News

Powerful signal to Erdogan

24 January 2017
Powerful signal to Erdogan

The Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Relations has accepted a resolution from the N-VA and Open Vld that calls into question the relationship between Turkey and Europe. “We are aware of the impact that this document will have on relations with Turkey, which is why we have so carefully weighed …

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No smart city without smart government

24 January 2017
Johan Van den Driessche

When it took office in 2014, the Brussels government set itself the goal of getting the Brussels-Capital Region into the top five on the list of smart cities by the end of this legislature. “We’re about half-way through and progress is lamentable,” reveals Johan Van den Driessche, party leader in …

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Flanders a model for new European waste legislation

24 January 2017
Flanders a model for new European waste legislation

There has been a vote at the Environment Committee of the European Parliament on the new goals for the European waste policy. As a negotiator, MEP Mark Demesmaeker ensured a clear level of ambition: “By 2030, in Europe we must be recycling or preparing for re-use at least 70% of urban waste, while …

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2016 a cracking investment year for Flanders

19 January 2017
Geert Bourgeois

In 2016 we were able to record 198 new investment projects in Flanders for investments amounting to 1.87 billion euros. At the same time, with the creation of 4,260 new jobs, employment stayed was on par with the high levels of 2013, 2014 and 2015. “The last of these was an exceptionally good one,” …

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Open letter to the presidents of the EPP and ALDE Groups: "What a hullabaloo!"

19 January 2017
Sander Loones

Mr. Weber, Mr. Verhofstadt, Antonio Tajani is the new President of the European Parliament. He would have lost had he not first distanced himself from your federalist plans. He has won the Presidency, but in the end the biggest loser was the European Parliament itself, dropping further in its …

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European Parliament must serve the citizen

17 January 2017
European Parliament must serve the citizen

MEP Helga Stevens has achieved the third-largest number of votes in the election for President of the European Parliament. Any way you look at it, she can look back on a successful, positive campaign: “I have been able to reach out to and persuade a great many people. In the service of our citizens …

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