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Belgium
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Accession to the EU: 1957 founder member
Accession to the Council of Europe: 1949
Surface area: 30 515 km²
Population: 11.82 million inhabitants (2023)
Capital city: Bruxelles
Official languages: Dutch, French, German
Political system : Constitutional monarchy
Head of state: King Philip. After the abdication of his father, King Albert II, Prince Philippe was sworn in on 21 July 2013 before the House of Representatives as the seventh King of the Belgians.
Head of government: Alexander de Croo was appointed Prime Minister on 30 September 2020
Currency: Euro
International code: + 32
National holiday: July 21st
The belgium deputies of the European Parliament
History
Comics
Belgian Praline
Did you know?
Useful links
History
For centuries, from the invasion of the Franks in the 5th century to the installation of the Dukes of Burgundy in the 14th century, Belgium was the scene of numerous confrontations.
Shared on many occasions and placed under various influences, it was only in 1830 that Belgium found its own identity with the declaration of its independence.
Grand Place, Brüssel © TBFB
- 1831 Leopold I of Saxe-Coburg becomes the first sovereign.
- 1865-1909 Reign of Leopold II marked by colonial conquests in Africa.
- 1914 Despite its neutrality, Belgium is invaded by Germany.
- 1925 Locarno Agreements: Belgium sees its borders with Germany guaranteed.
- 1940-1945 New occupation of the territory by German troops.
- 1944 Customs union signed with Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
- 1949 Belgium joins NATO.
- 1951 Heavily criticised for his rapid surrender to the Germans, Leopold III abdicates in favour of his son Baudouin I.
- 1957 Belgium is a founding member of the EEC.
- 1977 The Egmont Pact divides Belgium into three relatively independent regions.
- 1993 The new Constitution officially establishes a federal country made up of three regions: the Flemish Region, the Walloon Region and Brussels-Capital.
- 1993 Death of Baudouin I. His brother Albert succeeds him.
- 1999 The President of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD), Guy Verhofstadt, is the new Belgian Prime Minister, a position he retains after the 2003 parliamentary elections.
- 2007 Guy Verhofstadt resigns in June following the parliamentary elections. Since then, Belgium has been without a government. The Flemish and Walloon political parties are negotiating the formation of a new coalition government.
- 2008 On 20 March Yves Leterme becomes Prime Minister and sets up a government based on a grand coalition. On 30 December, Herman van Rompuy is appointed Prime Minister.
- 2010 At the end of April, the Leterme government resigns. However, Yves Leterme remains Head of Government. In June, in the advanced parliamentary elections, the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) under Bart de Wever wins in Flanders (28%) while the Socialists (35%) under Elio di Rupo wins in Wallonia. In September, the pre-negotiations for the formation of the government by Elio di Rupo fail. On 21 October, King Albert II appoints the Flemish Socialist Johan Vande Lanotte as the new mediator to try to bring the country out of the crisis.
- 2011 At the end of January the mediator Johan Vande Lanotte resigns. In July, Belgium “celebrates” the 400 days without a government.
- 2019 Charles Michel is appointed President of the European Council.
Comics
It all began in 1929, when Georges Rémi (Hergé) scribbles the first lines of Tintin, a little reporter who was going to go around the planet… and even be the first man on the Moon! In 1938, the Belgian publisher Dupuis launched the weekly magazine “Spirou”. This was another important step in the history of comics, as this newspaper became a real school for Belgian cartoonists. The enormous success it achieved was emulated by Franquin and his “Gaston”, Peyo and “Les Schtroumpfs”, Morris and “Lucky Luke”. As for the “Journal de Tintin”, in which authors such as Edgar P. Jacobs, creator of “Blake et Mortimer”, Jacques Martin of “Alix”, Greg of “Achille Talon”, Tibet and André-Paul Duchâteau of “Ric Hochet”, and Jean Roba, author of “Boule et Bill”, collaborated, it was created in 1946 by Raymond Leblanc. Today, Belgian comics are still as exciting and varied as ever. Amongst the talented cartoonists and scriptwriters, let’s mention : Jean Van Hamme and Philippe Francq with “Largo Winch”, Tome and Janry “Le petit Spirou”, Yves Swolfs with “Durango” as well as Philippe Geluck and his unforgettable “Chat”. Brussels is undoubtedly the capital of comics, with its Belgian comic strip centre and numerous murals spread throughout the city.
Belgisches Comicmuseum © TBFB
Belgian Praline
Around 1850, Jean Neuhaus left his native Neuchâtel to settle in Brussels and set up a “pharmaceutical confectionery” with his pharmacist brother-in-law at no. 23 in the Galerie de la Reine. Neuhaus already made extensive use of chocolate in the manufacture of his products. Loving working with chocolate and seeing its growing popularity, he founded the “Confiserie et Chocolaterie Neuhaus-Perrin” in 1895 with his son Frédéric. After Frédéric’s death, his grandson, also named Jean, took over the confectionery and in 1912, thanks to a technique that he himself had invented, he finally managed to market the first chocolate-filled bite and baptised it “praline”. In 1915, with his wife Louise Agostini, he developed another novelty: the box of pralines, that is to say the famous “ballotin” which revolutionised the way pralines were packaged, by advantageously avoiding the cones that crushed the sweets. Even today you cannot walk around Brussels without admiring the shop windows of the famous chocolate makers such as Neuhaus, Godiva, Léonidas, Côte d’Or, Galler or Marcolini, who all took part, each in their own way, in writing the history of chocolate.
Die berühmten belgischen Pralinen © Neuhaus chocolat
Did you know?
European Union
The former Belgian Prime Minister, Herman Van Rompuy, was President of the European Council from 1 December 2009 until the end of 2014.
Van Rompuy © Europäischer Rat
Diamonds
Diamonds, that marvellous pebble, are of considerable importance to Belgium. Nine-tenths of all rough diamonds in the world are traded and distributed in Antwerp, Belgium.
Diamanten © TBFB
Belgian Beers
Belgium produces more than 500 different beers: white, blond, amber, brown, fruity, light, strong, bitter… and sells an annual production of more than 10 million hectolitres.Belgisches Bier © TBFB
Three language communities
“United in diversity”, the European motto, could also apply to Belgium since it is made up of three language communities: a French-speaking community, a Dutch-speaking community and a German-speaking community.
Useful links
