In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws on April 14, 2025, Belgium’s Defense Minister, Theo Francken, formally proposed that future F-35 fighter jets ordered by Belgium be assembled in Italy rather than in the United States. The minister also revealed that he had already made the request to his Italian counterpart, Guido Crosetto.

The article also goes into more detail of what's already been delivered under the program, the underperforming economic returns for Belgium, the bookkeeping shenanigans to take on more debt, and more.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/35691280

Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – An unconventional Belgian prince will learn on Monday if he has the right to social security on top of his royal allowance after he sued for coverage -- the first time a royal has taken such action against the state in the country's nearly 200-year history.

The 61-year-old Prince Laurent, youngest of three children of the former king and queen, insists his work entitles his family to social security -- and that he is acting out of "principle" rather than for money.

Prince Laurent is no stranger to embarrassing the royal family. His long list of unwelcome antics includes likening his relatives to East Germany's Stasi secret police in 2015.

In 2018, his annual state allowance was cut by 15 percent because he met foreign dignitaries without the federal government's approval.

It was not his first faux pas, but the punishment was unprecedented.

Laurent -- who received

cross-posted from: https://feddit.it/post/16080182

A collective of pedestrians living in the Brussels is fighting illegal parking by putting humorous stickers on the rear windows of cars parked on the pavement – hindering people wanting to walk or cycle safely.

The sticker read: "Don't be a Putin. Don't annex the pavement."

cross-posted from: https://europe.pub/post/34045

Dr. Pepper is my guilty pleasure, but mostly due to the cost nowadays. I can't justify spending €5/l on soda when off-brand coke zero is less than a tenth of that. Any suggestions?

To have some extra input here for a local community, let's share some Belgian music tips! Classics that everyone should know, obscure gems, your own creations,...

Try to limit yourself to like one song per artist 😉 but I'm not the boss of you

Follow-up from https://slrpnk.net/post/14315134

So this is a concept that was running on reddit for a long time, I've even taken part in some other fediverse instances.

Feel free to share what you are doing, going trough or thinking about.

I have been busy this past week trying to de-USA as much as I can, moving things to EU-based services, buying only EU made products.

Gotten tickets for pukkelpop 2025 which is going to be my first festival since Covid hit us.

Hope we can get this community a bit more active in talk, I mainly see reposted articles from newssite.

Unite my fellow belgians!

De crisis in de landbouw is het gevolg van een businessmodel waarin enkele multinationals boeren én natuur in een wurggreep houden, schrijven verschillende wetenschappers in een gezamenlijk opiniestuk. Ze roepen op tot een transparanter beleid dat níét gericht is op winst en speculatie.

Belgian homeware retailer CASA has filed for bankruptcy, putting 544 jobs at risk and leading to the closure of 63 stores, its headquarters, and its distribution centre in Olen.

The company, struggling with financial difficulties for years, cited mounting debt and an unfavourable retail market as key reasons for its collapse. Efforts to restructure and secure new investors failed to produce a viable solution.

CASA, which operates in eight European countries with over 2,200 employees, had been under judicial protection since October 2024. However, negotiations with creditors and potential buyers did not lead to a rescue plan. The protection period was set to end on 12 March.

Despite discussions with 12 potential investors, no agreement was reached for a takeover or financial injection. CASA had previously attempted to stabilise its business by closing loss-making stores and reorganising its headquarters, but continued market pressures made recovery impossible.

Closed stores

The

The cultural events in the article are:

• Bright Festival, Brussels, 13-15 February
• Opening night at M HKA celebrates their spring season stars on 13 February followed by The End is a New Beginning, the work of Hugo Roelandt on 14 February
• The renowned Polish Unsound Festival makes its Belgian debut at Bozar from 14-15 February
• ON/OFF: A new hands-on tech adventure at Technopolis

In its second year, the annual gathering is the only international art fair devoted entirely to the medium. The 2025 edition will feature works by more than 200 artists around the globe, with a particular focus on contemporary Norwegian makers.

The show runs from January 23 to 26.