When President Emmanuel Macron announced a major renaissance of night trains in 2020, the ambition was clear: by 2030 France should operate a dense network of ten modern night train routes, reconnecting cities domestically and across Europe. Five years later, the vision has collided with fiscal reality, Nico Callens of Duurzaam Mobiel writes.
Tag: Politics
ANTWERP | Rubens House appoints two design teams
The Rubens House museum in Antwerp is taking a significant step in the museum’s ambitious renovation. Following an international architectural competition, architects Origin & Happel Cornelisse Verhoeven were appointed to restore the artist’s residence, the gardener’s cottage, the Kolveniershof, and the adjacent renovation.
BELGIUM | Safer in theory, harsher in reality: polarisation and violence mark 2025 for LGBTQIA+ people
Belgium remains one of Europe’s front-runners when it comes to legal protection for LGBTQIA+ people. Yet 2025 exposed a widening gap between progressive legislation and everyday reality, one can read in ILGA-Europe‘s Annual Review. Civil society organisations report a continued rise in homophobic and transphobic violence, declining acceptance among young people, and growing polarisation in…
Belgian travel to the United States continued to decline throughout 2025
Travel demand from Belgium to the United States weakened markedly in 2025, confirming a structural downturn rather than a short-lived fluctuation. Official arrival data from the U.S. International Trade Administration indicate that in 11 of the 12 months, fewer Belgians entered the United States than during the same periods in 2024.
City of Antwerp marks 25 years of district governance with city-wide anniversary programme
The City of Antwerp is marking the 25th anniversary of its district system with a year-long programme of activities highlighting the identity of each district and their connections within the city. Since 2001, the city’s districts have had their own elected administrations. With the addition of Borsbeek as the tenth district in 2025, Antwerp currently…
Rubens House artworks shine in prestigious international museums
Three artworks from the Rubens House or Rubenshuis collection in Antwerp are travelling to leading museums abroad.
ANTWERP | Archaeologists uncover 17th-century Fort Piémentel foundations and rare 15th-century wooden structure along the River Scheldt
Archaeologists in Antwerp have uncovered significant remains of the 17th-century Fort Piémentel, alongside an exceptionally rare large-scale wooden structure dating back to the 15th century, during excavations linked to the ongoing Oosterweel infrastructure works. The discoveries are expected to provide valuable new insights into the city’s maritime, military and settlement history.
Belgium and the Netherlands work on Brussels to Eindhoven direct train, possibly via Antwerp
Belgium and the Netherlands have taken a step towards improving cross-border rail connectivity, with a potential direct Brussels to Eindhoven train emerging as one of the most symbolic and politically significant projects in a newly signed joint declaration on rail cooperation.
ANTWERP | Premetro tunnel between Left and Right Banks to close for nearly a year for major renovation works
The premetro tunnel connecting Antwerp’s left and right banks will close for almost a year for extensive renovation works, starting on 4 May 2026 and lasting until at least mid-March 2027. During this period, no trams will run between the Park-and-Ride Melsele on Linkeroever (Left Bank) and the Astrid and Diamant premetro stations near Antwerp-Central…
BELGIUM | Defence Ministry sees Antwerp Airport as strategic asset as pilot training school expands despite uncertainty over Deurne’s future
The Belgian Ministry of Defence has confirmed that Antwerp International Airport (also: Antwerp City Airport) in Deurne remains a strategic asset for military operations and training, with the armed forces carrying out more than 200 flight movements per year at the regional airport in recent years, Gazet van Antwerpen reports.