A recent European Union survey, made public on 1 July 2025, shows that a large majority of European citizens would like to travel faster and more easily between European countries, preferring to travel by high-speed rail instead of flying.
Tag: Politics
Thailand happy with Belgian visitor numbers and welcomes Tomorrowland
Belgium continues to strengthen its position as a key European source market for Thailand, TravMagazine reports. In 2025, no fewer than 122,347 Belgian travellers visited Thailand, representing a year-on-year increase of 13.24%.
ANTWERP | Plan for Meirbrug with car-free Kammenstraat and Groenplaats approved
On 2 March 2026, the City of Antwerp and the District of Antwerp authorities presented and approved the final design for the redevelopment of the streets surrounding the Groenplaats, including a new mobility plan for the Meirbrug. The revised circulation concept reshapes traffic flows in the historic city centre and confirms that the upper section…
FRANCE | Government delays purchase of new night train rolling stock
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.
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.