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

Whether you are relocating, investing, or planning your dream home abroad, understanding your borrowing options is key. To help, the Expat Welcome Desk is organising an ‘in person’ seminar at lunchtime on Thursday 20 November at their Brussels office.

The seminar will provide a clear overview of the key considerations, challenges, and available solutions related to borrowing and mortgages for expatriates in Belgium. It will share up-to-date insights and practical information to help participants better navigate the Belgian lending and mortgage environment.

To register for the seminar email contact@commissioner.brussels before 16h00 on Friday 13 November. But be quick, places are limited (60 maximum) and the session will not be live streamed or recorded.

The venue for the seminar will be the Office of the Brussels Commissioner for Europe and International Organisations (CEIO) at 63 Avenue d’Auderghem, 1040 Etterbeek.

The session will be moderated by Selma Mitri, Legal Advisor-Manager at the Expat Welcome Desk and the speakers will be Franky Van den Broucke and Nina Zynga, both from ING Belgium.

Presentations will start at 12h00 and will be followed by a Q&A session and a sandwich lunch.

Our Autumn 2025 e-Newsletter has just been published and sent to our members contact list.

As ever the newsletter highlights recent community news and forthcoming exciting community events including BBCA events – don’t forget our fabulous Christmas Reception on 15 December!  A range of other community activities plus many dates for your diary into the New Year are also featured.

You can access a pdf copy of the newsletter here. Enjoy!

On the evening of Thursday 4 December 2025 the rising British vocal ensemble The Mancunium Consort from Manchester will be performing a special advent concert at the Domaine de la Bataille 1815 in Waterloo.

In Waterloo, the audience will experience an exceptional and innovative evening, as the concert will take place in the heart of the museum, blending the richness of the British choral tradition with some beautiful Christmas carols.

The cost of entrance (€30) includes:

• A visit to the museum from 18h30 to 19h45
• The concert in various spaces throughout the museum at 20h:00
• A complimentary drink after the concert, in the presence of the singers

Prior reservation is required, and you can reserve your tickets by contacting the performance promoter Guy Geron via email.

The Mancunium Consort is a professional vocal ensemble originating in Manchester, UK founded by Harry Mobbs and Joseph Taylor in 2023. Their ambition is to share the joy and passion for Choral Music with a global audience, and to widen the platform for professional singers in the North of the UK.

Considered to be one of the finest a cappella octets in the United Kingdom, before crossing the Channel, the group will have completed an extensive tour in their home including performances in Cardiff, London, Liverpool, and Folkestone.

They will also be performing two further concerts in Belgium on 5 December (Korsele) and 6 December (Mons). You can hear a sample of their music here. 

Our Friends at British in Europe have been working on the EU-funded ICE (Inform, Connect, Empower) project. As part of this they have drafted a legal report on the (Brexit) Withdrawal Agreement (WA) and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights implementation for the 1.2 million UK citizens living in the EU.

This is the first report of its kind focusing on this community, backed up by BiE’s practical experience of the WA negotiations and cases that BiE have worked on across 11 country groups within the ICE project. You can access the full report here. 

The report outlines a number of recommendations from the ICE project based on BiE’s experience of implementation of the WA since 2020. These are listed below.

1. Up to date information and instructions on upgrading to permanent residence

In 2025 and 2026, the majority of WA beneficiary rights holders’ and their family members’ status under the WA will evolve and upgrade to permanent residence. During this period, BiE recommend:

- Ongoing monitoring of the process by the European Commission;

- Clear and regular reminders from the European Commission to national authorities concerning the requirements for the acquisition of permanent residence and the rules around absences;

- Requests to national authorities to keep their websites up to date and that central instructions are sent to the authorities at national/regional/local level;

- Central publicity and information to WA beneficiaries about the evolution of their status and how they may obtain a new residence card evidencing their acquisition of permanent residence.

2. Publicity about the EES and ETIAS systems and how they will apply to WA beneficiaries

Providing clear information about how WA beneficiaries and their family members will be affected by the new EU entry/exit systems is crucial. Practical guidelines on how these systems will work on the ground and across different entry and exit points across the EU (e.g. airports, train stations, ports) are key.

3. Collecting data on WA implementation across the EU

The work of BiE has highlighted the need for more up to date statistics concerning issues that arise with WA implementation. This is particularly important during 2025 and 2026 as upgrades to permanent residence occur and the new EES system is put in place.

4. Strategic litigation

There are several key questions concerning WA implementation that would benefit from referral to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU). For example, whether family reunification rights of WA beneficiaries can only be used once for any individual family member remains an open question. The Commission has not to date brought any cases against Member States in relation to potential breaches of the WA relating to citizens’ rights, and citizens’ rights groups have to date lacked funding to initiate strategic litigation.

5. Funding organisations that provide advice to WA beneficiaries

Information on issues concerning WA implementation is largely identified through citizens’ rights organisations working across the EU and through Your Europe Advice, the EU’s outsourced advice service, where WA beneficiaries regularly turn for advice on their legal position. Both citizens’ rights organisations representing the interests of WA beneficiaries, and Your Europe Advice must continue to be funded to do this work.

You can support British in Europe’s work by making a donation through this webpage.

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 9 November 2025 from 10h45.

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.

This year’s 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. Once again 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 contact Mika-John Southworth, the RBL Brussels Events Coordinator. David Bizley, RBL Brussels Poppy Appeal Coordinator, can also provide wreaths and purchase details.

The Entry/Exit System (EES) started operation on 12 October and will be deployed gradually across the external borders of the 29 European countries in the Schengen Area (25 EU member states and 4 non-EU countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland)) over a period of six months. These European countries will introduce the different elements of the EES in phases, including the collection of biometric data, such as facial image and fingerprints. It is planned that from 10 April 2026, the EES will be fully operational at all Schengen external border crossing points.

But how does the EES apply to Brexit Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries?

UK nationals and their family members who are beneficiaries of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement will be exempt from registration in the EES only if they hold a specific residence document. These documents are:

• a valid Withdrawal Agreement residence document issued by the Member State that is their Withdrawal Agreement host State (M card in Belgium);
• a valid Withdrawal Agreement frontier worker document issued by the Member State that is their Withdrawal Agreement State of work (N card in Belgium) ;
• a valid special temporary Withdrawal Agreement residence document issued by the Member State that is their Withdrawal Agreement host State; or
• a certain valid residence permit.

Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries who do not hold any of the above documents will be registered in the EES. They can later ask to have their data deleted or amended in the system if they show that they hold any of the above documents.

Find out more EES FAQs here: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/faq#how-does-ees-apply-to-withdrawal-agreement

The Bridge Theatre is bringing  the musical ‘tick, tick...BOOM!’ to Brussels from 14 October to 2 November at the Stassart House venue.  This renowned musical by Jonathan Larson (the creator of Rent) was adapted as a movie by Netflix a couple of years ago.

Jon, an aspiring composer, is nearing 30 and feeling the pressure. While waiting tables, he struggles to finish the musical he hopes will change everything. But time is ticking—his girlfriend wants to leave the city, his best friend has chosen a corporate path, and Jon is torn between security and a dream that may never come true. Fuelled by a driving rock score, this semi-autobiographical story pulses with passion, doubt, and possibility.

The Bridge Theatre production stars Djavan van de Fliert (Frozen, Les Misérables – West End), Dan Buckley (The Book of Mormon – West End), and Laura Marie Benson (Madagascar The Musical – UK & International Tour). The play is directed and choreographed by Ewan Jones.

tick, tick...BOOM! by Jonathan Larson will be performed from 14 October to 2 November 2025, Tuesday-Saturday at 20h00 with a matinee on Sundays at 15h00, at the Stassart House , Rue de Stassart 34, 1050 Brussels.

Come for the Play, stay for a Talk

After selected performances, The Bridge Theatre is hosting special Post-Show Talks with inspiring speakers, making the link between the themes of the play and our everyday lives and realities. So, at the end of the play you can grab a drink at the bar and come back for a discussion (of 30-45 minutes) with guest speakers who reflect on different aspects of the play’s central theme: The Price of Ambition.

More information and tickets here: https://thebridge.brussels/ticktickboom

The Arts Society Brussels asbl (previously known as BRIDFAS) looks to bring people together through a shared curiosity for the arts. Each season the society presents eight illustrated lectures given by renowned experts in their field. The 2025-26 season will kick off on Wednesday 8 October with a talk from Barbara Askew entitled ‘Charles I, King and Collector’. The full 2025-26 programme is shown below.

All the talks are held on Wednesday evenings at the Woluwe-Saint-Lambert Town Hall (Tomberg metro) and are conducted live and also via Zoom (registration required).

Full season membership costs €110, with an ‘Early bird’  fee available for €100 until the end of September. Half-season fee (from January) costs €55, while guests are welcome to attend individual talks at a cost of €15 per session (€8 for students). Registration for Zoom attendance is €10 per session.

In-person participants are welcome to meet up from 19h30 for complimentary drinks before each talk, with the lecture commencing at 20h00.

For more information visit the Arts Society Brussels website or email: brussels@theartssociety.org

The Brussels Women's Club (BWC) are kicking off their Autumn 2025 season of activities on Tuesday 23 September with an Open/ Welcome Day at the BWC Clubhouse in Woluwe Saint Pierre.

Whether you’re a newcomer to Belgium or have lived here for years, you’ll find new friends, experiences and community at the BWC, the largest English-speaking women’s club in Belgium! Have a chat with BWC members over complimentary tea, coffee and delicious home-made cakes. There is no need to register just pop in!

More information here and in the poster below.

Following on from the Welcome Day the BWC will be holding a Brocante/Plant Fair at the Clubhouse on Saturday 4 October.

Why not pop in and snatch up a bargain!  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 home-made cakes, marmalades and jams, special gifts, and of course…plants. And while you’re browsing, enjoy the Non-Stop Café goodies!

More information on the event here and in the poster below.

The American Drama Group Europe in association with TNT Britain will bring Shakespeare’s finest comedy ‘Much ado about nothing’ to the courtyard of Kasteel van Groot-Bijgaarden on the afternoon of Tuesday 23 September 2025.

The group, based in Munich, undertake an annual tour of Europe in the summer performing English theatre in the open air in castle gardens and courtyards across the continent; looking to link anglophone culture with the local historical heritage.

The performance at Kasteel van Bijgaarden will commence at 13h30 and tickets, with prices starting at €13, can be obtained from this site.

The production is directed by Paul Stebbings and the producer is Grantly Marshall.

ADG Europe plays always include live music, and the score for ‘Much ado about nothing’ has been adapted by Paul Flush and will mix Mozart with a dash of jazz. The style of production is fast, furious and funny, with a careful attention to Shakespeare’s poetry.  

You can read more about the production here.

The 12^th century Kasteel van Groot-Bijgaarden is situated in the commune of Dilbeek,just to the north of Brussels, and has a very fine garden.