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

In the week after being the venue for the BBCA Summer Garden Party, the Royal Brussels Cricket Club (RBCC) in Lasne will co-host an International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup Regional Qualifier with the Gent Oval Club.

In this week-long festival of quick-fire cricket, that runs from 28 June to 4 July, the clubs will welcome national teams from Gibraltar, Spain, Malta, Denmark, Hungary, Portugal, Israel and, of course, the Belgian 'Red Tigers'. A full fixture list and flyer for the tournament can be found here.  

The next Expat Welcome Desk seminar (in English) takes place on 9 June 2022 from 12 noon. And the subject is ‘Filing your Belgian tax return’.

How do you complete your tax declaration? What is Form 281.10? How do you declare foreign income? During May, you will have received the well-known brown envelope, which you need to return to the Belgian tax administration. Depending on your situation, filling in the form can become quite complicated.

This seminar will focus in ‘The taxation of individuals on income from employment’ and is primarily aimed at people working for Belgian employers. The speaker will be Mr Eric Laurent, Tax consultant at Eryv and the session will be moderated by Amélie BOVY, Senior legal advisor with the Expat Welcome Desk.

Please register by sending an email to inscription@commissioner.brussels before Tuesday 7 June at 3.00 PM. Please be advised that seats are limited!

The venue is 63 Avenue d’Auderghem, 1040 Etterbeek, at the Office of the Brussels Commissioner for Europe and International Organisations (CEIO) and the programme is outlined below .

• 11.45: Welcome
• 12.00: Presentation
• 13.15: Q&A sessions
• 13.30: Lunch & Networking

The Expat Welcome Desk (EWD) organises seminars on specific themes for target audiences. If you would like to be informed about seminars organised by the EWD throughout the year, you can subscribe by sending an e-mail mentioning “Registration for future seminars” to seminars@commissioner.brussels.

On Saturday 18 June the Royal British Legion Brussels branch is organising a day-long Waterloo Battlefield Tour. This special guided tour takes place on the 207th anniversary of this epic battle.

During the day you will discover why the battle took place, how it unfolded and its consequences. The tour will be led by RBL member Dennis Abbott, a journalist and accredited Battle of Waterloo guide, who will take you to the heart of the action with a lively description of the key phases of the combat.

The tour includes an introduction to the historical context, a visit to the Waterloo Panorama, and a climb (226 steps) to the top of the Lion Mound to enjoy the exceptional view of the battlefield.

The day continues with a chance to explore the superb Memorial Museum followed by a break for lunch either at the Basserie Le Wellington (the cost of meal is not included in the price) or bring you can own picnic!

After lunch, the tour marches down to Hougoumont, where many uniformed historical re-enactors will be on-site in a tented camp.

The tour starts at 10:30 and costs €35 per person. If you are interested in joining the tour, please confirm your attendance by emailing your details to Brussels.Publicity@RBL.Community and paying the relevant amount into the RBL Brussels account by Friday 10 June.

More details of the tour, and how to pay, plus information on past and future RBL Brussels events can be found here.

20220531 Waterloo tour flyer - Copy.pdf

From Monday (23 May, 2022), wearing a mask will no longer be compulsory on public transport, nor filling in the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) for most journeys, announced the Prime Minister's Office following the latest Coordination meeting.

No more masks (almost)

The obligation to wear a mask is abolished everywhere (and therefore in public transport), with the exception of hospitals, in medical practices (including at your GP) and in pharmacies.

However, wearing a mask is still recommended in very busy places or in care environments such as nursing homes or dentists, physiotherapists, psychologists and speech therapists. Good ventilation of interior spaces is also highly recommended.

End of the PLF

The ban on non-essential travel from outside the EU has also been lifted. The obligation to be tested on the 1st and 7th day, the 10-day quarantine and the obligation to be able to present: the PLF, a certificate of vaccination, recovery or a valid test result have also been removed.

However, this will not apply to travelers from a country experiencing the presence of any new variant of concern. For these travellers, the current rules (above re PLF etc) remain in effect.

The Second Hand English Book Sale, held at Stonemanor - The British Store, is back! The Book Sale will take place on 11 June from 10:00 to 15:30 and will be accepting donations of books from 10:00 to 13:30. The address for Stonemanor is Steenhofstraat 28, 3078 Kortenberg.

The sale is a great opportunity to find new homes for your old books and find some great new literary treasures. All proceeds will go to the Serve the City charity.

The Expat Welcome Desk is back to face-to-face seminars and is pleased to invite you to a seminar (in English) commencing at noon on 24 May 2022 focusing on several aspects of international occupation in Belgium for EU and non EU workers including immigration, social security, income tax and labour law.

The speaker will be Mr Marc Mostin, an employment lawyer at the Athena Law firm. And the session will be moderated by Amélie BOVY, Senior legal advisor with the Expat Welcome Desk.

The issues Marc will cover are:

• Temporary secondment
• Multi-country activities
• Residence and work authorisation
• Applicable social security legislation
• Determination of the tax residence
• Belgian tax regime
• Labour law aspects

To register for this event please send an email to inscription@commissioner.brussels before Friday 20 May at 16h00. Please be advised that places are limited!

The venue is 63 Avenue d’Auderghem, 1040 Etterbeek, at the Office of the Brussels Commissioner for Europe and International Organisations (CEIO) and the programme is outline below .

• 11.45: Welcome
• 12.00: Presentation
• 13.30: Q&A
• 13.45: Sandwiches & Networking

The Expat Welcome Desk (EWD) organises seminars on specific themes for target audiences. If you would like to be informed about seminars organised by the EWD throughout the year, you can subscribe by sending an e-mail mentioning “Registration for future seminars” to seminars@commissioner.brussels.

Fans of Charlotte Bronte are in for a treat on Saturday 11 June. An Evening with Charlotte Bronte will be performed in the beautiful surroundings of the magnificent medieval castle of Corroy-le-Château, (near Gembloux - picture below). The evening will tell the story of this famous British author who also spent time in Brussels.

Doors open at 18h15 and the performance will start at 19h00. Before the show you can enjoy some ‘bubbles’ in the courtyard before adjourning inside for the performance.

An Evening with Charlotte Brontë has been devised and directed by Tracie Ryan and the producer is Catriona White.

Tickets for the performance are 25 euros and early booking is recommended as space is limited!

After the performance there will be an optional buffet organised by Les Amis du Château de Corroy a.s.b.l. (including wine and water). Tickets for the buffet cost: 30 euros.

To reserve your tickets for the performance and buffet (For the buffet this must be done by 9 June) either call 081/ 63 32 32 or e-mail: hamal.trazegnies@skynet.be. Payment in advance is to IBAN account BE13 7326 2325 2939 (Amis de Corroy, 5032 Corroy-le-Château) and please mention ‘Brontës 11 June’ on the transfer together with the number of tickets required and the number of buffets required.

All profits from the event will go to Les Amis du Château de Corroy a.s.b.l. to help with renovation works to the château.

Find out more about Corroy-le-Château here.

On the evening of Tuesday 26 April 2022, a Spring Reception for the British Community was held at the British Residence in Brussels hosted by the UK ambassador Martin Shearman and organised by the BBCA.

This was the first event when the community could really get together since the pandemic struck and the evening was a  great success. We achieved our goal of bringing the British Community together again and raising money for a very good cause!

During the evening a cash raffle was held with some great prizes, including Pommery Champagne, Belgian Sparkling Wine and a hamper from Stonemanor, with all proceeds to be donated to the Red Cross Ukraine Appeal. In total €1,140 was raised in support of displaced Ukrainian people on the night.

More pictures from the event can be viewed here.

We hope to be organising more community events during 2022. In particular two dates for your diary:

Tuesday 24 May - BBCA 2022 Annual General Meeting at The Brussels Womens Club in Woluwe St Pierre (BBCA members only))

Saturday 25 June - BBCA 2022 Summer Fete at the Royal Brussels Cricket Club in Lasne (Open to all)

The Brussels-based law firm Cabinet David is continuing its popular series of free early evening webinars on Tax and Estate Planning commencing this Thursday evening (21 April 2022). Details of the events are given below. Prior registration is required, which you find by following the link for each specific event.

The 2022 webinars are grouped around a number of themes.

TEP-talks for EU Officials

Many EU officials do not understand their very specific taxation regime :

21 April @18.00: EU officials: an introduction to taxes

26 May @18.00: Estate planning for EU officials

About filing a tax return

To complement the Bulletin’s guide to the tax return :

19 May @18:00: Filing a tax return in Belgium, a doddle?

About divorcing in Belgium … and a bit about taxes too

Even expats marry and divorce in Belgium.

16 June @18:00: International Divorce, and taxes

Trusts, Trust Deeds, … in Belgium ? … Definitely not?

You may have a SIPP in a trust, a Will with a trust, life insurance in a trust … but Belgium does not have trusts.

23 June @18:00 : I have a trust – and now?

Retirement Planning for Expatriates in Belgium

Retirement is forever. So you had better prepare for it. Let us help:

30 June @18:00: Retirement Planning for Expatriates in Belgium

Our series on Estate Planning for Expatriates

15 September @18.00: Estate Planning for Dummies

22 September @18.00: Estate Planning with Wills

20 October @18.00: Estate Planning with Gifts

You can always find details of these Tax and Estate Planning talks here: www.taxation.be/events.

With the war in Ukraine continuing many of us are seeking to help those displaced by the conflict. But what to do? Below we list some ways in which you can help the victims of the war; both those coming to Belgium and those remaining closer to and within Ukraine.

The list is non-exhaustive and if you are aware of other local initiatives please let us know and we can add them to this article.

Belgian response

The Belgian Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (FEDASIL) has a page dedicated to the Reception of Ukrainian nationals here. This tells you what is happening in terms of official strategy for those Ukrainians coming to Belgium.

Federal authorities have also opened a call centre that can be contacted daily from 9h00 to 17h00 via 02 488 8888.

Brussels response (update 4 April 2022)

The Brussels-Capital Region has launched an information website related to the Ukrainian crisis, including details on how refugees can find housing, transportation, employment, schools for their children and resources related to health services.

Set up by Brussels Prevention and Security (BPS), it is intended to serve as a communication and information platform that brings together “all the forces at work” in Brussels regarding the ongoing conflict.

Room in Belgium

If you have a free room to accommodate Ukrainian refugees then you can register via the Give a Day platform.

This site is associated with federal assistance. Some other sites offering accommodation to refugees are listed below

Material aid

If you would like to provide material assistance to Ukrainians, there are a number of options.

Many collections are being organised via NGOs or private individuals (see below). The Ukrainian Embassy in Uccle no longer has room to store all the donations brought to it. However, Brussels Expo has made Hall 11 available as a storage location. People who wish to make donations can do so daily from 8h00 to 18h00 at the Heysel site.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of what you can bring:

• Materials for newborns such as Bottles, Wipes, nappy cream, powdered milk and infants etc
• Canned food (stew, fish, canned fruit and veg etc)
• Flashlights, Candles, matches
• Boots for men (size > 41)
• Thermal blankets, Gloves, Backpack
• First aid kits, Splints
• Yoga/camping mat, Tents

For medical equipment, see the list on the Ukrainian Embassy Facebook page.

Financial aid

If you would like to provide financial assistance for humanitarian aid in Ukraine. What are the best options?

The Consortium for Emergencies, 12-12, has appealed for cash donations. The Consortium will redistribute the amount collected to various organisations so that they can carry out their work in Ukraine and in the neighbouring countries which host the refugees.

The Belgian Red Cross is collecting funds to buy food, water and medicine on site in Ukraine and the neighbouring region. Contributions can be paid via their website or direct to their Bank Account BE53 0000 0000 5353, with the reference "Ukraine".

Médecins sans frontières is providing emergency aid in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. Contributions can be paid online or direct to to account BE73 0000 0000 6060, with the mention "INT". 

Food for refugees

Holy Trinity Church Brussels. Holy Trinity’s Community Kitchen is providing meals for thousands of refugees. Financial support can be given via The Community Kitchen @HTB ASBL Gift Account IBAN BE92 3631 1846 4423, BIC code: BBRUBEBB.

In addition donations of biscuits or muffins and warm clothes and shoes are welcome.

Other sources of shelter and assistance

In addition to registering via the Giveaday site above, there are a number of sites that NGOs are directing people to so that they can list their offers of shelter.

MapaHelp is essentially a mapping site indicating help points to Ukrainians who need it. It is a pan-European initiative. 

Ukrainian Scouts in Belgium has opportunities to help in addition to providing housing.

Shelter for UA is another mapping site with a mission to connect people who need help due to the war in Ukraine and those who are ready to provide it. 

UkraineNOW is helping Ukrainians who crossed the border with offers of accommodation.

Full Circle is focusing on collecting toiletries and sanitary products for women. They accept donations in their original, sealed packaging only and you can also offer financial support.