Brussels, ma belle!

Just a few days after the triple electoral meeting and we could say that Brussels is perceived differently by its residents, visitors for a day, tourists or those that are part of the international community.

On the one hand, there are the Brussels’ residents who criticize their city-region on numerous occasions and for various reasons: dirt in certain streets or neighborhoods, poor air quality, «too many cars», mobility and the eternal traffic jams, the bad sidewalks, the price of real estate, …without forgetting the endless worksites and the administrative problems between the federal, the regional and the communal levels. Nevertheless, everyone agrees that there is indeed more work to be done to improve all these issues.

On the other side, there are the visitors for a day, tourists or those who have made it their city of adoption for professional reasons. They love Brussels for its cosmopolitanism, its Grand-Place, its culture, the charm of its neighborhoods, its gastronomy, its typical dishes and undoubtedly, its beers. This is why «Brussels Express» informs you online every day of what is «moving» in Brussels.

While Brussels has just celebrated its 30th birthday, many things have improved since 1989. It was necessary to get rid of the two other regions and start again from scratch: make the new institutions work properly, develop the regional legislation (the ordinances which are the Brussels regional laws), planning of the territory and manage the financing of this new region. In short, a lot of work was needed to make this region grow and mature. Brussels is getting there little by little, – even if it sometimes seems disordered, think for example the management of the pedestrian site in the city center.

New MEPs will come to Brussels for five years, newly elected regional representatives will form a regional majority. Let’s hope that all this will keep Brussels moving forward.

Hope you enjoy reading the 3rd edition of our Brussels Express magazine.