Tag: Belgium

EU: Ursula – Colonial syndrome

Africa, Blog, EU, Politics

Brussels 26.02.2025 The second mandate of Ursula von der Leyen has been marked by a tight grip on press, covering the European Commission endeavors. The new rules for media accreditation are replicating the Belgium 1963 law defining the status of journalist during the crisis of the downfall of the Colonialism. Signed by the King Albert II in December 1963, the law remains a relic from a period of a further collapse of the Empire. The Belgian Congo, today DR Congo, ruled from 1908 to 1960, and Ruanda-Urundi, modern Rwanda and Burundi from 1922 to 1962, – became independent.

Obviously, after the proclamation of independence of the African colonies the desire of dominance of the Metropole didn’t extinguish, and the battle for the wealth went on, preventing newly liberated people from entering the political process in form of a debate on pages of the newspapers. The law signed by King Albert II formally defending a status of a professional journalist in Belgium in reality was transforming journalism in a cost-prohibitive occupation.

Nowadays in Belgium the law is still valid, and the status of a professional journalist, and the relevant press card are obtained after the revenue scrutiny by the Committee, which is composed upon the direct orders of the King.
“The title of a “professional journalist” is awarded by an official Approval Commission, composed equally of professional journalists and media directors. The members of the commission are appointed by royal decree” reads the announcement on the site of the Belgium Association of the Professional Journalists. https://www.ajp.be/la-loi-relative-au-titre-de-journaliste-professionnel/

Clearly, all of them the loyalists of the Crown. However, only loyalism is not suffice. As the Association of the professional journalists announces, the candidate for the statues has to present to the incognito Committee the integrity of the revenues, manifesting that the journalism is the major source of income.

A candidate should provide among the other documents a copy of the employment CONTRACT, or for freelancers: a proof of RENUMERATION – invoices, tax forms, etc. for the two-year period.

Taking into consideration mentioned above a contributor has no chance to obtain a status of a “professional journalist”, because it is not a number of articles, or success among readership, or other qualities, as for example a quotation index that counts. It is all about revenue, the capacity to sell the info product, resulting in a handsome income to impress the incognito loyalists in the Committee.
Doesn’t look too independent, neither modern in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, however this system is still effective in filtering the authors who are at odds with the mass-media system unable to sell. The professional journalist in Belgium is the one who is able to successfully merchandise his info product, which makes money the only measurement of a professional success, and opens doors for a professional affiliation.

More than half-a-century later Belgium 1963 law, protecting professional journalist status, or in reality filtering all the descent, narrating the uncomfortable truth which is not always suitable for sale, got second life thanks to Ursula von der Leyen. One can notice to what extend she takes the re-cycling seriously!

Skillfully von der Leyen replaces the Monarch in this new Commission accreditation rules, and the role of the former Colonies subjects is offered  to the EU journalists, who should proof that they are successful in merchandising their information products. The situation is even more ambivalent because the Commission refuses to issue a list of mass-media enjoying Ursula von der Leyen generosity, manifesting itself in lavish grants. As it was revealed in the MCC report by Thomas Fazi some of the recipients of the Commission “support” as the EuroNews TV Channel through years received hundreds millions omitting to inform the audiences about it.

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Exactly as in Belgium 1963 law the Committee, attributing the accreditation, is formed by Ursula von der Leyen Commission. The composition of the Committee, the names of journalists, or media they are representing is unknown. Incognito. Do the incognito members of the selection Committee enjoy grants from the Commission? Unknown. What are the rules for handling the presented financial documents? Unknown. 

However to obtain the European Commission accreditation  “Journalism must be their main source of income”, and for that purpose all the integrity of the revenues of a candidate should be presented for the scrutiny by unknown individuals, probably sponsored by the very Commission to buy their loyalty. 
Patrons and clients. 

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Emily O’Reilly, a former journalist, who served till recent as the EU Ombudsman said that her ambition was to “support the EU institutions in becoming more effective, transparent and accountable”, however by the end of her two terms she acknowledged with sadness in a podcast that she was “never at ease” with the “powerful consiglieri” from the Commission president’s cabinet. “Consiglieri” is a specific term used to describe a position in mafia structure in Sicily or Calabria, clearly used in this context intentionally.

Russia denies gas use for politics

Blog, EU, Politics

Brussels 29.10.2021 The European Union is perfectly aware that Moscow uses gas for mutually beneficial cooperation, and never blackmails anyone, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel on Friday, October 29, following Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s claims that Russia was allegedly using gas to blackmail the EU into making favourable decisions.

“Russia does not use gas for blackmail, but for mutually beneficial cooperation. The EU and Poland know this quite well,” Zakharova has underlined.

Russian diplomat added that Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo had reacted in a rather bizarre way to Marowiecki’s claims the EU was threatening Poland with World War III.

“The Belgian Prime minister said that those who utter such statements ‘are playing with fire when waging war with your European colleagues for internal political reasons’,” Zakharova wrote.

On Friday, October 29, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Belgian ambassador to Poland, Luc Jacobs, out of discontent over Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo’s criticism of Warsaw’s approach to its rule-of-law argument with Brussels.

Jacobs met Poland’s Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk on Friday afternoon, the Ministry’s spokesperson said. Diplomats typically use such requests to convey displeasure.

Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed the meeting, which illustrates the growing tension within the EU over alleged democratic deficit in Poland. The EU institutions are frustrated with the Polish judiciary reforms, which law experts said have undermined judicial independence, as well as a court ruling that questioned the supremacy of EU law.

#Abyss: Brussels youth for human rights

Blog, EU, Europe, Lifestyle, Politics

Brussels 02.03.2021 “The abyss”, an icebreaker party scheduled for Friday, April 2, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. to defend the right of assembly* in the ongoing context of the pandemic, did not take place at the Parc du Cinquantenaire in Brussels as initially announced, but at the Bois de la Cambre, according to information. published in the morning on the Facebook group of the event.

Brussels Bourgmestre Philippe Close does not intend, according to his spokesman, to close the woods,surrounding the capital, considering that this would be depriving citizens of the freedom to enjoy it to breathe and walk there. For its part, the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police zone has indicated that its forces will be present this Friday evening at both places, at the Cinquantenaire and at the Bois de la Cambre.

“We want to regain our right to meet and assemble except that we have to ask for an authorization and since we have been living under a “health dictatorship” for a year, it was obvious that we never would have had it. Hence the qualifier “wild” for our parties. We feel that we are not doing anything wrong. For several hours now, we have had the impression that we are organising a terrorist attack. It shows how far we have come. It’s just about putting some music in a park and even yesterday they didn’t even succeed. I think we have the law on our side, morality on our side, a good part of the people … “

*Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights

“Article 11: Freedom of assembly and association
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of association with others, including the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

2. No restrictions shall be placed on the exercise of these rights other than such as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. This article shall not prevent the imposition of lawful restrictions on the exercise of these rights by members of the armed forces, of the police or of the administration of the state”.

#BLM war on idols

Africa, Blog, EU, Europe, Politics

Anna van Densky OPINION Ancient Greek philospher said – Patna Rhei – everything flows. Stepping out of the confinement the Europeans found themselves in a different world, violently torn apart by phanthomes of the сolonial past.

Black Life Matters #BLM movement touched Brussels, de facto the European Union (EU) capital, by pogroms of the luxury stores, but not only. The degradation of public life into a bitter argument over the colonial past has occurred suddenly as a skeleton fallen out from the closet.

“People use politics not just to advance their interests but also to define their identity. We know who we are only when we know who we are not and often only when we know whom we are against” Samuel Hantington wrote in his famous “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order”. Apparently a new episode of the clash is gaining momentum.

Unfortunately during this clash in Brussels the rule of law was completely buried in avalanche of emotions, detached from realities, and pursuing the fantômes of the past. The wave of the monuments vandalisation ended in a proposal for creation of the Belgium parliament commission for Truth & Reconciliation aiming at the appology for the colonial atrocities in Congo Free State in times of king Leopold II. “We, the Socialist party, believe that there should be an apology,” said group leader Meryame Kitir. However is the apology enough to build bridges between communities?

The statues of the public figures, causing the whirlwind of emotions, like the one of the Belgium king Leopold II in the first ranks, the one who owned Congo as his personal property, are perceived differently by Europeans and Africans within their retrospective cultures. If Belgiums mostly see in them the relics of the past, the Africans have much more lively and mysterious ways of relating to the sculptures as idols, materialising the idea, insuring its longevity.

For African ethnic religions, the idols are sacred tools to influence life through mysterious rituals, and even more, they are integral part of life, participating in their own invisible manner through emanation of energies. Originally they were named fétiche by Portuguese colonizers who introduced the word to set a clear difference between African idols and Christian saints, however this verbal distinction did not prevent Africans to look at the European sculptures though the prism of the own perceptions.

Another emblematic figure – Julius Ceasar was vandalised in Zottegem, Belgium, most probably in analogy with Christopher Columbus attacked in the U.S., because Caesar conquered the territory of present-day Belgium, and integrated it as a province into Roman Empire. Furthermore, it was Julius Caesar who gave the name of “Gallia Belgica“, leaving the description of the local tribes. However he also had diffiuclies there, facing a revolt just four years after the conquest.

Two thousand years later Belgica experiences the other type of migration, than Romans led by Ceasar – a total of 31,600 people have crossed into Europe illegally in 2020 so far, a drop of only 6% from the same period in 2019. Over 5,500 have reached Europe via the so-called ‘Central Mediterranean route‘, from North Africa to Europe, including 1,000 migrants in May.

Yet Libya continues to act as a magnet for migrants who come there in hope to make cross the sea and reach the European coasts, settling in one of the rich countries of the continent.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates that in February 2020 there were at least 654,000 migrants gathered in Libya in view to cross the sea.

The top five nationalities were Nigerien 21%, Chadian 16%, Egyptian 15%, Sudanese 12%, and Nigerian 8%. Men constituted 89% of migrants, women 11%, and 7% were minors of which 24% were unaccompanied. On average the fee to reach Libya mounts up to $1,000.

Various projections indicate that mid-century African population will double reaching 2,5 billion threshold, while the Europeans will decline to 450 million. However if current trend of migration flows from Maghreb coast continue with the same frequency and intercity, from 150 to 200 million of Europe inhabitants will be from African descent.

In spite this impressive perspective of the “Africanisation of Europe” the politicians have no strategy of adaptation of European cultural environment to upcoming “African Age“. With the fast-growing African population in Europe, the request to abandon the Eurocentric concept of history was not totally unpredictable, on contrary, it was quite a logical outcome of the demographic trends. In these cirucumstances the vandalisation of the sculputres of the historic figures are emblematic, but not essential in adaptation demands of the newscomers.

The profound meaning of the transition from quantity to quality, which Hegel was highly likely the first to articulate, was one of several ways of explaining change and the mechanisms of social transformation. Unfortunatly so far both the European Union and national politics in the member-states have been ignoring the ongoing tectonic demographic transformation of the continent.

Hakuna-matata modus is over. Time to say patikana, and face and advantages and challenges of the imminent change.

Belgium Prime Minister Michel resigns

Blog, Europe

After four years of ruling Belgium’s government  has fallen on the issue of migration after the country’s parliament rejected an appeal from prime minister, Charles Michel, for its support for a minority administration.

Prime minister Michel was forced to offer his resignation to the King Phillipe, after the Socialist party, in alliance with the Greens, proposed a vote of no confidence.

The country is now facing the snap election in January. The head of Michel’s party said the opposition had rejected the government’s “fair offer” in order to secure a “political scalp“.

“The Socialist opposition and Greens wanted a trophy and have it”, said David Clarinval, chairman of the liberal Reform Movement party.

Charles Michel has scarified himself for Migrant Compact signature in Marrakesh, angering so many of his compatriots, tired from imposition of flows of migrants.

 

Oostend in summer

Europe, Lifestyle, Uncategorized

Ostend is famous for its sea-side esplanade, including the Royal Galleries of Oostend, pier, and fine-sand broad beaches.  Ostend is visited by many day-trippers from all over Belgium heading to the beaches, especially during July and August. It is also appreciated by sailors, finding here a charming place to drop anchor, visiting numerous bistro and restaurants.

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The harbor is usually crowded in summer month, creating a picturesque setting next to the railway station.

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In hot day, the broad beaches are crowded, and experienced visitors come early in the morning hours to get the best places.

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Further from the town, more space with equally fine sand on broad beach.

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Oostend nowadays is truly international hosting visitors from all continents and cultures.

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Oostend: Japanese garden

Travel

The garden reflects in the ‘Kaiyusschiki’ style and includes water features, bamboo, statues and a rock garden. Wander the winding paths or simply relax and enjoy the peace and quiet with your own personal moment of zen.

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Commissioned by Royal family of Belgium, it is situated in the city center, close to the beach, and villa of legendary Queen Astride.

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King Philippe, the prince then, inaugurated the garden in 2001 in presence of the architect Takeshi Savano, who created the masterpiece on territory of 2500 square meters, Shin-Kai-Thei – a little island of Japan in Belgium.

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Carps, typical inhabitants of a pond in an Asian garden, are supposed to bring luck to contemplating waters visitors.

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Address:
Koningin Astridlaan
Oostend 8400
Belgium
+32 59 80 55 00

#Liège: ‘prisoners of believe’

Blog, EU, Europe

Anna van Densky, OPINION It was in exceptionally gloomy day in Belgium in spite of the sunshine: two police agents stabbed and shot dead – Soraya and Lucile;  one passerby civilian – Cyril just 22 years old shot dead, and a number of wounded police agents – all  in the city of Liège – a ‘capital of Wallonia’, otherwise famed by its rich cultural history.

Today outside Belgium, Liège is well-known for its University, attracting students from all over the world, but for those who are fans of crime novels, Liège is celebrated for being a birthplace and a favorite setting for the stories of George Simenon, the third most popular writer in French language, a creator of the legendary character commissaire Maigret, the ideal detective, who mastered psychology.

The city has drastically changed since those days Simenon had been describing. There are no more squalid little streets, without lanterns, and shabby houses – a usual background for Simenon crime scenes, but in the modern surroundings  the profession of a detective is as much in demand as in  those days.

Contemplating on Liège shooting we expect many questions to be answered: why a certain Benjamin Hermans 36 years old, native of Rochefort, a small town next to Liège, decides to spend his short “family” leave from a prison for killing police agents, his compatriots, in name of the Great God of Muhammadans – Allah Akbar?..What makes him to socialize with Islamists in prison? Why he decides to convert to Islam? And why above it all, the administration of the prison, knowing him as an extremely violent and marginal character, accepts the risks to release him for “socializing” in town?..

There are no simple answer, but they needed to be found honoring the memory of the victims – Soraya, Lucile Garcia and Cyril. We also need the conclusions to avoid new losses in future. However, today everything is shrouded in gloom.

Are we all just “hopeless prisoners of what we chose to believe”?..

 

 

#FutureofEurope: MEPs fail to show up

Blog, EU, Europe

Belgium Prime Minister Charles Michel received warm welcome from European Parliament’s President Antonio Tajani,  who stressed the importance of these debates on #FutureofEurope with European leaders, which ‘enable us to look ahead at what we can do together: member states, Commission and European Parliament”. However we did not receive any confirmation for the ‘importance of the debate’ from the behalf of the overwhelming  majority of MEPs, who simply failed to show up.

A few of Parliament’s group leaders praised Michel’s commitment to a strong Europe that delivers  added value to citizens, referring to the city of Brussels not only as the capital of Belgium, but also as the heart of the Europe. However, their compliments did not sound very convincing in a big void space.

One can question if the idea to give the PM speech of such a paramount significance in Brussels during mini-plenary was such a good idea, and wouldn’t it be better to follow the established format of presenting Belgium in Strasbourg? But this thought by no means diminishes criticism towards MEPs who regard their participation in mini-plenary as ‘benevolat‘. It is definitely not.

The nonchalant attitude is especially detrimental in view of upcoming European elections. In case the citizens will adopt the symmetrical attitude towards MEPs and ignore polling stations, the European Parliament would simply suffer lack of legitimacy, dramatically affecting the #FutureofEuope, at least its #EU dimension.

Will Puigdemont follow fate of Companys?

Blog, Human rights

After the rigorous action of German police, stopping Catalan independence leader upon the EU arrest warrant, issued by Madrid, the major question arises: will  German judges condemn Puigdemont to follow the fate of President Companys (1882-1940), who was detained by Gestapo in France and handed to Spain?

Rajoy Puigdemont
President of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont next to Prime Minister of Spain Mariano Rajoy

The President of Catalonia from 1934 and during the Spanish Civil War , Companys was detained in France, where he lived in exile,  and handed over by the Nazi secret police Gestapo in a formal procedure to Spanish state, where under the dictatorship of Gen.Franco the President Lluís Companys i Jover was tortured in prison, and executed by firing squad in 1940.

Carles Puigdemont at Lluis Companys i Jover tomb
Carles Puigdemont at Lluís Companys i Jover tomb

The lawyer of former President of self-proclaimed Catalan Republic said that highway police had stopped Puigdemont on Sunday (25.03.2018) after he crossed the border from Denmark to Germany. He also confirmed that Puigdemont had been on his way back to Belgium after his trip to Finnish Parliament. A spokesperson for Puigdemont made the following statement:

“1. President Carles Puigdemont was retained in Germany when he was crossing the border from Denmark, on his way to Belgium from Finland. 2. The treatment has been correct in every moment. At the moment he is in a police station and his legal defense is already activated. 3. The president was going to Belgium to put himself, as always, at the disposal of the Belgian justice.”

Madrid assess the independence movement in Catalonia as a ‘plot’ against Spain’s legal and constitutional order. The charges carry up to 30  years in jail. Catalan politicians are accused of rebellion, contradicting the principle of self-determination of people enshrined in UN Charter.