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

On the morning of Monday 22 May, the International Study Group (ISG) will hold its last talk before its summer break with Alice Graas who will talk about the beginning of Art Nouveau in Brussels; how and why this style appeared specifically in the neighbourhood of Avenue Louise and the exceptional constructions of the movement that were built there from 1893 until the early years of the 20^th century.

Alice Graas is the coordinator of Art Nouveau Brussels 2023.

After graduating in anthropology, she focused on the study and valorisation of heritage, specifically that of Art Nouveau heritage through various initiatives.

Since 2017, Alice has coordinated the association Maison Cauchie which is dedicated to the valorisation of the house and the work of the decorators Paul and Lina Cauchie. In this context, she has carried out archiving and researching the work on the building as well as updating the exhibition's scenography, in order to be able to enrich and improve the work of the guides. She is also involved in the day-to-day management of the association, as a volunteer, in order to keep the house open on a regular basis. Alice set up a heritage study that was conducted by an architectural and stenographic office, Architectures Parallèles.

Concurrently, she is creating guided tours dedicated to districts where Art Nouveau is strongly represented in order to share her passion of this heritage with the public and is working on the implementation of the Art Nouveau year, a project of “Urban.Brussels” which endeavours to establish the Brussels Region as the capital of Art Nouveau, celebrating the 130th anniversary of the first "Art Nouveau" house, the Hotel Tassel.

The talk is on Monday, 22 May 2023 at Château Sainte-Anne, Rue Du Vieux Moulin 103, 1160 Bruxelles. On street parking is available. Doors open at 10h00 and the talk will start at 10h30. The event is free for ISG members and guests are welcome and pay €10 on arrival.

ISG talks will recommence in September.

The Brussels Light Opera Company (BLOC) will be performing Gilbert & Sullivan’s Iolanthe from 18 to 21 May 2023 at the De Bosuil Community Centre in Jezus-Eik (Overijse).

What happens when a flock of formidable fairies descends upon a party of Parliamentary Peers? The answer - complete chaos! The worlds of Fairyland and Parliament collide in a marvellous musical masterpiece of comedy entertainment.

Why not put on your wings and join in the fun with BLOC - and the British House of Lords - in Fairyland!

More information and booking details here: https://bit.ly/41hP3N0

Their motto is ‘be prepared’, but nothing could have prepared Girl Guides who are members of Girlguiding UK’s Overseas (BGO) operations for this week’s news. The senior leadership of the organisation in the UK has decided to end all British Girlguiding overseas from 1 September 2023. The whole of BGO, its volunteers and young members will no longer be part of Girlguiding UK from that date.

The news was a shock for BGO leaders in Belgium who had not been consulted about the decision. Ali Anderson is the local District Commissioner for Brussels and Waterloo Girlguiding that runs activities at The British School of Brussels.

She has informed parents this morning (19 April) and commented that: “Our girls remain our absolute priority and we will not let the distraction of this news impact upon our commitment and ability to deliver a happy, safe Girlguiding programme up to the end of the school year.”

You can read the announcement from UK Girl Guides here.

Petition!

BGO volunteers, members and parents do not think forcing overseas operations to cease, because UK trustees apparently no longer wish to invest the time and effort required, is an acceptable course of action for senior leadership to take. They are calling on the UK Girlguiding leadership to reconsider.

You can help their efforts and make your support for BGO operations in Belgium (and globally) known by signing and sharing this petition.

Or you can contact BGO leadership direct via this email.

As part of the British and Commonwealth's Celebrations of the Coronation of HM King Charles III, and in consultation with the British Embassy, the Pro Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Brussels is pleased to invite you to a service of prayer for King Charles on the evening of Thursday 4 May from 19h00.

The Pro Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is situated in rue Captaine Crespel 29, 1050 Brussels. It would be helpful, though not essential, if people can let Holy Trinity know that they will be attending. RSVP via admin@holytrinity.be.

There will not be a formal procession or parade on this occasion, apart from that of the choir and clergy.

Please feel free to pass on this invitation to members of your communities and organisations and other people you think may be interested in attending.

On the morning of Monday 17 April the Brussels International Study Group will be celebrating the life and work of renowned Belgian musician Toots Thielemans with a talk by Hugo Rodriguez entitled: 'From Brussels to New York across the sounding roads of Toots Thielemans'.

Toots Thielemans would have been 100 years old in 2022. On this occasion, a whole series of initiatives were launched to celebrate the man who is undoubtedly a major figure in Belgian music and jazz in general. These events were an opportunity to realise to what extent the life and work of this extraordinary musician go far beyond what we must call the Épinal image of Toots of recent years.

In this lecture, we intend to give an overview of the life and work of Toots Thielemans, in words, images and, of course, music, that does justice to the many paths he had taken. For each stage, we will highlight certain social, cultural and aesthetic issues of his activity: the living conditions of jazz musicians in the early days of Toots' career, the choice of eclectic musical styles and the nomadic nature of his tastes, straddling the line between the "learned" and the "popular", the role of improvisation and composition, and the bittersweet melancholy of his playing (and his vision of life) that Toots liked to describe as being "between a smile and a tear".

The speaker, Hugo Rodriguez (pictured above), has a PhD in musicology from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. He is currently a scientific collaborator at the Music Division of the KBR (Royal Library of Belgium). He was one of the curators of the exhibition Toots 100: The Sound of a Belgian Legend, which was held at KBR between April and August 2022, and co organised other projects within the framework of the 'Toots 100' year (symposium, conferences, concerts). He also conducts other research on issues of 19th century music history, theory of musical meaning, musical humor and psychology of music.

See you at the Chateau?

Date: Monday, 17 April 2023. Doors open from 10h00 with the programme starting from 10h30. The location is Château Sainte-Anne, Rue Du Vieux Moulin 103, 1160 Bruxelles and parking can be found in Rue Valduchesse to the left of the Château. The cost is free for ISG members, but guests are welcome for a fee of €10 payable on arrival.

More information on ISG activities here.

On the evening of Saturday 15 April the Staging Post, the English-language music club, is returning to GC De Kam in Wezembeek-Oppem with a Spring Show featuring blues, swing, jazz and plenty of dancing.

The main act is the “Slinky & P’tit Loup Trio” from Aachen with support from “The Bluesy Cats” who are a top dance-band. 

The Staging Post is run entirely by volunteers and provides stage opportunities for established and talented upcoming, amateur artists.

Doors open at 19h30 and all profits will go to charitable causes. All details below. Be there - or be square.

On Monday 27 March 2023 from 12h00 noon to 13h30 the Expat Welcome Desk of commissioner.brussels is holding its third free webinar of the year for UK citizens. The topic of this webinar will be ‘Can I travel, work and retire in other EU countries?’

The webinar will explore the rules and frameworks for UK citizens based in Belgium who want to move around the EU. UK citizens residing in Belgium are now subject to the same rules as other non-EU citizens when it comes to traveling, working, studying or retiring in another EU country. This is the case for both post-Brexit arrivals living in Belgium with a Single Permit and pre-Brexit residents who have their rights in Belgium protected by their M-Card.

Join the webinar to get the lowdown on intra-EU mobility for the British of Brussels!

Issues addressed will include:

• Time limits on travel outside Belgium and recommended documents for travelling
• Practical differences between Schengen and non-Schengen countries
• Things to consider if an employer sends a UK citizen on assignment to another EU country
• Conditions and requirements for obtaining residence as an employee or student in another EU country
• Possibilities and conditions for retiring in another EU country
• Clarifications on the upcoming Entry-Exit System and ETIAS (Electronic Travel and Information Authorisation System)

The webinar aims to provide both theoretical information and also concrete case studies to allow participants to gain a more practical perspective. After a brief presentation, there will be a Q+A session. Some of these issues will be explored in more detail through later webinars or via the Brexit Brief newsletter (see below).

The webinar will be chaired by Amélie Bovy, Legal Adviser at the Welcome Desk, commissioner.brussels and the speakers will be Jo Antoons, Managing Partner, Fragomen Brussels, Andreia Ghimis, Immigration Manager, Fragomen Brussels and Ines Ramlau, Immigration Consultant, Fragomen Brussels.

To register send an email to inscription@commissioner.brussels and a link to access the webinar will be sent to you in advance of the event. By registering, you consent to be added to the UK Citizens in Brussels newsletter.

The Brexit Brief

These webinars are part of a project funded by the EU’s Brexit Adjustment Reserve. In addition to the webinars the Expat Welcome Desk has developed a newsletter – The Brexit Brief – and a specific Brexit Helpdesk on our website. 

Whether you already live and work in Brussels, or you are still planning your move, the Expat Welcome Desk is here to help UK citizens navigate the post-Brexit landscape. You can download the slides from previous webinar sessions on the project's news and events page.

On Monday, 20 March 2023 the International Study Group will be hosting a talk on ‘The system of Air Traffic Control (ATC) in Europe’, as an important part of the air transport industry.

The talk will be given by Alexander Skoniezki and will include detailed explanations of:

• Facts and figures of air traffic in Europe
• The legal and organisational framework of air traffic management
• The objectives of ATC and how air traffic is managed safely
• The airspace structure
• The job of air traffic controllers at different control units
• The operational and technical environment
• Financing of air traffic management
• Outlook – future trends

Alexander Skoniezki is an experienced Air Traffic Controller, senior ATM manager and university lecturer who has worked for more than 40 years in Aviation and Air Traffic Management at DFSDeutsche Flugsicherung, at Eurocontrol and international universities.

Doors open at 10h00 with the programme starting at 10h30 at Château Sainte-Anne, Rue Du Vieux Moulin 103, 1160 Bruxelles. On street parking is available close to the venue, as is access to public transport. The talk is free to ISG members and €10 for guests.

Find out more here: www.isgbrussels.be

The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is a system that will grant authorisation to travel to EU Members States and other European countries that belong to the Schengen Area from outside Area. ETIAS will allow pre-travel screening of travellers who currently enjoy visa-free access to the Schengen Area, and allow Member States to deny access travellers they consider to pose a security, health or other threat.

Once ETIAS is implemented current visa-free travellers into the Schengen Area will need to have both a valid travel document (i.e. a passport or equivalent recognised ID) and an ETIAS authorisation. Currently, nationals of around 60 countries worldwide do not need a visa to enter the EU. Find out which countries need ETIAS travel authorisation. ETIAS is similar to the pre-travel authorisation systems that are already in place in the USA, Canada and Australia.

The ETIAS Regulation entered into force on 9 October 2018 and is currently being implemented. It is due to become operational by the end of 2023. Travellers will be able to apply for an ETIAS via an official website and/or app for mobile devices prior to its operation and will have to pay a fee of €7.

UK nationals who are beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement (i.e., M or N card holders in Belgium) will be exempt from ETIAS: they are free to travel to other Member States of the Schengen area for a short-stay without an ETIAS travel authorisation. However, you should take your Belgian residence card with you as well as your passport.

Find out more about ETIAS here.

On International Women's Day, Wednesday 8 March 2023, the Multinational Group of the Association Femmes d’ Europe will be presenting 'Classical Women – a Charity Concert'.

The venue will be the Centre Cultural de Woluwe St Pierre, 93 avenue Charles Thielemans, 1150 Bruxelles and doors open at 19h30 with the concert from 20h00. The programme includes works by : Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, W.A. Mozart, F. Schubert, G. Rossini, F. Chopin, G. Gershwin

This musical event is a wonderful example of generosity and solidarity, given that all of the musicians will be performing free of charge. This is their way of contributing to the financing of the Association's humanitarian projects.

The Association counts on your presence at what promises to be a wonderful evening and don’t hesitate to encourage your family, friends and colleagues to join too!

Further information on the concert is available on the Association’s website here and tickets, price € 30, can be purchased here.