MAY 13, 2015
WEEK in brief The number of English-speaking schools in Belgium grew by 50% over the last five years, according to figures from the International School Consultancy Group. In 2010, there were 35 pre-schools, primary or secondary schools with 18,000 pupils; by 2015 the numbers had gone up to 45 schools with 25,000 pupils. The NGO consortium 12-12 has raised €2.15 million for Nepal, with a target of €5 million for the whole of Belgium. 12-12 consists of Caritas International, Doctors of the World, Handicap International, Oxfam, Plan België and Unicef. \ www.1212.be.
Flemish economy minister Philippe Muyters has suspended pay-out of the 2015 subsidy for Technopolis, the hands-on science centre for children in Mechelen, while he awaits the presentation of a new action plan aimed at solving the centre’s problems. An external audit recently revealed problems with management and business culture at Technopolis, as well as a lack of financial transparency. The audit followed an open letter published at the end of last year from a number of former and current employees. This year’s Belfius Press Prize has gone to three investigative journalists – Kristof Clerix of MO*magazine, Lars Bové of De Tijd and Xavier Counasse of Le Soir – who worked with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists on “LuxLeaks”, the shady deals made with the Luxembourg tax authorities designed to help bank customers avoid paying tax. An Uber driver was found guilty last week of acting in breach of taxi regulations, but the court chose not to pronounce
face of flanders sentence in the first criminal action related to the ridesharing service operating in Brussels. The drivers’ vehicle, however, was confiscated. Ridesharing, the court said, does not include payment for services. The official taxi association welcomed the verdict; Uber said it would do “everything possible” to support its driver, including a possible appeal. The Chinese telecommunications company Huawei plans to open a new European research institute in Leuven, founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei announced last week on a visit to the European Business Summit in Brussels. The institute will oversee the activities of 18 of Huawei’s R&D sites in eight European countries, which employ 1,200 researchers working on developing next-generation network technology.
Jozef De Witte, who heads the government’s Centre for Equal Opportunities and the Fight against Racism, has been named as the new intendant, or general manager, of the National Orchestra of Belgium. De Witte joins the orchestra as it faces costcutting measures that require it to explore synergies with the De Munt opera house orchestra. Red Cross Flanders raised €2.8 million from its annual sale of comic strip stickers. The organisation sold 565,000 – 40,000 more than last year. The money goes to operational expenses of the local branches. Meanwhile, the Red Cross action for Nepal has raised just over €500,000 in Flanders.
The American TV network The CW, part-owned by CBS and Time Warner, plans a remake of the Flemish drama series Cordon, following the success of a pilot episode. The series was produced in Flanders by Eyeworks for VTM, and told the story of an outbreak of a deadly virus in Antwerp. The US version, to be directed by David Nutter (The X-Files, Game of Thrones) will be set in Atlanta.
The Young Brassband of Willebroek, made up of musicians under the age of 22, has won the European Brass Band Championships in Freiburg, Germany, becoming Belgium’s first winner of the competition. Lode Violet, the band’s principal cornet, also won a soloist award. The senior version of the band, made up of older musicians, won a silver medal.
Two groups of cycling activists gathered on the border between the Brussels-Capital Region and Flemish Brabant last week to have breakfast and publicise their support for Fiets-GEN, the regional express network of cycle paths linking Brussels with the periphery. The delegations, one from Brussels and the other from Halle, met on the border, together with Brussels ministers Bianca Debaets (road safety) and Pascal Smet (mobility), as well as representatives of Flemish mobility minister Ben Weyts and Flemish Brabant
The only person to have died as a result of the 2013 train crash in Wetteren, East Flanders, has still to be cremated two years after the accident, it was revealed last week. Willy Van Poucke died as a result of toxic fumes that came up out of the sewers into his home, caused by burning chemicals in the train’s cargo. His body cannot be released for cremation until the judicial enquiry into the accident is completed. Last week provincial governor Jan Briers attended a brief remembrance ceremony by the temporary grave.
OFFSIDE Ostrich outrage When the Gielis tomato plantation in Lier started losing money four years ago, the family was faced with a choice: either find some other more profitable activity or move away altogether. The family decided to turn their land into a petting farm, ’t Struisvogelnest, named after their star attraction – ostriches. Together with alpacas and wallabies and the more usual barnyard inhabitants, the place was soon doing great business, with regular visits from schools and families. Some people who had opted for the quiet of rural life couldn’t put up with children running about
province. The region has promised 15 new routes by 2025, but the necessary investments are being delayed, protesters said.
© Courtesy De Standaard
Paul Kumpen The slicked-back hair and the often flamboyant dress (to which our photo does not do justice) suggest an old-time racing driver, and that’s no surprise because that’s what Paul Kumpen used to be. These days he leaves the life in the fast lane to his son, Anthony, who won last year’s Nascar Whelen Euro Series. The elder Kumpen, 65, has more down-to-earth things on his mind. He’s the CEO of Kumpen NV, a construction company, and presently chair of Voka Limburg, the provincial branch of the Flemish chamber of commerce. Last week it was announced he is to replace Voka’s national chair, Michel Delbaere from October. Voka formed in 2004, when the eight regional Flemish chambers of commerce formed an alliance with the Flemish Economic Union. The organisation is now one of the main social partners in the social-economic council of Flanders, giving it a direct input into Flemish government policy. The companies that make up its membership employ 910,000 people and represent
66% of the private sector jobs in the region. Voka is currently coming to the end of a complicated round of re-organisation, with a review of the working relationship between the eight local chambers and the headquarters, which recently moved into brand new offices in Brussels. An important part of Kumpen’s job will be to steer the organisation into its new structure – the chair is far from being a figurehead: His predecessors in the post, Delbaere of West Flanders frozen food company Crop’s and Luc Debruyckere of fresh food group Ter Beke, have been actively involved in every aspect of Voka’s work, alongside director-general Jo Libeer. “Paul Kumpen has all the qualities required to make a success of Voka’s renewal process,” Delbaere said on news of the appointment. “Enterprise is in his blood. Besides that, he will be able to count on his years of experience as chair of the Limburg chamber of commerce, as well as in the sector where he is professionally active.” \ Alan Hope
Flanders Today, a weekly English-language newspaper, is an initiative of the Flemish Region and is financially supported by the Flemish authorities.
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squealing, playing on the bouncy castle and driving about the place on blue toy tractors. Nor could they stand the traffic that suddenly clogged the tiny local roads. Last week the farm received a fine from a bailiff of €21,000 after neighbours reported them for making their ostrich egg pancakes for visitors, for which it has no
licence. For the Gielis family, it’s the latest attempt to harass them out of their property. For their lawyer, it’s something every other petting farm in Flanders gets away with. For the plaintiffs, it’s nipping in the bud what they see as the tip of the iceberg – birthday parties, weddings, etc. Lier mayor Frank Boogaerts doesn’t know where to turn. He met with both sides and hopes to get them together around the table soon. In the meantime, the Gielis family have turned to the 21st century version of arbitration, with a Facebook page calling for support for ’t Struisvogelnest. \ AH
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