more to learn the secrets of their success. There are freeze frames, life-sized panoramas and life-like taxidermy specimens. The museum also organises special events around the theme throughout the duration of the exhibition, including Easter.

5-8 May Waagnatie, Antwerp antwerpenproeft.be

L’ART ET L’ENFANT The Musée Marmottan Monet is best known for its collection of 19th-century Impressionist masterpieces, but the luxurious Parisian museum’s latest major exhibition encompasses nearly a millennium of French painting. L’Art et L’Enfant explores the role of children in French society and art through the centuries. More than 100 works are on display, many on loan from the world’s most prestigious collections. Artists include Le Nain, Fragonard, Renoir, Cézanne, Picasso and, of course, the museum’s resident master, Monet.

Until 28 August Museum of Natural Sciences, Brussels sciencesnaturelles.be

Until 3 July Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris marmottan.fr

6-28 May Across Brussels kfda.be

SEMINARs with ING • Start Your Own Business in Belgium 26 April, 13.30-19.00, ING Cultural Centre, Place Royale, Brussels • Expat Pension 31 May, 17.30, ING Lion and Orange Rooms, 60 Cours Saint-Michel, Brussels expat time • spring • 2016 •

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Lifestyle •

Community events • Great Brussels Charity Bake Off 21 March, 13 Rue Brederode, Brussels, britishchamber.be

BRUSSELS FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL

RECORD STORE DAY

The third edition of this festival of food promises a feast to be remembered.

More than 100 food trucks from across Europe will line up to form a 3km circuit through the heart of Brussels. Visitors of all ages are invited to snack to their hearts’ content.

Recipes come from around the world with an emphasis on street food. At the end, a handful of exceptional participants will be awarded official Food Truck Awards by a jury of professional and amateur foodies.

With sales rising every year, vinyl seems to be the only sector of the ailing music industry that’s doing well. This resurgence is due in part to Record Store Day, a grassroots celebration launched in the US nearly a decade ago to help preserve record store culture. Shops invite musicians for signings and in-store performances while record companies press limited edition singles (many of which become instant collectibles). The concept has since gone global and is celebrated at most record shops across Belgium.

6-8 May Across Brussels belgianfoodtruckfestival. be

SLEEPING BEAUTY Some stories continue to enthral audiences centuries after they are first told.

Charles Perrault’s 17thcentury fairytale Sleeping Beauty is one of them.

First adapted for ballet over 100 years ago by Marius Petipa, Beauty was revisited in 1987 by Marcia Haydée. The Brazilian choreographer retained the technical complexity and original Tchaikovsky score of Petipa’s 19th-century opus but added contemporary elements, including new sets and costumes by Chilean designer Pablo Nuñez.

23 March-17 April Ghent Opera and Stadsschouwburg Antwerpen operaballet.be

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16 April recordstoreday.be

• Irish Theatre Group: Getting to Here 12-16 April, Warehouse Studio Theatre, Rue Waelham, Brussels, theatreinbrussels. com • Full Circle: Ruth Rogers: A River Café Story 13 April, Brussels, fullcircle.eu • Annual Brontë Weekend 16 & 17 April, Auderghem cultural centre, thebrussels brontegroup.org • Feats theatre competition 5-8 May, Woluwe-SaintPierre cultural centre, theatreinbrussels.com • Brussels Light Opera Company Spring Show 25-29 May, De Bosuil, Jezus-Eik, theatreinbrussels.com • Full Circle: Jean-Marie Ghislain: Deep Fears & Beauty 2 June, Brussels, fullcircle.eu

What’s new ACCESSORY Tablet Workstation Pro-DLX 4 Samsonite may be renowned for its hard-sided cases that resist a lifetime of globetrotting, but their soft-yet-sturdy cabin baggage is of a similar quality and style. This ultimate power briefcase is

part of its latest business range. Open the front compartment of the carryon and check your emails, finish a presentation or keep yourself entertained.

From €199.

samsonite.be

RESTAURANT Le Toast Brussels’ first toast bar offers the ultimate comfort food served with cocktails mixed by a professional bartender.

The Art Deco basement of Cinéma Galeries in Galeries de la Reine serves croque monsieurs and open toasted

sandwiches such as butternut carpaccio, rocket pesto and lobster. Sweet versions include grilled banana and chocolate.

Filmgoers can also enjoy cornets of Iberia ham during screenings.

le-toast.com

JEWELLERY Marianne Timperman Mother and daughter Marianne and Valerie explore traditional techniques from the Far East to create contemporary pieces, including this Pipa necklace. Their handmade jewellery is sold in their Rue Dansaert boutique in Brussels. From €20-€700.

mariannetimperman.be expat time • spring • 2016 •

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Last word •

The world’s best hellhole

I

t doesn’t happen too often, but sometimes I’m called on to explain Belgium. The last time it happened was back in November, after Brussels went into lockdown for several days due to terrorists on the loose.

I got a call from BBC Scotland asking if I could talk about the situation. I’d love to, I said. How long have I got? Five minutes, said Brian.

✶ By Derek Blyth

Brussels can be a little messy at times.

But it’s not exactly the sixth circle of hell

Five minutes, I thought. I’d need five minutes just to explain the consequences of the sixth constitutional reforms. And an hour at the very minimum to deal with the division of the country into three regions, three language communities and seven parliaments.

And don’t get me started on the 19 Brussels communes, six police districts, two official languages and four different colours of rubbish bag. It’s very complicated, Belgians always tell you when they’re asked to explain their country.

But people today are impatient. They want the story in five minutes, or 140 Twitter characters, or a two-minute YouTube video. The modern world doesn’t do complicated. It does simple. And it wants it fast.

Some people have argued that Belgium needs a better communications strategy to get across a clear message. You need to be more like the Dutch, they will say, who have managed to reduce a country of 17 million people to a few neat images – tulips, Rembrandt and bicycles.

But how on earth could you even begin to reduce Belgium to a few simple images? You might go for a typical national dish, like moules-frites, but you would have to mention that there are at least 50 ways of preparing them.

Or you might decide to use beer as a symbol, but then you’d have to explain that there are more than 800 small breweries dotted around the land, some no larger than an apartment, but each one brewing something they consider the perfect beer.

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It may seem like an impossible challenge, but we need to do something, because the image of Belgium has never been worse. Back in November, when Brian called me from Scotland, people were comparing Belgium to a failed state.

A couple of months later, Donald Trump told a Fox News reporter that Brussels was a “living hell”.

Excuse me, Mr Trump, I thought. Brussels can be a little messy at times. And no one is arguing about the collapsing road tunnels and leaky museum roofs. But it’s not exactly the sixth circle of hell.

I was expecting locals to be outraged. But that’s not the way it goes in Belgium. People here are pretty relaxed, so the first thing they did was to post some beautiful photographs of Brussels using the Twitter hashtag #hellholebrussels. A few days later, the concert venue Ancienne Belgique put up a sign outside the entrance that read: “Welcome to the hellhole.”

Maybe that provides a clue about what you need to emphasise if you want to create a positive image of Belgium. It might be a hellhole, but it’s the best hellhole in the world.