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

It may still be summer, but its never too early to plan ahead!

It is therefore with great pleasure that the Brussels British Community Association (BBCA) requests your company at their annual Christmas Cocktail event to be held (subject to relevant COVID restrictions at the time) on the evening of Friday 10 December 2021 at a prestigious venue in Brussels.

Further details to follow including how to register for the event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Many thanks to everyone who came along to the BBCA Summer Party on 11 July. The event team has totted up the income from the various stalls and we can announce that around € 2000 has been raised for our charitable causes.

As well as donations to our four charities, the British Charitable Fund, Community Help Service, the Royal British Legion Brussels, and the Wednesday Club, that will be decided in the near future, the BBCA committee has decided to make an immediate donation of € 500 to the Croix Rouge Flood Appeal from the proceeds of the Summer Party.

More than 30 people have died in the floods, which hit large parts of Liège, Namur and Luxembourg provinces, as well as parts of Walloon and Flemish Brabant, in the week after our event. More than 100 people are missing and the destruction to property is immense. Today (20 July) a minute's silence was held at noon for the victims of the floods.

If you would like to make a personal contribution to the flood appeal there is a direct donation page accessible from the Belgian Croix-rouge website home page where you can donate using debit or credit cards, Bancontact or virement. The direct donation page is here.

Our thanks to everyone who supported the BBCA Summer Garden Party at the Royal Brussels Cricket Club on Sunday 11 July. It was great to see so many people - many for the first time, for a long time - and the weather was very kind too.

A close fought cricket match provided the background for Pimms, a BBQ, tea and cakes and some traditional children's games. Not forgetting the raffle and a short speech from Ambassador Martin Shearman.

Great fun was had by all and we hope to have raised a substantial amount for our four charities: the Community Help Service, the British Charitable Fund, the Brussels Branch of the Royal British Legion and The Wednesday Club.

If you want to relive the event - or see what you missed - take a look at the photo sideshow below, all images courtesy of our man with the camera Mr Simon Pascoe, or browse the images at your leisure here!

Please join the Brussels British Community Association for a celebration of summer at the Royal Brussels Cricket Club near Lasne-Ohain (see map here) on Sunday 11 July, from 13.00-18.00.

This long-awaited outdoor get-together around a live cricket match will be accompanied by seasonal refreshments and a raffle. Entrance is free and all proceeds go to BBCA constituent charities: the Community Help Service, the British Charitable Fund, the Brussels Branch of the Royal British Legion and The Wednesday Club.

Enjoy a BBQ with burgers, veggie burgers and sausages in baps, accompanied by salad and sauces (from 14.00), tea and cake (from 16.00) and not-to-be missed Tim’s Pimms, G&Ts and non-alcoholic cocktails served all afternoon. Tickets for food and refreshments can be purchased at the entrance (cash only) and drinks are also available from the club’s cash bar.

Please register via this link by close of business on 8 July so that we can ensue there is enough food and drinks for everyone and guarantee that the event respects current safety measures. In the event of heavy rain or extreme weather, organisers may cancel the event. All confirmed attendees will be notified by email. If you have any difficulties with registration or need more information, please contact us via BBCA.NewsAndEvents@gmail.com.

Providing an idyllic setting to the festivities is a ‘village cricket match’ The club captain is still signing up players, so If you’d like to join a team, please contact Nick Compton.

Although tables and chairs will be available, we suggest you bring along camping chairs and tables or picnic rugs to help us guarantee safe distancing and your comfort.

The BBCA and RBCC are looking forward to welcoming as many people as possible. We hope that you can join with us in making sure that this is an enjoyable, safe and (hopefully) sunny event for everyone.

*Covid-19 restrictions will be scrupulously respected according to current government guidelines. Please wear a mask in confined interior areas and when queuing for food and refreshments. Hand sanitizer gel will be available.

The Belgian division of British Guides will be meeting again from September and offers a warm welcome and exciting activities for anglophone young women aged 4-18. They are also looking for adult volunteers to help run their units in Tervuren, Kraainem and Waterloo.

There are four age categories active in Belgium - Rainbows (aged 5-7), Brownies (aged 7-10), Guides (aged 10-14) and Rangers (aged 14-18). All ages and units follow the British Girl Guide programme.

You can find out more information on the Girl Guides website and the Belgian Girl Guides Facebook page.

If you are interested in becoming an adult volunteer with Girlguiding in Belgium, get in touch with the local District Commissioner directly by email.

The BBRFC Celtic Rugby Club are actively looking for new players born in 2006 or 2007 to join the Club's Under-16 team in the new season.

The club has a great offer for young players with unique opportunities to develop talent. The U16 team will be competing in the first division in the upcoming 2021/2022 season.

In addition, each player will have the opportunity to try out for the Flemish National Team. Last year six of the club's players succeeded and this offers an excellent pathway to representative rugby.

There is a great team spirit and new team members will enjoy being part of a passionate group of players, playing for each other in a competitive but supportive environment.

Training is twice a week with the aim of making every player the best that they can be, but - most importantly - have a huge amount of fun whilst doing so. The training takes place at the VUB, Boulevard du Triomphe 40, 1050 Ixelles.

If you are interested in coming to training and would like to know more please contact the club coaches: Chris (email), Marius (email) or Nick (call 0498 950188).

Join the Brussels British Community Association for a celebration of summer at the Royal Brussels Cricket Club near Lasne-Ohain on Sunday 11 July, from 13.00-18.00.

This long-awaited outdoor get-together around a live cricket match will be accompanied by a BBQ, tea and cake, not-to-be missed Tim’s Pimms and a tombola. All proceeds to BBCA constituent charities.

More information to follow very soon… 

Today (4 June 2021) on the proposal of Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne, the Council of Ministers approved a draft royal decree amending the legislation on the acquisition of Belgian nationality in the context of Brexit.

The draft decree will provide for the addition of the certificate and residence permits (M-card) issued to British nationals benefiting from the withdrawal agreement  under Brexit into the existing regulations relating to the acquisition of Belgian nationality, so that British citizens who are legally resident in Belgium on or before 31 December 2020 will retain the possibility to acquire Belgian nationality subject.

The project is now to be forwarded to the Council of State for its opinion.

Draft royal decree amending the royal decree of January 14, 2013 implementing the law of December 4, 2012 amending the Belgian Nationality Code in order to make the acquisition of Belgian nationality neutral from the point of view of immigration. See more (in French) here.

Our friends at the Community Health Service (CHS) have announced their first official 'in person' event since the start of COVID-19 restrictions. CHS is putting together a team to take part in the Relay for Life walk around the Waterloo Battlefield on Saturday 19 June - and they are looking for people to join the CHS team.

Relay for Life is an initiative of the Belgian Foundation against Cancer that looks to inspire local communities to support the fight against cancer. For more information on the event see the infographic below and visit the event website.

The event website is also the place to register for the event. If you want to be part of the CHS team then please email Maria Alpheus, the Events Coordinator at CHS.

British citizens who have moved abroad are to be given ‘votes for life’ as the Government scraps the arbitrary 15-year limit on the voting rights. New measures announced today (27 May) will also make it easier for overseas electors to remain registered to vote for longer. The two measures together, should empower more British citizens living outside the UK to participate in Britain’s democratic processes.

New measures announced in the recent Queen’s Speech will make it easier for British citizens who have moved abroad to participate in the UK’s democratic processes. Decisions made in the UK Parliament on foreign policy, defence, immigration, pensions and trade deals affect British citizens who live overseas. It is therefore right that they have a say in UK Parliamentary General Elections.

Currently, to register as an overseas elector you must be a British citizen and have been registered to vote in UK Parliamentary Elections in the UK within the last 15 years or, in some cases, you may register if you were too young to have been registered before you left the UK.

Rule changes

Today (27 May) the Government has set out further details on plans to scrap the arbitrary rule that prevents British citizens from voting in General Elections if they have lived abroad for more than 15 years. The changes, which will form part of the forthcoming Elections Bill, will also include measures to enable overseas electors to stay registered to vote for longer, with an absent voting arrangement in place.

British Ambassador to Belgium, Martin Shearman, commented: “This is great news for all UK nationals living in Belgium. The issue of having the right to vote for life has been raised many times during my conversations with British nationals in Belgium, so I understand how important this is for them. This will ensure that Brits in Belgium, who still have deep ties with the UK, can continue to participate in the British democratic process, no matter how long ago they left the UK.”

The proposals fulfil a manifesto commitment to deliver ‘votes for life’, extending the voting franchise for UK Parliamentary General Elections to all British citizens living overseas who have been previously registered or previously resident in the UK.

Proposed rules

The new rules will mean overseas electors can stay registered for longer, including with an absent voting arrangement in place, requiring them to renew their registration details once every three years, rather than annually.

Electors will be able to reapply for a postal vote or refresh their proxy vote at the same time as renewing their voter registration, streamlining the process and helping to ensure overseas electors have appropriate voting arrangements in place ahead of an election.

Those who are entitled to vote should always be able to exercise that right freely, securely and in an informed way. The Government's wider Elections Bill also aims to improve access to voting for electors with disabilities; prevent foreign interference by hostile actors; tackle electoral fraud by post, proxy, in polling stations or through intimidation and undue influence; and increase transparency and accountability within our elections.

Overseas electors will only be entitled to register in respect of one UK address. Clear rules will be put in place regarding the address under which an overseas elector may register, while also ensuring that the individual continues to have a demonstrable connection to a UK address. Individuals will apply to register at the last address at which they were registered, or, if they were never registered, at the last address at which they were resident.

This proof of a last address can be demonstrated in a number of ways: by checking past copies of the electoral register where these are accessible; by checking other local data (e.g., council tax records) which the ERO has access to; through documentary evidence or, failing the above; an attestation from another registered elector.

Overseas electors registered in Great Britain will continue to be able to vote by proxy, by post, or in person if they happen to be in their constituency on polling day.