Europe Belgium A budget of €2 million has been approved to scale up a project involving offshore floating solar panels at sea; if successful, Belgium would be the first country in the world to do this
Europe Belgium Federal government has extended a reduction of excise duty on diesel and gasoline to the end of the year to provide relief to consumers in the face of soaring energy prices - the measure was first intended until September
Europe Belgium Many changes scheduled for this month have been implemented: from new e-scooter laws to stricter technical inspections, from Brussels’ Low Emission Zone (LEZ) fines to all retailers to offer at least one electronic payment method
Europe Belgium The three largest trade unions organised a nationwide strike in Brussels on Monday to protest against wage legislation and demand more purchasing power for workers, kicking off a series of nationwide strikes this week
Europe Belgium The Brussels municipality of Evere is banning the consumption of alcohol in public spaces between 20:00 and 07:00 from today, for an indefinite period; selling alcoholic beverages will be still allowed in bars and restaurants
Europe Belgium The minimum age to vote in European elections has been lowered to sixteen for all European citizens resident in the country; the law, proposed in 2021, has now been approved by parliament
Europe Belgium Among EU countries, Belgium has the highest percentage of fruit and vegetables contaminated with toxic pesticides - pesticides were found in 34% of the country's samples, according to the report by Pesticide Action Network Europe
Europe Belgium The popularity of rock climbing is growing in Brussels and soon enthusiasts will be able to practice it in the Saint-Antoine church in the Forest district, which will be used as a climbing hall
Europe Belgium Belgian households have seen the sharpest rise in domestic energy costs of any EU capital in the past year according to latest study by the European Agency for Cooperation of Energy Regulators
Europe Belgium Despite the significant drop in Ukrainian refugees arriving, asylum seekers numbers are much higher than regular figures and people are still needed to offer temporary accommodation
Europe Belgium According to a new report by the National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology, domestic violence is responsible for around 10% of deaths nationwide; 30-49 year olds are the group most affected by domestic violence
Europe Belgium The country will ban round goldfish tanks as they cause stress to the fish; government documents state that round tanks have a smaller water surface area than square or rectangular ones, affecting the oxygen uptake capacity of the water
Europe Belgium According to a report by Het Laatste Nieuws, US President Biden's visit to the city has been accompanied by about 50 vehicles and 500 to 1.000 staff members, at an estimated cost of €6,8 million, or €2.368 per minute