News and Events -----------

With the recent further delay to the introduction of the EU’s Entry/ Exit System (EES), and the reintroduction of some border controls within the EU, we try to make sense of the current and future state of border controls between the UK and the EU. 

Border controls

Temporary reintroduction of border controls have now been announced by three of Belgium's neighbours. The first to move was Germany, followed by France, and now the Netherlands has announced that it will be introducing border checks from the end of November as part of its new Asylum package. The checks are likely to be implemented by the Dutch Royal Military Police. 

Travellers will need to be ready to provide valid identification and proof of residence, such as a passport and/ or EU residence card, at border checks.

EES

The introduction of EES has been much delayed having originally been scheduled for implementation in 2022. The latest delay was announced in mid-October when the planned launch date (10 November 2024) was pulled with the European Commission saying that EES was being postponed again and plans were being developed to roll out the EES in a phased manner “in the coming weeks”.

The EES is an automated IT system for registering travellers from non-EU countries each time they cross a border into or out of the EU. Travellers will need to scan their passports or other travel documents at an automated self-service kiosk prior to crossing the border. The EES will replace manual stamping of passports. The system will register the person’s name, type of the travel document, biometric data (fingerprints and captured facial images) and the date and place of entry and exit.

Once the EES is in place, non-EU/Schengen citizens who do not require a visa to enter the EU will need to provide fingerprint and facial images at the first instance that they cross into the EU. That data will be stored in the system and erased for data protection reasons three years after the last trip to a country using the EES system. Children under the age of 12 will be exempt from the requirement to give fingerprints.

The EES will apply when entering 25 EU countries (all Member States apart from Cyprus and Ireland) and four non-EU countries (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein) that are part of the border-free Schengen area.

The system will apply to all nationals of countries that are not in the EU or Schengen when travelling to the 29 countries operating EES for short stays. Non-EU citizens who are legally resident or have long-stay visas to live in an EU Member State will be exempt from EES.

Isn’t there an app for that?

Apparently, work is being undertaken in the EU on an online pre-registration process for EES to minimise delays and other issues at the border, but the app for this was not expected to be ready for the 10 November launch. In addition, several EU member States indicated that their systems were not ready and the EU’s software had not been tested at UK border points.

The European Commission has previously insisted that it aims to launch the EES at all relevant border crossings simultaneously. However, when announcing the latest postponement in mid-October, the EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said there was not a new timetable for its implementation, but it would be “a phased approach, step by step." We will see how the timetable develops into 2025.

ETIAS

EES is designed to operate in conjunction with the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). ETIAS has also been repeatedly delay alongside EES, as it is meant to come into operation a few months after EES.

ETIAS will apply to British and other non-EU/non Schengen country citizens travelling to all EU Member States, with the exception of Ireland. It will also apply for travel to the four non-EU Schengen countries.

The citizens of a number of countries (including the UK) do not need currently need a visa to travel to the EU/Schengen area. The ETIAS travel authorisation will be required for citizens of all countries that have such a visa-waiver to travel to the EU/Schengen area. An exception will be for UK-Ireland travel as there is a Common Travel Area between these two countries.

Applications for an ETIAS authorisation will be made online or via a mobile app and submitted data will be checked against EU information systems for borders, justice and security. Normally travel authorisations will be issued within minutes, but any applicants that raise flags on the EU systems may require further security checks, which could delay authorisation for up to 30 days.

An ETIAS authorisation will last for three years (after which it will need to be renewed), or until the holder’s passport expires (whichever is sooner). Each authorisation costs €7 for people aged 18 to 70, but will be free for people aged under 18 or over 70.

UK nationals and their family members who have rights to reside in the EU under the Withdrawal Agreement (i.e. they were resident in an EU Member State at the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020) are exempt from ETIAS. And can travel to other EU/Schengen countries without an ETIAS authorisation as long as they hold documents ((for Belgium your M-card or equivalent) proving their status.

ETIAS is similar to the US ESTA system, where visitors pay a one-off fee (currently $21) for a travel authorisation which lasts for two years.

ETA

The UK Government is also introducing a similar system for non-UK travellers to the UK, the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). This has been implemented since the end of 2023 for visitors from Gulf countries and is now being expanded globally.

Everyone wishing to travel to the UK, except UK and Irish citizens, will need to obtain permission to travel in advance either through an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or an eVisa.

From 27 November 2024, eligible non-Europeans can apply for an ETA and will need an ETA to travel to the UK from 8 January 2025. ETAs will then extend to eligible Europeans from 5 March 2025, who will need at ETA to travel to the UK from 2 April 2025.

ETAs are digitally linked to a traveller’s passport and ensure more robust security checks can be carried out before people begin their journey to the UK, helping to prevent abuse of the immigration system. An ETA costs £10 and permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time over a period of two years or until the holder’s passport expires, whichever is sooner. Anyone needing to apply for an ETA will be able to do so through a quick and simple process using the UK ETA app.

Why are most gases invisible, odourless and tasteless? Why do some poison us and others make us laugh? And why do some explode while others are content just to make drinks fizzy? On the evening of Wednesday 20 November 2024, The Royal Society of Chemistry, Belgium section will be welcoming well-known material scientist and broadcaster Professor Mark Miodownik to talk about his new popular science book ‘It’s a Gas’. Subtitled ‘The Magnificent and Elusive Elements that Expand Our World’ Mark’s new book masterfully reveals an invisible world through his unique brand of scientific storytelling.

Taking us back to that exhilarating – and often dangerous – moment when scientists tried to work out exactly what they had discovered, Mark’s talk will show us that gases are the formative substances of our modern world, each with its own weird and wonderful personality. We will see how seventeenth-century laughing gas parties led to the first use of anaesthetics in surgery, how the invention of the air valve in musical instruments gave us bicycles, cars and trainers, and how gases made us masters of the sea (by huge steamships) and skies (via extremely flammable balloons). Mark will reveal the immense importance of gases to modern civilisation.

Registration

This talk is free and will take place at the British School of Brussels (BSB) in Tervuren, however prior registration is compulsory to comply with BSB Security arrangements. To register please use this online form.

The talk will start at 19h30 prompt and will be in the Brel Theatre at BSB. A networking drinks reception will be held after the talk.

About Mark

A Financial Times Master of Science and chosen by The Times as one of the 100 most influential scientists in the UK, Mark is Professor of Materials and Society at University College London, where he is also Director of the Institute of Making. He is the author of the book Stuff Matters – a New York Times bestseller which won the Royal Society Winton Prize – and Liquid , which was shortlisted for the same prize. He presents BBC TV and radio programmes on science and engineering such as Everyday Miracles and How It Works .

If you survive Halloween the Bridge Theatre have more eerie thrills for you in November with an original production on a strictly limited run! Radiant Vermin, written by Philip Ridley and directed by André Agius, is a supernatural dark and edgy comedy that explores the housing crisis, gentrification and homelessness.

The 100-minute performance features young couple, Ollie and Jill, who are mysteriously given a new house by the government. But the dwelling needs renovation, which they can't afford. However, after a late-night encounter with an intruder, they discover they can renovate their house without any cost...or so they think.

This English language production has an incredible all-star cast with two West End actors, Matilda Tucker and Santino Smith, and Belgian drag superstar, Sederginne.

The play will be performed at La Tricoterie, Rue Théodore Verhaegen 158, 1060 St Gilles from 5 to 23 November and is recommended for all ages over ten years old.

For all performances doors and the bar open at 19h00 and the performance will start promptly at 20h00 (no late admissions). Some performances will include a Post-Show Talk and Q&A with a Special Guest.

For more information, including booking, visit The Bridge Theatre website.

The Brussels Branch of the Royal British Legion will be holding its annual Service of Remembrance and Commemoration at the beautiful Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery at Heverlee, south of Leuven, on Sunday 10 November 2024 from 10h45.

This year the service will mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of many Belgian cities and towns by the Allies. The cemetery at Heverlee is the final resting place of more than 1,000 service men and women from seven nations and from both World Wars.

The event will be held in the presence of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Belgium, H.E. Anne Sherriff, and she will be joined by veterans, civilians and serving military personnel from the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Poland, New Zealand, the United States and other nations. The Military Wives Choir Belgium and local Scout groups will also participate in the service.

The Service of Commemoration will be led by the Revd Canon John Wilkinson and a collection will be taken after the Service in aid of the annual Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

This service is open to all and if you have any questions about the event, please contact Phil Hyde, the RBL Brussels Events Coordinator.

On Saturday 12 October the Brussels Evensong Choir will be performing at Holy Trinity, 29 Rue Capitaine Crespel, 1050 Brussels from 17h00. The choir will be conducted by Margaret Scott and the organist is Nils Engstrom.

The hour-long programme of choral music will consist of four pieces:

• Introit – Locus Iste - Bruckner
• Preces and Responses – Smith
• Evening canticles in C – Stanford
• Anthem – When David Heard – Tomkins

A date for your dancin’ diary – The Crawlin’ Kingsnakes will be playing ‘live’ at The Wild Geese pub on Saturday 5 October and admission is free.

The Crawlin' Kingsnakes are: Akis Meimaridis on lead vocals, Dimitri Giotakos playing piano and  keyboards, Eric Godart on lead guitar, Malcolm Parry supplying harmonica, slide guitar and backing vocals, Max Dedecker on bass, and Charlie White 'thumping the tubs' on drums.

The Crawlin' Kingsnakes draw their inspiration from a wide range of Rhythm and Blues stars from Elmore James and John Lee Hooker to the Animals and the Doors. Rock is an important element in their music and they certainly know how to insert it in their playlist without betraying their R ‘n B orientation.

See you there? The Wild Geese is situated on Avenue Livingstone 2-4, 1000 Brussels.

Are you a (relatively) fit UK expat? Do/ did you have ambitions to play international football? If you can answer yes to both those questions Tom Denney, manager of UKFC, is interested to hear from you.

UKFC is an 11-a-side football team of UK expats playing in the Brussels Euroleague that consists of over a dozen international teams. All the league matches take place in or around the Brussels region throughout the week in the evenings or at weekends.

Tom is looking for new players in all positions to strengthen the UK team squad for the 2024/25 season. The UK team organises its fixtures through whatsapp and email.

If you are looking to revitalise your international football career then get in touch with Tom by email or message him on +32 472 64 20 99.

Your country needs you!

On Saturday 21 September St Paul’s church in Tervuren is organising a ‘More than British Breakfast’ event from 09h00 at the De Foyer café Warandepoort in Tervuren. In a relaxed environment you can get to meet people and chat together over an informal breakfast. The event will also hear from a couple of influential people speaking about their work and leadership in a multi-cultural environment.

The speakers at the breakfast event will be Chloe Louter, Chargée d’Affaires at the British Embassy in Brussels, and Dr Paul Vrolijk a Thinking Partner, Mentor, and Life-Coach.

This event is happening at De Foyer café Warandepoort, Markt 7B, Tervuren and parking is available either in Tervuren Park or on the marketplace close by.

Tickets for the breakfast are on sale now and cost €15. To register and purchase tickets, follow this link.

About St Paul’s

St Paul’s has recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and is located in the commune of Tervuren on the eastern outskirts of Brussels. The congregation is a mixture of international families and Belgian nationals. With our many diverse cultural backgrounds and Christian affiliations, the church works to support a multi-generational and loving Christian community.

Sunday mornings are the church’s main gathering with informal worship, in-depth Biblical teaching and programmes for children and youth running simultaneously. On weekdays, smaller groups play a really important part in helping people grow in their faith and share and pray with each other. Other courses are also available for those who want to explore faith for the first time or want a place where they can come with questions and ask whatever they wish.

It is not just Brussels, but the whole of Belgium, that is preparing to celebrate the 80th anniversary of its liberation from Nazi occupation during World War Two with festivities, ceremonies and tributes across the country.

Just three months after the Allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day and five long years after the UK and France declared war on Nazi Germany, the Allied forces started the liberation of Belgium in September 1944 with Mons being the first Belgian city to be liberated on 2 September, swiftly followed by Brussels and Antwerp.

You can find information about liberation celebrations in Brussels here and The Bulletin has a comprehensive list of the commemorations happening around the country here.

The Brussels Women's Club (BWC) is kicking off its 2024-25 programme with an Open Day on Thursday 12 September from 10h00 to 13h00. The BWC is the largest English-speaking women's club in Belgium with a membership that includes over 25 different nationalities – all are welcome!

Whether you’re a newcomer to Belgium or have lived here for years, if you're interested in expanding your social life, learning a new skill, or staying fit, the Open Day is your opportunity to see what's on offer with the BWC.

Find more information on the Open Day here.

BWC Mega-Brocante

Pick up a bargain at the Mega-Brocante at the BWC on Saturday 29 September from 10h00 to 14h00! If you are looking for a something really unique and unusual, either for yourself or for someone special, then make sure to come along. In addition to the usual brocante items, you’ll find hand-made jewellery, home-made cakes, marmalades and jams, and lots more. And while you’re browsing, enjoy the BWC’s Non-Stop Café goodies.

Find more information on the BWC Mega-Brocante here.