News

N-VA calls for mandatory asbestos certificates in Brussels too

15 October 2026

Many Brussels residents have no idea whether their homes contain asbestos. Yet exposure to asbestos can cause serious health problems, including lung cancer. To mark Cancer Awareness Day, Brussels MP Mathias Vanden Borre is calling for mandatory asbestos certificates when older buildings are sold …

Asylum applications in September almost halved compared to Vivaldi government levels

15 October 2026

The number of asylum applications in Belgium continues to fall sharply. In September 2026, 2,071 people applied for asylum, a 44% drop compared with September 2024, the final year of the Vivaldi government. Applications were also down 29% compared with September last year. Minister for Asylum and …

Anneleen Van Bossuyt makes labour migration easier for highly skilled workers: “Smoother procedures for talent, tougher action against fraud”

14 October 2026

The Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs has approved, at second reading, a bill simplifying procedures for highly skilled workers from outside the European Union. The European Blue Card will make it quicker and easier for companies to recruit international talent. “At the same time, we are …

Nearly half of new dentists hold foreign qualifications: “Deeply unfair to our students”

14 October 2026

“Our own students have to overcome a demanding entrance exam, while the doors are wide open to doctors and dentists qualified abroad. That is deeply unfair.” Belgian MP Frieda Gijbels is sounding the alarm. Figures she obtained from Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) show that the influx …

Axel Ronse: “No one seems to know how many people on long-term sick leave are actually abroad”

12 October 2026

Nearly 15,000 people on long-term sick leave receive Belgian sickness benefits while living abroad, at an annual cost of €258 million. Yet the authorities do not know exactly how many people on long-term sick leave are actually staying abroad, how much their benefits cost in total or how often they …

European Parliament calls for Muslim Brotherhood to be added to EU terror list

8 October 2026

The European Parliament is calling for the Muslim Brotherhood to be added to the EU’s list of terrorist organisations. It has also given the green light to a European strategy aimed at countering the influence of affiliated radical Islamist networks. “At long last, the European Parliament has found …

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