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

Calling all book lovers! From Tuesday 8 November to Sunday 13 November 2022 the Belgian Red Cross will be holding its annual grand second-hand book sale in Brussels. In addition, there are stocks of games, vinyl, CDs, and DVDs – all at democratic prices.

Francophones and Flemish speakers in the city are well aware of this annual Book Fest – the event raises tens of thousands of Euros for the Red Cross every year – but we are informed that there is also a “huge supply of books in English” and most of them will be available as bargains.

So go grab your winter reading by heading down to Rue de Stalle 96, 1180 Uccle between 10am and 6pm during the sale period and pick up those bargain books.

Entry is free, parking is available and access via public transport is easy via STIB Lines 4, 97, 43, 98 or 51 – alight at stops Wagon or Globe.

Spread the work to friends, family and colleagues and help support the fantastic and vital work of the Red Cross in Belgium.

You can find out more about the work of the Red Cross in Belgium on their website and Facebook page. 

Our friends at the Expat Welcome Desk at the Commissioner.Brussels office are pleased to invite you to a webinar (in English) on family law in Belgium on Thursday 20 October starting at 12 noon.

As an expatriate living in Belgium, you may face different situations or issues throughout your life that may have an impact on your assets and those of your family. For example, entering into a legal relationship with a partner has certain consequences. It is sometimes useful to know how to protect yourself as a spouse, or to protect your children in the event of different life events (marriage, divorce, death etc.).

This webinar will be given by Notary Lisbeth Michielsens and Notary Frederic Helsen. They will cover, amongst others, the following points:

• Ways of living together: legal cohabitation and marriage
• What happens if you do not arrange anything?
• Things you can arrange: marriage contract, advance directive, donation, will
• What to do in case of death?
• Q&A

The webinar will be moderated by Elsemiek Apers (Fednot) and Amélie BOVY, Senior legal advisor at the Expat Welcome Desk.

How to register?

Prior registration is mandatory by sending an email to inscription@commissioner.brussels before 5:00pm on Tuesday 18 October. Practical information concerning the link to access the meeting will be sent via e-mail to participants one day before the webinar. Remember to check your spam box !

Are you a UK citizen living or working in the Brussels region? The Expat Welcome Desk (managed by the Commissioner.Brussels office) wants to hear from you! How has Brexit affected your life and what challenges have you faced interacting with local administration? Please take a few minutes to fill in this survey or read on to learn about the new EU-funded project to update the advice offered through the Expat Welcome Desk.

UK citizens are an important part of the cosmopolitan tapestry of life in Brussels. The Brussels-Capital Region has for many decades had a large community of British “expats” - residents who are UK citizens. Like all of Brussels diverse communities, the British in Brussels contribute significantly to the economic prosperity and intellectual capital of the Region, as well as its cultural vibrancy. Brexit does nothing to change these facts, but it did have a major impact on both the Region’s long-term and newly arrived UK residents.

During the post-referendum negotiations, UK nationals already living in Brussels were in a legal limbo. The Withdrawal Agreement now guarantees their residence and work rights, an achievement that Belgium has mainly implemented through the new M-Card.

UK citizens who have settled in Brussels more recently, since the end of the transition period, or who are now thinking of coming to live in the country are subject to the same conditions applicable to all third-country nationals.

Third-country national refers to an individual who does not have the citizenship of a state which is a member of the EU or the Schengen Zone, nor of an associated state (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland). Nevertheless, despite the increasing clarity of their situation, UK citizens living in or moving to Brussels face ongoing challenges or confusion relating to their status and rights.

As the one of the Region’s primary providers of advice to International Brusselers, especially through our Expat Welcome Desk, the Commissioner.Brussels office has supported UK citizens in these difficult times. The Expat Desk is a hub of expertise on the administrative difficulties which impact the British in Brussels. Now they have launched a new project, funded by the EU’s Brexit Adjustment Reserve, to update the information and advice and support their offer to UK citizens in the post-Brexit era.

The Brexit Impact Scan – the Survey

The first step in this project is a Brexit Impact Scan to understand the reality of post-Brexit life for UK citizens in Brussels. One aspect of this is a short survey where you can tell the Office which administrative challenges you have or have not been facing since the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020.

Whether you moved to the Brussels region before or after the transition period, your experiences matter! They are also interested in the opinions of UK citizens who are considering a move to Brussels, so feel free to share this survey around to friends and colleagues. Participants will not be identifiable from their responses, and the unprocessed data will not be shared outside of the Commissioner.Brussels office.

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE

Other actions and next steps

This survey is only the beginning of the Expat Welcome Desk's Brexit Adjustment Reserve project, but the responses will shape everything that is done later. The Expat Welcome Desk is also engaging legal experts to work on some of the trickiest questions facing UK citizens in Brussels. This knowledge and advice will be shared through the Expat Welcome Desk’s website and other online channels. A series of events are also planned where UK citizens can learn and discuss these issues. The BBCA hope to support these events and encourage participation from the community. More news soon!

The next event of the Art Society Brussels will take place on the evening of Wednesday 12 October 2022 from 19h30 with a talk by Georgina Bexon: "Land of the Monkey God - The Art and Architecture of Sri Lanka".

This talk examines the fascinating story of Sri Lankan art and the original minds, talents and spirits that inspired it.

Doors open at 19h30 with refreshments available and teh talk will start at 20h00 and teh venue is the Conference Room in the Maison Communale of Woluwe St. Lambert, 2 avenue Paul Hymans, 1200 Woluwe St. Lambert. Easy parking is available in the vicinity and it is well served by public transport (Metro Line 1 at  Tomberg and Bus 28).

The event is free for members of the Society and guests are welcome with an entry fee of Eur 15 payable at the door.

Early bird annual membership for the 2022-2023 is available at Eur 85 until the end of September (reduced from the normal Eur 100).

More information at: https://theartssociety.org/events/land-monkey-god-art-and-architecture-sri-lanka

In 2021, the Community Health Service (CHS) celebrated its 50th birthday with a 50-kilometre walking challenge. This proved so popular and successful that they are repeating the exercise in 2022 – and you can be part of it by volunteering to walk or by sponsoring someone who is!

For 2022 the format is the same, CHS are asking people to walk (and be sponsored to walk) 40 or45 kilometres in the period up to Sunday 16th October. Then on the Sunday from 14h00 you can join a group to walk either a five kilometre or a ten-kilometre circuit in the Bois de la Cambre, to complete your fifty. Then it’s back to CHS offices just across Franklin Roosevelt for some reviving tea and cakes.

To find out more visit the CHS website or scan the QR code above.

If you don’t fancy the walk yourself Tim Reynolds of BBCA will be taking part, and if you want to sponsor his efforts email ‘BBCA News& Events’ to get in touch. All monies raised will go direct to support CHS.

What does CHS do?

CHS has been supporting the international community in Belgium since 1971, regardless of nationality or circumstances . No-one should feel that they are alone – and help from CHS is only a telephone call away.

CHS operates a Mental Health Services Centre in Brussels, hosting an international team of professional therapists who provide support for a comprehensive range of mental health issues. All the CHS therapists speak English and many also work in other languages. The therapists are supported by a team of volunteers who also manage the administrative aspects of CHS, a non-profit organisation.

CHS also operates a 24/7 Helpline in English, for children, adolescents and adults. Calls are free of charge, anonymous and confidential. The Helpline is staffed by a team of volunteers that is recruited, trained, supervised and supported by the mental health professionals working with CHS.

You can always donate direct to CHS yourself via this web page and the service also relies on a small army of volunteers.

A Thanksgiving and Memorial Service for Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will take place at Holy Trinity Brussels, rue Capitaine Crespel 29, on Saturday 17 September from 18h30. The service will also be live streamed on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM9-WYLaoSo

People of all nations have been touched by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and a book of condolence has been opened and will be available to be signed in the church from Monday 12 September to Friday 16 September between 11h00 and 15h00.

The UK Embassy in Belgium has opened a book of condolences at the UK Residence in Brussels for all those who wish to pay their respects on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The condolence book will be open between 09h00-18h00 from today (Friday 9 September) and over this coming weekend, and then every working day up to and including the day of Her Majesty's funeral.

The UK Residence is at Rue Ducale 17 Hertogsstraat - 1000 Brussels.

It is also possible to send a message of condolence online via The Royal Family website.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the BBCA was held on the evening of Tuesday 24 May 2022 in the comfortable surroundings of the Brussels Women’s Club in Rue au Bois, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.

The well-attended meeting took care of the procedural business and received an address from the BBCA Honorary President, HE The British Ambassador to Belgium, Martin Shearman CVO.

Following the formal meeting and a networking reception was held at the club.

The minutes of the meeting are now available to download from the BBCA website. These draft minutes will be approved at the next BBCA AGM to be held in 2023.

Don’t forget you can always contact the BBCA via email (bbca.members@gmail.com) or our social media channels (Twitter / Facebook).

Our annual Midsummer celebration at the Royal Brussels Cricket Club near Lasne-Ohain took place on Saturday 25 June and was a great success. Thanks to the RBCC 'micro climate' we were fortunate to miss the worst of the Belgian summer weather and well over EUR 1 000 was raised for our charities.

The outdoor get-together was centred around a live cricket match between a team from SHAPE and the UK Embassy. Seasonal refreshments including a BBQ, tea and cake, and of course Tim’s Pimms, G&Ts and non-alcoholic cocktails were available all afternoon.  In addition, drinks were available from the club bar.

In addition a prize was held and traditional children’s games organised. In honour of the Platinum Jubilee this year a royal theme featured throughout the family-friendly event.

All proceeds from the event will 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.

Many thanks to professional photographer Damien Maguire of Image Digital for kind permission to use the photos below that perfectly capture the ambiance of the afternoon.

All images are copyright Damien Maguire / Image Digital and used with permission.