Belgium

Hundreds of farmers from all over Europe gathered in the capital Brussels to protest against the green deal on the occasion of extraordinary summit that is supposed to discuss how to respond to the protests

The Belgian federal government is launching a new awareness-raising campaign to urge citizens to get a free box of iodine tablets to keep in their homes, especially those living within 20 kilometres of a nuclear plant

Belgian prison staff went on a 24-hour strike starting at 10 p.m. on Thursday evening to protest against overcrowding and poor working conditions; Belgian prisons currently house around 12.000 people, exceeding the capacity by around 1.300 inmates

Mobile data usage nearly doubled (+95%) on New Year's Eve compared to the previous year, operator Proximus announced, according to figures compiled between 20:00 on 31 December and 08:00 on 1 January

As part of a national action plan to combat sepsis, the country is mobilising a specialised team; a recent Belgian TV programme on this potentially lethal disease caused a stir in parliament

Various Belgian and European civil society groups started a two-week 'Not this Pact' campaign with the aim of cancelling the currently negotiated EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and starting afresh

The centuries-old typical Belgian irrigation technique has been recognised by UNESCO as a intangible cultural heritage of humanity; the irrigation technique is linked to a specific vocabulary and requires knowledge handed down from older generations

Although the energy crisis is over, some 40.000 eligible Belgians are still waiting for last year's basic support package; the federal government spent more than €2 billion on two energy premium packages for the winter 2022-2023

The urban think tank and activist group ARAU has launched a procedure to protect the Palais du Midi in Brussels, through an application to the European programme 7 Most Endangered Monuments, managed by Europa Nostra

The government of the Brussels-Capital Region will grant the transport operator STIB additional funds to increase security in metro stations and direct homeless and drug addicts to an appropriate shelter and assistance programme

Fir and spruce farms are facing a devastating crisis due to beetle larvae decimating the roots of saplings, causing severe economic damage; Belgium is one of the European exporters of fir trees, commonly used as Christmas trees