#433
Erkenningsnummer P708816
june 8, 2016 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at www.flanderstoday.eu
current affairs \ p2
politics \ p4
Problem solving
BUSiNESS \ p6
innovation \ p7
education \ p9
art & living \ p10
Made in America
The devil you say
For the ‘first time in 20 years’,
governments and activist
organisations are getting around
the table to talk about Oosterweel
Top of the Fifa rankings for four
months this season, Belgium are
the team to beat at Euro 2016
What to do when you buy an
American micro-brew? Import it to
your home country to compete with
the big boys
\2
\ 11
\ 13
Locked and loaded
© Courtesy Port of Antwerp
Four-day party marks grand opening of Antwerp’s mammoth new lock
Leo Cendrowicz
More articles by Leo \ flanderstoday.eu
Antwerp is ready to unveil the world’s largest lock, a feat of
engineering that will mean faster routes for ships and a huge
rise in freight handling at the port. The public are invited to
discover the new channel during four days of festivities.
C
harts have yet to show Flanders’ latest manipulation
of geography. It will take time before we see maps
featuring the Kieldrecht lock, the newly hacked channel
linking Antwerp’s left bank harbour with the river Scheldt.
Indeed, when you click on Google Maps to see the Kieldrechtsluis – or Kieldrecht lock – all you see is an aerial view of a
muddy building site between two bodies of water. However,
a click on the Deurganckdoksluis marker leads you to one
of those clever Google Street View indoor maps with a
360-degree image of workers inside the empty lock.
King Filip will officially open this new waterway on 10 June,
kicking off four days of festivities to celebrate the opening of
the lock, one of the largest Flemish infrastructure projects
in recent years. A 60-metre Ferris wheel, the much-travelled
Roue de Paris, will give visitors a spectacular view of the
biggest lock in the world.
“We want the open day to show the world how big the
construction really is,” says Freddy Aerts, who heads the Flemish government’s maritime access division. “When you’re
actually there, you can see how much work has been done.”
Aerts was the driving force behind the project, which he says
will mean shorter waiting times for ships, more shipping traffic and greater added value, and faster routes for ships and
for hinterland transport. The volume of freight handled in
the area behind the locks is expected to rise to more than 25
million tonnes by 2020, a 56% rise on 2011 figures.
The new lock is named after the village of Kieldrecht, which
is part of the Waasland region’s municipality of Beveren, adjacent to Antwerp in East Flanders. The lock is 500m long, 68m
wide, and 17.8m deep, eclipsing those in the Panama and Suez
canals, or anything built in Dubai or China.
It is the size of a 19-lane highway, with each lane able to park
28 articulated buses. Until now, the biggest lock has been
Antwerp’s Berendrecht lock, built in 1989, on the right bank of
the Scheldt. It’s the same length as Kieldrecht but only 13.5m
deep.
From the top floor of the lock’s five-storey command and
control tower – which stands between the lock gates, on
the eastern side – the significance of the new link becomes
clearer. The lock is the connection that brings the two sides
of the horizon together.
To the north, there is the 2.5km-long Deurganck dock, where
shipping giant MSC is currently unloading giant container
ships almost 400m long. This links directly to the Scheldt, and
to the oceans, taking in and sending out trade to almost every
corner of the globe.
On the other side of the lock, to the south, is the Waasland port, which includes the Doel, Verrebroek and Vrasene
docks, where huge quantities of freight are already loaded
continued on page 5
\ CURRENT AFFAIRS
Governments and activists
co-operate on Oosterweel
‘First dialogue in 20 years’ sees discussion of covering part of Antwerp’s ring road
Alan Hope
Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT
T
he ongoing controversy surrounding
the Oosterweel connection – the
road and tunnel link that would
close the circle of the Antwerp ring road –
moved towards a kind of truce last week.
The government of Flanders, the City
of Antwerp and neighbourhood groups
protesting against the link have agreed to a
six-month period in which they will study
proposals to enclose the southern part of
the ring.
“The activist groups would be crazy not
to take part, after their years of efforts to
see the Antwerp ring enclosed,” said Manu
Claeys, chair of stRaten-generaal, one of
the leading groups protesting the construc-
© Nicolas Maeterlinck/BELGA
Architect Alexander D’Hooghe (left) and Ringland founder
Peter Vermeulen
tion of Oosterweel on the grounds of public
health.
The southern section of the ring extends
from Kennedy Tunnel to the Sportpaleis.
Enclosing it – covering the motorway to
form what would essentially be a tunnel
– was first proposed by the neighbourhood group Ringland to address the pollution caused by traffic, with an intendant
appointed by the management company
BAM to look into the proposal.
The study will also consider splitting the
motorway for local and through traffic, as
well as an interchange, close to the Sportpaleis, where the motorway would be
extended to more than 20 lanes, including
on- and off-ramps.
“As far as we’re concerned, this is an important first step,” commented Ringland
Government approves reform of secondary education
The government of Flanders has approved the longawaited reform measures for primary and secondary education, which will take effect in 2018.
Schools are not obliged to adapt to the new measures, however, which will serve to affect a student’s
choice of which school to attend.
The government is retaining the secondary school
divisions general education (ASO), technical education (TSO) and professional education (BSO). For
all schools, students in the first year of secondary
education will be able to choose five hours a week of
optional courses. In the second year, ASO students
will get seven hours of optional courses, and the
other streams 12 hours.
From there, schools have the choice to become a
“domain school” or a “campus school”. A domain
school will offer one or more of five study domains:
science and technology, language and culture, economy, art and design and welfare and society. At a
“campus school”, students can follow both professional-oriented courses and courses that prepare
them for higher education.
Becoming a domain or campus school is an optional
reform. In the second and third grades of schools
that choose not to become domain or campus
schools, the 29 current fields of study will be unified
and reduced to eight.
In primary education, finally, schools can introduce
children to French, English and German from the
first year. From the third year, they can provide other
lessons in foreign languages. Currently, children get
foreign language lessons starting in the fifth year.
\ Andy Furniere
founder Peter Vermeulen. “It’s the beginning of a real dialogue, the first in 20 years.”
Architect and MIT professor Alexander
D’Hooghe, who brought the parties to the
table together, is willing to consider any and
all possibilities. “We want to reach a conclusion that combines the best ideas from all
the parties involved into the strongest
possible whole,” he said.
The cost of enclosing the ring is not included
in the Oosterweel budget of €3.5 billion set
aside by the government of Flanders. “Extra
efforts will be necessary,” said mobility
minister Ben Weyts, “but we need to have
a better view before we can make any decisions about that.” (See related story, p4)
Unified system for all cycle
highways in Flanders
The five Flemish provinces have joined together to develop a uniform
signage system for cycle highways. The cycle highways will be called F8
and F6.
The new system is meant to simplify the 2,400km network of cycling
infrastructure. Cycling highways are those routes between cities that run
along straight-lined infrastructure like railways, motorways and canals.
Preferably, a new path is created for a cycle highway, but if space is not
sufficient they can be part of regular cycle paths or roads with little traffic. Because such different kinds of infrastructures are used, following a
cycle highway is not always simple.
The new signs consist of a common logo and a unique number for each
highway (F + a number). Flemish Brabant and Antwerp are currently
running trial projects on routes. Cyclists can review the trials at Fietssnelwegen.be or Fietsostrades.be. Comments by users will be taken into
account when placing the signage for other cycle highways. \ AF
Energy minister wants more investment in renewable power
Flemish energy minister Bart
Tommelein has announced a
package of measures to encourage
investment in renewable energy,
including heat networks. Flanders, he said, is trailing behind
other countries in adopting such
technology.
Heat networks – also known as
district heating – are a form of
distributed heating, where whole
districts are heated by a network
of warm water pipes underground.
The central source for the heating can be powered by renewable
sources such as solar and geothermal power and heat pumps.
Tommelein intends to provide the
framework for the creation of heat
networks – with “clear and trans-
\2
opment of heat networks in the
region is the extensive network
for natural gas, Tommelein says.
A decree from 2009 sets a target of
99% for houses in urban areas to be
able to connect to the gas network
by 2020. However, according to
the Flemish energy regulator, that
system is not cost-efficient and
does not take enough account of
530 million
€62.6 billion
value of transactions worth over
€100,000 among Belgian companies and financial institutions in
Luxembourg in 2014. All transactions over €100,000 now have to be
declared for tax purposes
parent rules and as little administrative burden as possible” – and
then consult the sector on details.
“We want to encourage companies,
organisations and local authorities to lay down heat networks,”
he said. “Our goal is to have green
heating make up one-third of Flanders’ targets for renewable energy.”
One of the obstacles to the devel-
people passed the first ever drone
pilot’s theory test, out of 376 applicants. The successful candidates
must now pass a medical exam and
a practical flight test
trips made on public transport
authority De Lijn in 2015, down
from 532 million the year before.
Income was up by nearly 13%
because of sales of passes for over65s, who previously travelled free
sustainable alternatives.
Tommelein is now scrapping the
2009 targets, with each case being
judged on its own cost-benefit
analysis. “If sustainable alternatives exist such as solar panels,
a heat pump or a heat network,
then there’s no need to invest in
an expensive gas connection,” he
said. \ AH
€600,000
more food and drinks businesses
in Flanders went bankrupt in the
months from January to May this
year compared to the same period
last year. In Brussels the increase
was 8.5%
annual salary of Wouter Devriendt,
the new CEO of state bank Belfius, the same as his predecessor,
Karel De Boeck, who retired two
weeks ago, according to the federal
finance minister
june 8, 2016
WEEK in brief
face of flanders
The departures hall of Brussels
Airport returned to full operation last week, more than two
months after the bomb attacks of
22 March. The temporary structures in place since then and still
being used by 21 companies last
week are no longer required, the
airport said. “This is easier for
passengers, who will no longer be
confused about where to go,” said
spokesperson Nathalie Van Impe.
“Everyone goes to the departures
hall, just like before the attacks.”
Cycling legend Eddy Merckx has
been accused of corruption
by the Brussels prosecutor, who
alleged that Merckx gave expensive custom bicycles to the police
chief of the Anderlecht, Vorst and
Sint-Gillis police zone in return
for being awarded the contract to
supply 46 bikes for patrol officers.
Police chief Philippe Boucar, who
is alleged to have passed information on competing bids to
Merckx, is also accused of corruption in this and other instances.
Delfine Persoon held on to her
WBC world lightweight title
at the weekend with her fourth
defence of her belt against
Dominican-Greek boxer Christina Linardatou. Persoon won
the fight on points at the Sporthal
Schiervelde in Roeselare, and
then dedicated her triumph to
boxing legend Muhammad Ali,
who died last week. “This victory
is dedicated to the greatest boxer
of all time,” she said.
The Brussels-Capital Region
government has approved a
low-emissions zone starting in
2018, after which diesel vehicles
dating from 1997 or before with
Euro value one will no longer be
allowed to enter the city. A ban on
vehicles with Euro value two will
follow in 2019, and numbers up
to five will follow in later years.
The European Commission has
taken Brussels to court for failing
to meet emissions levels for fine
particulates, which are estimated
to be responsible for 620 premature deaths in the city a year.
Train services to Ostend were
suspended for a time last week
after construction workers
uncovered an unexploded bomb
while carrying out digging work
close to the station. Trains were
terminated in Bruges, and passengers were carried to Ostend by
bus. Houses within a 500m radius
of the bomb site were evacuated,
and traffic diverted outside a
900m perimeter. The bomb, one
metre long and containing 100kg
of explosive, was dismantled by
bomb disposal squad Dovo.
The municipality of Schaarbeek in Brussels will later this
month deploy the Scancar, a car
equipped with six high-definition
cameras capable of automatically
checking up to 20,000 parked
cars a day. The Scancar will patrol
in the blue and red zones, passing
once to record number plates and
locations, then two hours later to
record cars still present but without a resident’s pass or a blue
disc.
Shopping centre Docks Bruxsel near the Van Praet bridge in
Laken will include an indoor
adventure park called Koezio
when it opens its doors later
this year, the project’s developers announced. Koezio has three
parks in France; this is its first
venture into Belgium.
Unions representing postal
workers have announced a
24-hour strike on 13 June, covering the whole country. Socialist
and Christian unions are protesting the continuing pressure of
work caused by staff shortages,
as well as the possible privatisation of the service. As Flanders
Today went to press, the liberal
union was due to decide whether
it would join the action.
Mobile operator Base is granting
all its subscribers free access to
every match of the Belgian side
in the European Championships
later this month, allowing them
to search the internet or watch
matches on mobile devices without charge and without counting toward data limits. The free
access runs from one hour before
the match until one hour after.
The city of Vilvoorde has approved
a social-economic permit for
Waterside Park, a new shopping centre on the former
Renault site, which will be the
fourth such new complex in the
area around Brussels. Vilvoorde
has been one of the most vocal
opponents of the Uplace complex
in nearby Machelen. The city has
imposed conditions on Waterside: only large-scale units that
have no effect on retailers in
the city centre – effectively only
department stores and garden
centres. Waterside will offer
nearly 20,000 square metres of
retail space and sport and leisure
facilities.
A 52-year-old woman from Ronse,
East Flanders, died three years
ago because her gynaecologist
did not dare to tell her she had
cervical cancer, a court in Oudenaarde heard last week. Daniella
B was head of gynaecology at the
AZ Glorieux Hospital in Ronse in
2005 when she noted abnormal
values in the results of a smear
test on Adelheid Wijnant. The
same thing happened two years
later, and a third time in 2009, but
cancer was only discovered when
Wijnant complained of blood loss
in 2010 and had a test carried out
when B was on leave. She died of
the cancer in 2013.
The Dutch rail authority NS has
withdrawn all Belgian rolling
stock from the Amsterdam-toBrussels route, after news that
the doors of carriages opened
by themselves while the train
was moving. The trains will be
replaced by Dutch rolling stock.
OFFSIDE
Thinking inside the box
Around this time of year, you may
start to see the arrival of a beautiful moth, its wings a gossamer
white with a brown edge. This is
Cydalima perspectalis, the box tree
moth, an invader, and, if you’ve
seen one, chances are any buxus
plants in the area are now infested
with her eggs. Goodbye, box tree.
The moth is native to Eastern Asia
and India and was first recorded in
Europe in Germany in 2006, probably transported in buxus trees
imported from China. It came to
Belgium in 2010.
“The milder climate in urban areas
means the box tree moth is more
common there,” said Bart Hans-
sens of Natuurpunt Brussels. “But
it won’t take five years before we
see it spreading to the coast.” In
2013, there were 300 sightings
of Cydalima perspectalis, in 2014
more than 1,000 and last year
1,900.
The female lays eggs on the underside of box tree leaves, and the
caterpillar (pictured) hatches,
eating away ravenously.
An
affected plant will show no symptoms until the leaf cores have been
eaten away, by which time it is
usually too late to save it.
Gardening
association
Velt
suggests that if you have an infestation, pluck the little crawlers off
© Photo courtesy VTM
Lola Obasuyi
vtm.be/the-voice-van-vlaanderen
Her grandfather burst into
tears and supporters from the
crowd jumped the stage when
Lola Obasuyi of Ostend was
announced the winner of this
season’s The Voice van Vlaanderen at Flanders Expo last
Friday night. After more than
two months of televised eliminations, the 19-year-old singer
beat her final rival, Jan Van De
Ven, via a public vote.
One of the programme’s coaches
made mention of the “atypical
finalists” in the lead-up to the
announcement: This was a reference to both Lola and Jan’s size,
as well as Jan’s age (58) and Lola’s
skin colour.
But Lola proved to be the choice
of either the public or her coach,
Koen Wauters, every single week.
Wauters called her voice “the
warmest” of the fourth season of
the singing competition, and she
has garnered the nickname “the
Adele of Flanders”. Lola was one
of the show’s few contestants
with such a wide vocal range.
The format of The Voice van
Vlaanderen sees “blind auditions” where the four coaches
– Flemish singers Wauters, Bart
Peeters, Natalia Druyts and Bent
Van Looy – are faced away from
the stage and towards the audience. This prevents them judging the contestants, who sing
a song of their choice for the
audition, on anything but their
voices.
If a coach (or coaches) hits
their button, their chair whips
around, and they see who
they’ve taken on to coach
through the rest of the season.
The coaches waited until the
final few seconds of Lola’s “Hold
Back the River” before two of
them hit their buttons – making
for an extremely tense audition.
During the finals, Wauters, Lola’s
coach, shared part of a conversation he had with her about
social media and public opinion. “I told her, ‘Lola, you know,
you’re no size 36. There’s going to
be a lot of commentary – positive comments but also a lot of
negative comments. Are you
ready for that?’ And she looked
me straight in the eye and said
‘Koen, I feel good in my skin. Let
them say what they want.’”
\ Lisa Bradshaw
Flanders Today, a weekly English-language newspaper, is an initiative of the Flemish
Region and is financially supported by the Flemish authorities.
The logo and the name Flanders Today belong to the Flemish Region (Benelux Beeldmerk nr
815.088). The editorial team of Flanders Today has full editorial autonomy regarding the content
of the newspaper and is responsible for all content, as stipulated in the agreement between
Corelio Publishing and the Flemish authorities.
© Böhringer Friedrich/Wikimedia
the leaves – but don’t throw them
away in the garden or the compost
heap. Advise any neighbours who
have box trees. And consider
replacing your buxus with something similar but immune to the
moth, like Japanese holly (Ilex
crenata). \ AH
Editor Lisa Bradshaw
DEPUTY Editor Sally Tipper
CONTRIBUTING Editor Alan Hope
sub Editor Bartosz Brzeziński
Agenda Robyn Boyle, Georgio Valentino
Art director Paul Van Dooren
Prepress Mediahuis AdPro
Contributors Rebecca Benoot, Derek
Blyth, Leo Cendrowicz, Andy Furniere, Lee
Gillette, Diana Goodwin, Clodagh Kinsella,
Catherine Kosters, Toon Lambrechts, Ian
Mundell, Anja Otte, Tom Peeters, Senne
Starckx, Christophe Verbiest, Denzil
Walton
General manager Hans De Loore
Publisher Mediahuis NV
Editorial address
Gossetlaan 30 - 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden
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Verantwoordelijke uitgever
Hans De Loore
\3
\ POLITICS
5TH COLUMN
The impossible dream
After the Paris and Brussels attacks, followed by the
many strikes and protests,
people have come away with
the feeling that nothing
works in this country. Much
of the situation has to do
with what is happening at the
federal level and in Wallonia.
Yet a similar sentiment has
also swept over Flanders in
recent years, especially when
it came to large infrastructure
works. A bridge, a tunnel, a
road, a shopping centre – all
of these seemed impossible to
implement, as local residents
took action against them.
With that in mind, the agenda
at one press conference last
week was impressive.
Representatives of the City
of Antwerp and the government of Flanders sat sideby-side with representatives
of grassroots organisations
Ademloos, stRaten-Generaal
and Ringland. Together they
announced that they would
look into covering over part of
the Antwerp ring road.
Covering it – effectively creating a tunnel – would reduce
traffic nuisance for thousands
of residents and would create
a new district – on top of the
tunnel – mostly devoted to
parks.
The co-operation between
neighbourhood groups and
the governments is remarkable as they have been at each
other’s throats over the Oosterweel link for more than a
decade. The project, which
will link the city’s ring road,
has been controversial from
the start, when the government of Flanders decided to
build a viaduct over part of
the city.
From
an
architectural
perspective, it looked great,
but it didn’t take residents’
quality of life into account.
The pressure groups soon
came up with an alternative,
and, after a referendum, plans
changed. The bridge became a
tunnel.
The many plans on the table
got another group of citizens thinking. If a tunnel was
possible, then why not cover
a larger part of the ring road,
which cuts the city off from its
outer districts. Why not build
parks and playgrounds on
top? The seemingly utopian
idea caught on quickly.
Closing the gap between pressure groups and the government involved was the work
of special manager Alexander
D’Hooghe. “All parties have
put their bitterness aside to
see that we all want the best
for Antwerp,” he said.
Not all issues have been
solved – the exact route over
other parts of the city is still
contested – but the signal
given is clear. Not everything
is impossible. \ Anja Otte
\4
Top Northern Irish minister
visits Flanders Fields
Deputy first minister Martin McGuinness toured First World War sites
Alan Hope
Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT
T
he deputy first minister of Northern
Ireland, Martin McGuinness, paid a
visit to the battlefields of West Flanders
last week, together with Flemish ministerpresident Geert Bourgeois.
McGuinness, one of the co-heads of the Northern Ireland Executive, first stopped at the Island
of Ireland Peace Park in Mesen (also known by
its French name, Messines), the site of the two
Battles of Messines, in 1914 and 1917. The Peace
Park is a memorial to Irish soldiers from north
and south (Ireland had not yet been split into
two parts) who died in the First World War.
He also visited the Wytschaete Military Cemetery and the 16th Irish Division Memorial
to the troops who died in the 1917 battle to
capture the village of Wytschaete during the
Battle of Messines. McGuinness and Bourgeois
both laid wreaths (photo) at the site, and later
visited the Menin Gate in Ypres for the Last
Post ceremony.
“World War One is an important part of
Ireland’s multi-layered history during which
tens of thousands of Irish people lost their
lives,” McGuinness said. “If we are to build
understanding and reconciliation on this
island, we all need to recognise and accept the
complexity of the historical events and different political narratives that make us who we
are as a community and as a people.”
© Lieven Van Assche/Flanders Department of Foreign Affairs
Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois (left) and Northern
Ireland deputy first minister Martin McGuinness lay wreaths at
Wytschaete Military Cemetery
Government and VGC to
work more closely together
Former minister Paul
Van Grembergen dies at 78
The government of Flanders is
to work more closely with the
Flemish Community Commission (VGC), the body responsible
for Flemish Community matters
such as education, culture and
media in Brussels. The announcement was made by Sven Gatz, the
minister responsible for Brussels
interests in the government of
Flanders.
A committee will be set up with
representatives from both institutions, said Gatz, in order to
improve efficiency by reducing
duplication of effort. “The Flemish government’s Brussels policy
has sometimes been a bit too
much the double of what the VGC
does,” he said. “The main issues
remain the same: The VGC is more
anchored in the municipalities
and focuses on local work, while
the Flemish government takes
an approach more from a capital
Paul Van Grembergen, a former
minister in the government of
Flanders, has died at the age of 78.
Van Grembergen, a teacher, was
a member of the Flemish nationalist Volksunie party in the 1960s
and later sat on the municipal
council in Evergem in East Flanders and the provincial council.
In 1974, he appeared on the
national stage, sitting in the
parliament and the Senate and
ultimately leading his party’s fraction in the chamber. From 1974 to
1980 he also sat on the forerunner
of the Flemish parliament, before
being elected in the first direct
elections in 1995. He was also
mayor of Evergem.
Van Grembergen became a minister in Flanders in 2001, with a
portfolio that included foreign
trade, housing, foreign relations,
administrative policy and home
affairs. In that year, the Volksunie
city point of view. There is room
for improvement in this co-operation.”
He gave the example of education policy. Brussels ministers
Guy Vanhengel, chair of the VGC
board, and Flemish education
minister Hilde Crevits, he said, are
already working together in that
area. “We want to create that sort
of co-operation on a larger scale.”
Gatz said that the move was not
about cost-cutting, though he
admitted that “during times of
savings it’s important to be as
complementary as possible”. The
government, however, “is not
suddenly going to invest less in
welfare or the building of schools.
Thanks to the new committee,
officials will have a better view of
the way things stand in the various policy areas, and that will
help them make decisions later.”
\ AH
split. Van Grembergen followed
Bert Anciaux to the left-liberal
Spirit; another faction of nationalists followed Geert Bourgeois to
N-VA.
“As minister for foreign relations
he put Flanders on the world
map, thanks among other things
to his drive and energy for Flemish-Dutch cultural co-operation
and the opening of Flemish representations in Paris and London,”
Bourgeois said in a statement.
“As minister of home affairs he
was also a major supporter of a
green and Flemish periphery.” In
the name of the government he
expressed condolences to Van
Grembergen’s family.
Van Grembergen remained in
the Flemish parliament until
2004, after which he was active in
cultural and heritage associations
including Faro and the DutchFlemish house deBuren. \ AH
Merger talks break down between Belgian and Dutch post
Federal telecommunications minister Alexander De Croo is reported to be angry about the
failure of Belgian post service Bpost to merge
with its Dutch counterpart, PostNL. Bpost last
week confirmed that talks over a merger of the
two companies had broken down, describing
the result as “unfortunate, but not a drama”.
“We held talks, but we had to come to the
conclusion that there was no agreement
across the board,” said Bpost CEO Koen Van
Gerven. “We were a long way off from agreeing. Never say never, but this chapter has come
to an end.”
Bpost had made an offer in cash and equity
for the totality of PostNL shares, in a deal that
would have reduced the share of the Belgian
state in the merged company to less than 50%
– something made possible by a recent change
to legislation. Bpost was revealed to have
made a first, second and third bid, the last of
which was being examined by the Dutch when
the talks concluded.
The Euronext stock exchange had suspended
© Courtesy Bpost
trading in both shares, and Bpost was preparing a statement for before the opening of the
stock market on Monday, 30 May. But by that
time, it was too late: The Dutch had closed
down negotiations.
It has been reported that the deal fell apart
after Jean-Pascale Labille, minister for government enterprises in the last federal government, revealed that talks were taking place.
Labille and his PS colleagues on the board of
Bpost and in the unions representing postal
workers were no doubt up to date on the state
of negotiations, according to De Croo, who
suggested to De Tijd that Labille’s statements
about the postal service being privatised by
the merger ended the talks definitively.
“There are laws and rules governing the
dissemination of privileged information that
apply to everyone,” De Croo told the paper. “Mr
Labille released incorrect information with
one single goal: to provoke a strike at Bpost.
That was not successful.”
Van Gerven, too, blamed Labille. “I don’t
know what was intended by his statement,
but in important cases like these, a great deal
of discretion is advised. His statements were
completely out of place, which he knows.”
Labille responded that he had no problem
with Bpost’s consolidation plans, only with its
continued status as a government enterprise.
De Croo should not, he said, “try to suggest
that a single statement from me put an end to
the deal, although my sentence was perhaps
sensitive given his ideology.” \ AH
\ COVER STORY
june 8, 2016
Locked and loaded
The world’s largest lock is set to open in Antwerp, and the public are invited
continued from page 1
and unloaded. Because stable water levels are
needed in this area, the locks shield it from the
rising and falling tides of the Scheldt.
Until now, this harbour has only been accessible by the smaller Kallo lock further down
the Scheldt, which has a draught of 12m, but
the Kieldrecht lock is a much larger gate. “It
means we can accommodate bigger ships. It
offers more advantages of scale,” Aerts says.
Further afield, Aerts points to the port of
Antwerp’s vast range of facilities: the world’s
second biggest chemical cluster after Houston,
Texas, a gas terminal, the cement processing
plant that produced the mix used to build the
Kieldrecht lock, solid and liquid bulk terminals and thousands of new and second-hand
cars lined up on the quayside.
The port needed 22,000 tonnes of structural
steel – nearly three times the amount used for
the Eiffel Tower – to build the lock, bridges
and accessories. The amount of concrete used
for its construction could have made a building 35 floors high and covering an area the size
of a football field.
Even so, it used less material than the Deurganck dock, which used 1.1 million cubic
metres of concrete and 55,000 tonnes of steel.
The four gates of the lock were built in the
Chinese city of Changxing by steel constructor ZPMC, along with the trolleys on which
the gates will ride, two combined road and rail
bridges, the caisson and other items.
Despite its massive size, the project required
precision work described as a “delicate
manoeuvring” construction approach. The
lock gates, for example, needed a perfect,
millimetre-accurate seal to ensure the rail
tracks embedded into the bridge connect
kieldrechtsluis.be
© Courtesy Port of Antwerp
The port needed 22,000 tonnes of structural steel to build the Kieldrecht lock – nearly three times the amount used for the Eiffel Tower
“We were pouring 3,000 cubic metres of
concrete in there every day, for five years.”
Aerts says. “The logistics are quite important:
Drawbridges above the two lock doors ensure
that if one lock door is open, road and rail
traffic can pass on the other side
properly after each lifting and lowering of a
gate bridge.
“We have a complete road system alongside
the lock – with drawbridges above the two
lock doors – so that if one lock door is open,
road and rail traffic can pass on the other
side,” explains Aerts.
And a €30 million tender will be launched
shortly for two extra road bridges for two
lanes of traffic. “If you have 11 million containers a year coming in, you need to be sure the
road system is open,” he says.
Construction on the Kieldrecht lock started
in 2011, with a 5km dry slurry wall erected
around the entire area. “Only then could we
could start excavating,” Aerts says. “If you have
a five-year construction project, it’s easier to
have a water-tight belt around it. Then you
can pump it empty and do all the work dry.”
On an average day, around 300 people worked
on the site – although it was so vast, it wasn’t
always easy to spot them. During construction, the builders even uncovered the fossilised bones of a 3.5-million-year-old whale.
While the view from on high shows the situational significance of the lock, the technical
challenges are still hidden. Aerts points out
that the floor of the lock is a 5m-thick layer
of reinforced concrete. The walls are 4m thick,
bolstered by a further 15m support.
each mixer has 10 cubic metres, so that means
each day 300 truck loads are poured in there.
They were coming in and out, over and over
again.”
Every last detail has been thought out thoroughly. The wheels in the lock gates are
powered by special cables, which themselves
need huge machinery to wind up. There is
even a special device to clean the silt from the
lock. With hydraulic jets, they can open vents
to flush it out from the harbour basin to the
Deurganck dock.
And there is art. On the western wall of the
lock, facing the control tower, is an extraordinary mural by local graffiti artist Cazn. Last
year he spent 10 weeks painting on a canvas
300m wide and 9m high. The full image
(pictured on p1) begins with a desert landscape, then morphs into a nature reserve with
birds, followed by colourful fish, sharks, a
mermaid, Roman sea god Neptune and ships
in port. Parts of it will be hidden under water
depending on the tide.
Last year, 208 million tonnes of maritime
freight was loaded and unloaded in Antwerp,
up 4.7% on 2014, making it Europe’s secondlargest freight port after Rotterdam. Some
9.6 million TEU (20-foot equivalent units, or
standard containers) were handled, up 7.5%
on 2014, and 14,417 seagoing ships called at
the port.
Although the Kieldrecht lock cost €340 million
– half financed by the European Investment
Bank, with the remaining amount put up
by the government of Flanders and the Port
Authority – it is part of the €1.6 billion that
the two local authorities are investing in new
and more sustainable infrastructure in the 15
years to 2025.
“The Kieldrecht lock is a huge construction
project and a major achievement, but it is
just part of Antwerp port’s development over
the past few decades,” Aerts says, pointing to
the sprawling port zone between the city and
the border with the Netherlands, some 25km
further north.
Aerts has a background in civil engineering,
coming from the Royal Military Academy, and
spent 10 years in the Royal Engineers before
he joined the public administration.
During his time at the maritime division, he
has overseen the construction of a second
container tunnel under the Scheldt, the
Deurganck dock and half of the entire port
container handling capacity. Today, he is also
in charge of the ports of Ghent, Ostend and
Zeebrugge; Antwerp accounts for two-thirds
of his work. His next project is a similar lock
in the Dutch city of Terneuzen.
But for the moment, he is enjoying a job well
done with the Kieldrecht lock. “We only build
a lock once every 30 years – the last one was
the Berendrecht,” he says. “Today I am a proud
and happy man.”
10-12 June
Kieldrecht lock
© Luc Claessen/Belga
Freddy Aerts has overseen the massive five-year construction project
Deurganck dock,
Sint-Antoniusweg, Port of Antwerp
Directions to location on website
\5
\ BUSINESS
week in
business
Metals Umicore
The Brussels-based nonferrous metals group has
finalised the sale of its zinc
activities to the US OpenGate
Capital investment fund for
€142 million.
New ultrasound technique
checks quality of chocolate
Process inspects chocolate on the production line, saving time and money
Andy Furniere
More articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu
Energy Eandis
China’s SGCC, the world’s
largest operator of electricity networks, is acquiring a
14% stake in Eandis, operator of Flanders’ electric and
gas grids, for more than €500
million.
Transport Exmar
The Antwerp-based tanker
operator is expected to supply
a floating gas liquefying
unit to Iran as part of a $600
million contract between
Norway’s Hemla Vantage
and Iran’s Kharg Petrochemical. The unit would allow
Iran to start exports of its gas
resources, following the end
of the embargo.
Household Ecover
The producer of eco-friendly
household cleaning and
personal care products,
based in Malle, Antwerp
province, has sold its French
unit, located in Boulogne, to
the Vandeputte oil and soap
producer, headquartered in
Mouscron, Wallonia.
Food Vandemoortele
The Vandemoortele family,
which owns a majority stake
in the Ghent-based food
products manufacturer of
the same name, has acquired
the 23.5% stake owned by the
Flanders investment fund
Gimv for more than €180
million. Gimv had stepped
in with a €75 million loan in
2009 to help the company
finance its development.
Gas transport Fluxys
The operator of the country’s
gas network has inaugurated
a pipeline connecting the gas
terminals of Zeebrugge and
Dunkirk, France, to allow
additional flexibility in supply
and flow management. The
new pipeline has a capacity
of eight million cubic metres
a year.
Catering Poilâne
The world-famous French
bakery is opening an outlet
in Wijnegem, near Antwerp,
this summer as part of the
new Kanaal development
project.
\6
R
esearchers at the University of Leuven
(KU Leuven) have developed a new
technique that makes it possible to
check the quality of chocolate via ultrasound
imaging, technology normally used to monitor
the health of foetuses in the womb. The
method was developed to assist companies in
the chocolate sector.
The project, carried out by PhD student Annelien Rigolle, can determine if the cacao butter in
the chocolate is properly crystallised through
the reflection of ultrasonic waves. Crystallisation of cacao butter occurs during the transition from liquid to solid chocolate. Five sorts
© Courtesy Pralinette.be
of crystals can be formed during this process,
but only one of them leads to quality choco-
New book prices to be regulated
The government of Flanders has introduced a proposal to regulate prices
for new books. The measure would end the big discounts offered by large
retailers, including supermarkets.
The proposal from Flemish culture minister Sven Gatz is intended to help
both consumers and booksellers, he said. It imposes a standard price
on all new books for the first six months after publication. That would
prevent large retailers from negotiating discounts with publishers in
order to sell at prices that independent bookstores cannot match.
The exception will be schools and libraries, which will be allowed to buy
books at a 25% discount. “Publishers and authors also benefit from the
new regulation,” Gatz said. “Publishers will be able to invest not only in
well-known but also in less well-known and new authors.”
Even when selling through foreign websites, Flemish publishers would
be bound by the standard price. The same goes for sales in Brussels. The
proposal now goes to the Strategic Advisory Council for Culture and the
Council of State for their opinions, after which it will be voted on in the
Flemish parliament. \ Alan Hope
Mechelen biotech firm develops
rapid Ebola test
The Mechelen-based biotechnology company Biocartis has
received the go-ahead from the
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the emergency use
of its Idylla Ebola virus triage test
(Ebov). Biocartis developed the
test in co-operation with Janssen Diagnostics in Beerse and the
Institute for Tropical Medicine
(ITM) in Antwerp. ITM took part
in the identification of the virus
40 years ago.
The Ebov test is intended for
use on patients who have symptoms of Ebola and delivers results
within 100 minutes. That allows it
to be used in the field, eliminating waiting time and the need to
outsource testing.
Biocartis is an innovator in
molecular diagnostics for cancer
and infectious diseases, having
developed the Idylla platform,
which allows reliable molecular testing of biological samples
in most settings. For the Ebov
test, a blood sample is simply
injected into the Idylla cartridge,
which then becomes a hermetically sealed container, reducing
© Sylvain Cherkaoui
the risk to health-care workers of
exposure.
“The test allows health-care
professionals in the field to
rapidly diagnose infection, implement control measures and therefore offer faster and better treatment decisions,” said Biocartis
CEO Rudi Pauwels.
The FDA’s Emergency Use Authorisation allows the test to be used
in US laboratories and public
health centres and in similarly qualified labs elsewhere.
It falls short of full authorisation but allows the use of diagnostic tools in emergency situations. It has previously been used
in flu and Coronavirus outbreaks.
\ AH
late. The number, size and shape of the crystals and the way they stick together are also
important.
Currently, checking the quality of chocolate is
a time-consuming process involving samples
from production lines being analysed in a
lab. Quick adjustments are impossible, which
can lead to a large quantity of chocolate being
destroyed or re-processed. The new technique makes it possible to check the chocolate
during the production process itself.
The researchers will now work to turn the lab
prototype into equipment that can be used by
workers on a production line.
New rules to reduce fine
particles at building sites
The Flemish department of environment, nature and energy
has introduced new regulations
regarding the level of fine particles
produced at construction sites in
the region. From 2017, contractors at sites will be responsible
for keeping the levels of dust as
low as possible at all building and
demolition sites.
The new rules cover all sites active
for more than one day, in the open
air and carried out by a contractor. Works commissioned by an
individual such as a homeowner
are not included.
Four measures are involved to
reduce dust pollution: using
tarpaulins and vacuum equipment to contain dust and spraying water on the location and
equipment to keep dust from
becoming airborne. Extra measures are required in dry or windy
weather.
© Ingimage
The rules also govern speed limits
on dusty sites and instructions to
site personnel. “Contractors and
companies have every interest
in taking dust-reduction measures,” the department said. “That
way they reduce complaints from
local residents, to the benefit
of good relations with the local
area and local authorities. They
also reduce the risk of possible
fines for failing to meet the environmental rules applicable. Dust
prevention is also cost reduction,
since tools that have not been
affected by dust last longer.” \ AH
Court strikes down deal for
Arco shareholders in Dexia
Up to 800,000 people risk losing some of their savings after the advocategeneral of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg handed
down an opinion declaring that a state guarantee given by the federal
government in 2009 was against EU law.
The clients are shareholders in Arco, the investment section of the Union
of Christian Workers ACW, now known as Beweging.net. ACW was a
major investor in Dexia Bank when it collapsed in 2011. Many small
investors lost their money in the crash, but Arco shareholders, known
as “co-operants”, benefited from a previous decision by the government
to extend the general state guarantee on savings to investments in Arco.
Lawyers for the shareholders who had lost their stake took the case to the
Council of State, which referred a question to the Constitutional Court in
2013. From there, it went to the ECJ.
The advocate-general has produced a negative opinion, which is not
binding on the court, but which is followed more often than not. A final
ruling by the full court is not expected for some months. At that point,
the Constitutional Court will reply to the Council of State, which can
then issue its own judgement. The whole process could take as long as
two years.
Last month Beweging.net said it would be prepared to provide aid to the
co-operants. \ AH
\ INNOVATION
june 8, 2016
Eyes on the road
week in
innovation
Self-driving cars can learn to recognise unforeseen road hazards
Ghent University (UGent)
has launched its Blue Growth
campus at the GreenBridge
Science Park in Ostend, uniting all of UGent’s marine and
maritime research activities.
The research will focus on the
sustainable use of oceans and
seas, including blue energy
(offshore wind, wave and tidal
power), aquaculture, marine
biotechnology, seabed mining
and coastal defence. UGent
carries out three-quarters
of all marine and maritime
research in Flanders. With the
focus on applied research, Blue
Growth will include a wave
tank of 30x30 meters, for testing of models of coastal and
offshore structures, like wind
turbines, against waves and
tidal currents.
Andy Furniere
More articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu
T
hanks to companies like
Tesla and Google, selfdriving technology is quite
the buzz these days. But how likely
are we to hand over the wheel to
a computer anytime soon? One
researcher thinks we’re getting
there.
Originally from Lithuania, Jonas
Kubilius has spent the past six
years researching computer vision
at the University of Leuven (KU
Leuven). Together with colleagues
Stefania Bracci and Hans Op de
Beeck, he recently published a
study that could prove of interest
to the self-driving industry.
The researchers have found that
the current image-recognition
technology can distinguish unfamiliar shapes, on top of those
that have been pre-configured. In
other words, computers might be
smarter than we give them credit
for and can learn to respond to
new situations like human beings
would.
The study was published in the
magazine PLoS Computational
Biology. “Imagine you have trained
Sure, they’ll still
make mistakes,
but their
decisions will be
as reasonable
as ours
your system to recognise bicycles
and cows, but not Segways,” says
Kubilius. “The biggest concern
is that the system will make a
random decision, or even crash,
when it encounters one on the
road.”
The researchers have discovered
that current technology is already
so advanced that it can judge what
an unfamiliar object looks like,
by noticing, for example, that a
Segway has two wheels and drives
40% of Belgians don’t
understand GP
© Courtesy KU Leuven
Almost human? In his research, Jonas Kubilius (pictured below) compared how humans and cars with self-driving technology (pictured above)
interpret abstract images. He found the difference negligible
slowly. They are convinced that the
computer can be trained to avoid
hitting them.
In the same way, it can be taught
to treat minor obstacles, like roadside debris, as negligible and drive
over them, instead of carrying out
a manoeuvre that could result in
an accident.
Behind this ability are the so-called
deep neural networks, or complex
algorithms that perform computations in a fashion similar to the
neurons in the human brain. Like
the brain, these networks are
multi-layered, but they only have a
digital form.
Deep neural networks have existed
since the 1980s, but were initially
used for relatively simple tasks like
checking postal codes on mail or
handwritten amounts on cheques.
They now deal with more complex
matters, thanks to large amounts of
available data, increased computing power and cheaper technology.
In his research, Kubilius compared
human and deep neural networks
in how they interpreted abstract
images. In other words, he tested
the capacities of the human and
digital brains to intuitively deter-
mine what an unfamiliar shape
reminds them of. The difference
between human and machine has
turned out to be relatively small.
Does this mean that computers
will soon replace us in the driving
seat? Not quite yet, says Kubilius,
because the current image-recognition systems are nowhere near
as powerful as the human visual
perception, and they are not yet
very reliable.
“But it’s worth investing in them
because machines don’t get tired
or distracted like we do, and those
are the major causes of car accidents,” he says. “In the long run,
self-driving cars can improve
safety on the roads. Sure, they’ll
still make mistakes, but their decisions will be as reasonable as ours.”
The applicability of Kubilius’ findings extends beyond self-driving cars. Smarter visual systems
are also essential for household
robots and advanced optical tools
like Google Glass.
With the funding from the Flemish
research foundation FWO and the
European Commission, Kubilius
was recently accepted as a postdoctoral researcher at the famous
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), but will return to
KU Leuven in 2018 to continue his
research.
At MIT, he is focusing on improving the intelligence of deep neural
networks used for image recognition. He is specifically training the
digital brain to analyse images in a
more complex way than just recognising what’s in them.
Courtesy Jonas Kubilius
Instead of simply noticing a coffee
cup in a picture, Kubilius explains,
the computer should also be able
to determine where the cup is
located in relation to its environment and what colour or shape it
is.
tinyurl.com/veiligmobiel
© Courtesy Samen Veilig Mobiel
law. There is regulation concerning people’s sight and medication
that entails risks when driving.
The specialists will examine
people’s cognitive skills, judgement and driving performance
during tests in a simulator. Participants will have to judge a situation at a roundabout, for example, and the specialists will also
check reaction speed, memory,
focus and knowledge of traffic
rules.
Based on the results, they will
then give confidential advice,
which is not communicated to
third parties such as insurance
Some 40% of people in Belgium
don’t fully understand their
doctor’s explanation of their
condition or of the advised
treatment, according to a
survey by the Onafhankelijke
Ziekenfondsen (OZ). Nearly
one in five also stated that
their general practitioner uses
words that are too difficult.
According to OZ, this lack of
clear communication can lead
to problems, with patients
not following advice or taking
prescriptions correctly. OZ
said that health-care providers
should avoid medical jargon
and adapt their language
accordingly. The education
sector, the government and
the mutualities should take
action to ensure better training in communication, said
OZ, but patients should also
ask for more clarification.
Scar specialists plead
for recognition
New centre to keep older drivers safe on the road
Jessa Hospital in Hasselt and the
Institute for Mobility at Hasselt
University have founded Samen
Veilig Mobiel (Safely Mobile
Together), a centre where elderly
people can find out whether their
physical and cognitive skills are
still sufficient to let them safely
drive a car.
The experts at the centre will first
check whether people still meet
the minimum medical standards
to drive, which are set down in
UGent launches
marine campus
brokers. If there are issues, the
centre will suggest training to
deal with them. If the tests indicate that a person shouldn’t drive,
the centre will check for alternatives to help them keep mobile.
“At an older age, mobility is essential for staying socially involved,”
said professor Tom Brijs. “Losing
your mobility often means losing
your autonomy and zest for life.”
\ AF
Antwerp University (UAntwerp) and the Flemish organisation Oscare have called
for the official recognition of
“scar specialists” at the international conference on the
healing of scars, Scarcon 2016,
which took place on 3 and 4
June at UAntwerp. The organisations pointed out that
worldwide 100 million people
per year get scars because
of surgeries, accidents and
burns, with at least 30 million
requiring follow-up care. “It’s
essential that an internationally recognised qualification
for scar specialist is created,”
said UAntwerp physiotherapist Jill Meirte. Oscare, which
supports after-care, research
and training related to burns
and scars, has founded the
Scar Academy, offering medical experts the chance to learn
the newest techniques in the
field of scar treatment. \ AF
\7
\ EDUCATION
june 8, 2016
Wherefore art thou
week in
education
One in four courses
to be cut
Free University of Brussels holds discussions on its future identity
Andy Furniere
More articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu
VUB.AC.BE
A
s the Dutch-speaking Free University
of Brussels (VUB) undergoes structural
changes, its executive and academic
bodies met recently to discuss what the
institution’s identity means in practice. During
a one-day conference, policymakers, staff,
students and alumni pondered on a question:
Should the university’s future focus be on
promoting educational liberalism or forging
closer links with Brussels?
The WeAreVUB conference was held at a crucial
time for the university. At the end of September,
communication scientist Caroline Pauwels will
take over as rector, replacing Paul De Knop, who
has stood at the helm since 2008. She is only the
second woman ever to lead VUB.
The university is also expanding by investing
heavily in new student accommodation, classrooms, cultural spaces and a science campus.
These investments follow an increased inflow
of students: Since 2008, the university’s student
body has increased from about 10,000 to 15,000.
It has become more diverse as well: One in fourVUB students now comes from abroad.
To get more staff, students and alumni involved
in planning the future of the university, VUB
hosted a conference last month in Anderlecht.
VUB researchers Dimokritos Kavadias and
Didier Caluwaerts presented the results of a
survey carried out among 3,000 students, staff
and alumni of the university.
Among the more noteworthy discoveries was
that participants said they feel that VUB is much
more characterised by the “V” for “Vrije” (Free)
in its name than by the “B” of Brussels. In other
words, they believe that the VUB mostly stands
for free – liberal, secular and progressive – thinking. One of the personifications of this philosophy is VUB professor Wim Distelmans, a leading
advocate of euthanasia.
The conference participants, however, expressed
that improving the bond with Brussels should
become one of the priorities for the future.
Pauwels, who spoke at the conference via a
video message, said she was glad to hear this,
as it had been the core of her election campaign.
“For the university, Brussels is, in all aspects, a
living lab,” she said. “It gives us endless possibilities regarding education, research, innovation
and internationalisation, so we should focus
on being an urban university that embraces the
diversity of this city.”
© Courtesy VUB
Pauwels also referred to the social problems in
Brussels, including the dramatic events of the
last few months, and emphasised that VUB has
to use its knowledge and expertise to improve
the local community. These problems, she
added, challenge the university to broaden its
scope.
Agreeing with Pauwels’ vision, De Knop said
that he felt the university can form a think-tank
for the capital. In his speech at the conference,
the out-going rector emphasised that Brussels offers the university insight into the forces
that are changing society and declared that it’s
necessary to see these changes from a positive
perspective.
“We have the advantage of being on the frontline of working with multilingualism, international networks, super-diversity and immigration flows,” he said.
To strengthen diversity, the various players are
envisioning improving contacts with international institutions, arranging international
internships, organising research collaborations
and strengthening connections with universities abroad.
VUB also wants to commit to multi-lingual
education by providing more study programmes
in other languages. This could prove a complicated endeavour.
Flemish legislation requires that no more than
6% of Bachelor’s and 35% of Master’s degrees
be taught in a foreign language. On top of that,
courses offered in a foreign language must also
be available in Dutch at another Flemish university.
Nevertheless, VUB will be offering a new Bachelor’s degree in social sciences starting in the
autumn. The English-language programme
combines sociology, political science and
communication studies to teach students how
to analyse complex social issues from multiple
angles.
The degree is set up in collaboration with Ghent
University, which will offer the same programme
in Dutch.
In his speech, De Knop also noted the positive
co-operation with the VUB’s French-speaking
counterpart, ULB, from which the university
split in 1969. He expressed a desire to strengthen
the collaboration. The two universities will share
a new science campus, called the Science &
Technology Park, when it is completed in 2018.
The identity conference is not the end of the
co-operation between the university’s policymakers and its students and staff. When Pauwels
starts her term as rector, she plans to organise
interactive workshops that will determine the
concrete policy priorities for the next four years.
Q&A
Koenraad Van Cleempoel is a professor of architecture at Hasselt
University. He is in charge of a new international Master’s degree in
adaptive reuse of architectural heritage, or providing new functions
for old sites
How do you go about giving a
building a new direction?
In Flanders, a lot of our heritage
sites are frozen in time, but a building is not like a painting. It’s something that needs to have life in it.
One of the things we want to instil
in people is empathy, not just technical skills. On a conceptual level,
you have to have a certain empathy
because you’re adding a layer to a
building, entering into a dialogue
with it. You can’t give any building to just any architect. Adapting
historical buildings with heritage
value has been compared to trans-
lating poetry, because it’s such a
delicate skill.
How will you approach the topic?
It’s about taking our industrial or
cultural heritage and making it
fit the lives that people lead now.
Societal values have become more
important than heritage or religious ones, and you have to find a
new balance between them, so one
thing we’ll be doing is looking at
philosophical texts. User value is a
legitimate way to question vacant
heritage buildings that may be
beautiful and excellently preserved
© UHasselt
but are lying empty. Can you
continue to invest millions in renovating sites if you don’t use them?
We have to look at how these buildings can be part of an economic
reality.
Can you give an example of good
adaptive reuse?
The prison in Hasselt (pictured)
that was converted to house
the university’s law faculty is a
wonderful example and shows
that a building’s best function is
not necessarily its original one. On
the poster for the course we have
a photo of a church in Madrid,
which is now a library. It was
destroyed in the Spanish civil war
and was a ruin for many years. It’s
located in a difficult neighbourhood, but its refurbishment has
changed the whole atmosphere.
It’s a great example of how changing the meaning of a building can
have an impact on a wider social
context. \ Interview by Sally Tipper
Flemish education minister
Hilde Crevits has announced
a plan to cut the number of
courses in secondary education from the current 196
to 143 by September 2018.
The plan is part of the larger
education reform presented
last week. Under Crevits’
proposal, the number of
courses will decrease from 72
to 49 in the second grade (third
and fourth years) and from
124 to 94 in the third grade
( final two years). Certain
outdated courses, like bookbinding, would disappear, and
others, like horse care, would
be clustered in wider study
programmes. Crevits also
feels certain programmes,
like car mechanics, need to be
updated, to meet the needs of
today’s society. She will finetune the plans in discussions
with the education networks.
Fewer Catholic
school boards
Flanders’ Catholic education
network is looking to reduce
its number of school boards
from 734 now to 150 by 2018.
It’s an on-going effort: In 2000,
the network consisted of 952
school boards. “Organisational optimisation” was one
of the main topics discussed at
the recent Eigentijds Tegendraads (Contemporary Rebellious) conference arranged
in Leuven by the network’s
director, Lieven Boeve. Practicalities, like heating systems
in classrooms, said Boeve,
should be decided on a larger
scale, so that principals can
focus on pedagogical matters
at their own schools. The
organisational reform will be
carried out at the same time
across the network to avoid
inconsistency, he said.
Flemish-Dutch
co-operation renewed
Education minister Hilde
Crevits has signed a new
co-operation
agreement
with the Dutch government
called the Damesakkoord
(Ladies’ Agreement), which
covers the financing of Dutch
students at Flemish schools
and Dutch-speaking education abroad. It’s a renewal
of the arrangement negotiated 25 years ago called the
Herenakkoord (Gentlemen’s
Agreement), stipulating that
Flanders bears the costs of
Dutch students enrolled in
Flemish schools, while the
Netherlands pays for Dutchlanguage education abroad.
A renewal of the agreement
was necessary because of
recent concerns in Flanders
about the increasing number
of Dutch students enrolling in
Flemish schools. \ AF
\9
\ LIVING
week in
activities
Retro Tour of
Flanders
Out Loud project encourages Brussels residents to eat outside
Although same-day registration is no longer possible,
you can still come out and
watch this annual gathering of vintage bikes and their
riders. There’s a fun ride and
swap meet on Saturday, with
the race itself on Sunday.
Retro Soirée with music, food
and dancing on Saturday
night. 11-12 June, Maagdendale Abbey, 11 Maagdendale,
Oudenaarde; free for spectators
\ retroronde.be
Castle Festival 1830
Historic Ursel Castle will be
transported back in time
to the period of the Belgian
Revolution. The castle’s owner
is sympathetic to Dutch ruler
William of Orange and invites
him and his troops to visit.
Costumed re-enactors, artillery demonstrations, music
and dance, traditional crafts,
children’s activities and more.
12 June 13.00-18.00, Wolfgang
d’Urselstraat 9, Bornem; €9
\ kasteeldursel.be
Petrol Factory
A retro-themed celebration
of horsepower, with vintage
motorcycles and cars, workshops on maintenance,
tattoos, street food and
music. In the evening, there’s
a punk rock party with live
music. 11 June 10.00-18.00; De
Kruitfabriek, Steenkaai 44D,
Vilvoorde; free (€10 for party)
\ dekruitfabriek.com
Hex Garden Days
Beautiful Hex Castle, with
its lush formal gardens, is
the setting for this annual
summer festival. Flowering
and edible plants for sale,
garden supplies, demonstrations and workshops, garden
tours, food and drink. This
year’s themes are International Year of Pulses, Roses in
the Kitchen, and Plants from
the East. 10-12 June 10.0018.00, Kasteel Hex, Hexlaan,
Heers (Limburg); €10
\ hex.be
Iconoclasm
guided walk
450 years ago, the Protestant Reformation swept
across Europe, and Belgium
was caught up in the conflict
between the Catholic Church
and those who would destroy
it. Learn about the places in
Ypres affected by the Iconoclasm during this two-hour
guided walk. Registration
required via toerismebalie@
ieper.be. 12 June 14.30-16.30,
Ypres Tourism, Grote Markt
34; €3,50
\ toerismeieper.be
\ 10
The picnic revolution
Tom Peeters
More articles by Tom \ flanderstoday.eu
BEURSSCHOUWBURG.BE
L
ast
summer,
Beurs­
schouwburg’s rooftop terrace
in the centre of Brussels
welcomed scores of urban dwellers
starved for some late-night
entertainment under the open
sky. With a selection of music and
movie screenings, and of course
drinks, the Out Loud! festival
proved to be a fun way to spend
those long summer evenings.
But a missing ingredient was
something to help fill your stomach. Thanks to a collaboration with
the restaurant AUB-SVP, the venue
has finally tackled this issue by
re-introducing a somewhat forgotten food concept: the summer
picnic.
“In the 18th century, the royal
parks were opened to the public,
and picnicking became a popular
activity among Brussels’ residents,”
says AUB-SVP’s owner, Joris Lens.
Since then, however, the city has
been overwhelmed by motorised
traffic, putting pressure on the
space available to the public. It’s
not so long ago that even Grote
Markt was a car park. Brought back
to its former glory in the 1970s, it
was recently chosen as the 13th
best tourist attraction in the world,
ahead of the Eiffel Tower and the
Great Wall of China.
A lot can happen when the people
reclaim their territory.
In response to local businesses,
many of whom have complained
about a loss of customers since
the introduction of the car-free
zone in the city centre, Lens wants
to give the debate a more positive spin. “We want to encourage people to reclaim the parks,
squares, benches and streets,” he
says.
Beursschouwburg’s director, Tom
Bonte, is on the same wavelength.
“It’s a pity that the pedestrian zone
has gotten a bad reputation,” he
says. “Every modern city needs to
have some breathing space.”
To attract more than just the visi-
© Thomas Richard Mertens
tors to Out Loud!, AUB-SVP is
installing its Picnic Hotspot right
around the corner from Beursschouwburg. Picnic-goers are
welcome to take their food boxes
to Beursschouwburg’s rooftop
terrace, but a park or the nearby
pedestrian zone will do just as
well.
insider locations.
“Road works and the terrorist
attacks have seriously damaged
the image of our capital,” Lens
says. “But we cannot let fear take
over. There are still plenty of gems
to discover.”
The pop-up concept stays true to
the credo of AUB-SVP chef, Mathias
It’s a pity that the pedestrian zone
has gotten a bad reputation
When the pop-up restaurant
opens on 8 June, AUB-SVP will
close down its main location on
Schildknaapstraat for the summer,
encouraging people to enjoy their
food outside. To make the lunch
excursions that much more exciting, the commemorative napkins
will show a map of Brussels with
Dirx, who likes to experiment
with local and organic products,
including seasonal vegetables and
by-catch. With its crunchy salad
and pulled pork with soya, sesame
From 8 June
BITE
Blankenberge Bruist festival celebrates all things gin
After the dazzling success of last
year’s edition, culinary festival Gin
+ Kok takes over the Grote Markt in
Blankenberge for the second time
around.
The name is a reference to the day’s
alcoholic preference and live cooking programme, brought to you
by 27 local chefs and professional
mixologists in collaboration with
The Belgian Gin Club. The date of
the event has been carefully chosen
to coincide with World Gin Day,
thus giving you a solid excuse to get
hammered.
If you prefer calories to comas, you
can still join in the gin fun by tast-
ing the official festival delicacy,
het BlankeBergje. This gin-infused
praline was created for the occasion
by local chocolatier Raf Hollevoet.
To determine the right alcohol
levels, Hollevoet reached out to
Noach Van Damme, who made a
name for himself as Belgium’s Best
Bartender in 2009 and now works
for Distillerie de Biercée.
The result is a dune-shaped treat,
covered in white chocolate and
filled with dark chocolate, whipped
butter and de Biercée gin. Topping
it off is a crunchy layer of red fruit.
According to its maker, this original combination tastes “just like
summer”.
The night will end with a performance by the Flemish cover band
The Expendables, a warm-up for
11-12 June
and spring onion, the picnic box is
a tasty treat. And since the focus
is on sustainability, it’s entirely
biodegradable. Bring your own
box or basket, and you can expect
a discount.
The collaboration between Beursschouwburg and AUB-SVP lasts
until September, when the venue
introduces its new artistic theme.
Called Come Together, it will
continue with the message of sharing food in public spaces.
But first there is Out Loud!. This
year’s programme includes 1990s
music-inspired movies – from
Pearl Jam Twenty to Spice World –
beat-inflected apero concerts and
lots of indie gigs. Check out Preoccupations, Dream Koala and the
hip-hop/soul evening hosted by
Témé Tan.
Picnic Hotspot
Karperbrug 9, Brussels
TINYURL.COM/GINKOK
tinyurl.com/blankenbergebruist
day two of the weekend festival
Blankenberge Bruist. Sunday’s aptly
named Beats & Beers trades in the
gin and live cooking for beer and
music.
Local drum and show band dINK
will kick-start the festivities,
followed by DJs Level Six and Party
Shakerz in the afternoon, while
those who escaped a hangover can
try an incredible amount of speciality beers. Good luck Monday morning. \ Catherine Kosters
Grote Markt, Blankenberge
june 8, 2016
The time is now
Red Devils set sights on glory in European Championships
Leo Cendrowicz
More articles by Leo \ flanderstoday.eu
A
fter so many years watching from afar
as the top sides battle it out in the big
competitions, Belgium’s footballers
are now part of the show.
When the European Championships begin
on Friday in France, Kevin De Bruyne, Eden
Hazard, Toby Alderweireld and the other Red
Devils will be one of the most feared teams in
the tournament. The question is, can they go
all the way and claim the trophy at the final
in Paris on 10 July?
If you believe the Fifa world rankings,
Belgium should be the runaway favourites:
they topped the listing for four months until
April, before relinquishing their position to
Argentina. World Cup winners Germany,
the next highest European side, are only in
fourth, while Spain, winners of Euro 2012, are
sixth.
Yet such statistics are deceptive. While this
is indeed a wonderful generation of Belgian
players, they haven’t faced a serious test in
football since they were knocked out of the
World Cup quarter-finals by Argentina two
years ago in Brazil.
Belgium certainly qualified for Euro 2016
in style. They topped their pool comfortably, with a home draw and an away defeat
to second-placed Wales their only real blips.
Along the way, they scored 24 goals and
conceded just five.
But the big tournaments are where it really
counts. The Red Devils will feel it right from
the start, on 13 June, when they line up
against Italy in their opening match in Lyon.
Italy, four-time World Cup winners, have the
experience and nous to raise their game in
these events, and they could quickly puncture Belgium’s hopes.
Their next match, five days later against a
resilient Ireland, cannot be taken for granted,
either. And the final group game, against
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Sweden, is likely to be
tense and scrappy.
The top two teams from each group go into the
knockout round of 16. Belgium can reasonably be expected to go on and reach the quarter-finals, but if they top the group, their
most likely opponents would be Germany.
The Red Devils will have plenty of firepower
at their disposal in France. Coach Marc
Wilmots – who has done a sterling job of
steadily improving the team’s performance
since stepping up from his previous role
of assistant in 2012 – has filled his 23-man
© Dirk Waem/BELGA
The Belgian team ahead of their warm-up match against Finland last week, which they drew 1-1
squad with talent.
De Bruyne is likely to be the key player.
Although a serious knee injury saw him
miss several months of the season, he has
grown immeasurably in stature: a dynamic
playmaker, his vision and intelligence are
matched by incredible energy.
He proved he can handle the pressure in the
German Bundesliga, where he set a record
number of assists, and in the Premier League
where he was voted Manchester City’s player
of the month a record number of times in his
first season. De Bruyne demonstrated his
quality last month when he scored a stunning late winner as Belgium won 2-1 against
Switzerland in Geneva.
Alongside De Bruyne up front, captain
Hazard is still one of Europe’s top strikers
despite an underwhelming season at Chelsea. He will likely be joined by one of Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, Napoli’s Dries Mertens
and Liverpool’s Christian Benteke.
Wilmots then has to choose from Roma’s
tenacious Radja Nainggolan, Tottenham’s Mousa Dembele, Zenit Saint Petersburg’s Axel Witsel and Manchester United’s
Marouane Fellaini for a narrow midfield.
The biggest issue lies in defence, where
Vincent Kompany’s injury rules him out (he
will be in the BBC TV studio instead, as a
pundit alongside the likes of Gary Lineker
and Thierry Henry), while Zenit Saint
Petersburg’s Nicolas Lombaerts and Celtic’s
Dedryck Boyata are also on the sidelines.
That probably means a place for 20-yearold Jason Denayer of Manchester City and
Barcelona’s Thomas Vermaelen. Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen might be able
to replicate their fine Tottenham partnership, where they conceded only 27 goals in
29 league games.
Wilmots still insists Belgium are outsiders
to win Euro 2016, and he instead sees Spain,
Germany and France as the top teams for
the tournament. A sobering 1-1 draw against
Finland in a friendly last week showed
that Belgium should not take anything for
granted.
But even with absentees, the Red Devils have
an incredibly strong spine. If they can get
their midfield and attack to gel sufficiently,
they’ve enough firepower to trouble even the
sternest of defences in France.
Indeed, anything short of a semi-final place
would feel like a disappointment for a country whose talents keep rolling off the production line.
It would be about time; this is only their third
European Championship since 1980, when
they finished runners-up. For a country that
has not tasted success in a major tournament since winning gold at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, this is perhaps their best
ever chance of glory.
13 June, Belgium vs Italy (20.00, Stade de Lyon,
Lyon); 18 June, Belgium vs Republic of Ireland
(14.00, Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux); 22 June,
Belgium vs Sweden (20.00, Stade de Nice, Nice)
50 weekends in Flanders: City trip to Poperinge
Flanders Today has launched an
e-book with ideas for how to spend
a year’s worth of weekends. Visit
the link above to get your copy
of 50 Weekends in Flanders. We’ll
print one of our suggestions every
week here, too.
Poperinge is a small brewing
town near the French border
surrounded by hop fields. Mobbed
by troops in the First World War,
it is now one of the main stops on
the Flanders war memorial trail.
But it’s also interesting as a beer
town, with some fine local brews,
a hop museum and an annual beer
festival.
\ toerismepoperinge.be
Visit TALBOT HOUSE
This old townhouse is one of the
most moving places to visit on a
First World War tour. Troops on
leave were welcomed here by the
Reverend Philip Thomas Byard
Clayton (better known as “Tubby
Clayton”) with a cup of tea and a
biscuit. The house (pictured) is still
furnished with the old creaky beds,
a piano and an attic chapel.
\ talbothouse.be
Eat at CAFÉ DE LA PAIX
This friendly restaurant is on
the ground floor of an old hotel
on Grote Markt where the chef
prepares steaks and fish in various ways. The kitchen does simple
lunch-time dishes, including the
Poperinge speciality Hennepot,
while the beer menu boasts more
than 100 labels, including 17
regional specialities.
\ hoteldelapaix.be
Drink at LA POUPÉE
This old-fashioned tearoom on
Grote Markt takes its name from
a famous cafe reserved for officers during the First World War.
They were served by a young local
called Ginger, who became a war
legend. The interior is decorated in
a quaint style with floral wallpaper,
chandeliers and 18th-century military portraits. Grote Markt 16
Stay at RECOUR
This family-owned hotel occupies
a former tobacco factory. It has a
relaxed, warm feel with a spacious
lounge in country house style by
Antwerp interior designer Pieter
Porters. The eight guest rooms are
TINYURL.COM/50WEEKENDS
© Milo-Profi Photography
furnished with big wooden beds,
polished desks and retro baths,
while the seven new rooms in the
annex have interiors inspired by
cotemporary designers.
\ pegasusrecour.be
\ 11
Your dailY news
Sign up now for our
daily and weekly
newsletters with local
headlines, events and
features, tailor-made for
expats in Belgium
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www.thebulletin.be
Your guide to
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The spring issue of Th
The
Thee Bulletin Newcomer is your guide
to making the most of life in Belgium. It mixes practical
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efforts
information with features on community
orts to
clean up Brussels, planning for retirement, family
activities around the country and other lifestyle
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PLUS our
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35 pages of interviews,
articles and essential
addresses of schools,
colleges and universities
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Pick up your copy at newsstands or at www.thebulletin.be/shop
\ ARTS
june 8, 2016
Back to their roots
week in arts
& CULTURE
American craft beers are working to win the hearts of Flemish consumers
Linda A Thompson
Follow Linda @ThompsonBXL \ flanderstoday.eu
Making a dent in the Belgian beer
market is no easy task, especially
for foreign brews, but some
American crafts are looking to
stir things up with their own take
on the traditional ale.
A
s far as business proposals
go, it’s a pretty daring one:
American craft breweries
are trying to penetrate the nirvana
of every beer lover – Belgium.
The taps and shelves of Belgian
supermarkets and cafes are still
largely dominated by local favourites like Chimay, Hoegaarden and
Leffe. But products from breweries farther afield, like Hawaii, California and Maryland, are slowly
popping up.
“They’re starting to enter Belgium
more and more,” confirms Sofie
Vanrafelghem, a Ghent-based
beer consultant and the only
Belgian juror at the World Beer
Cup 2016 competition that took
place in Philadelphia earlier this
month. “It’s a general phenomenon. Belgians are slowly starting
to discover American beers.”
According to oft-cited figures,
Belgium boasts some 1,500 different beers, the fruit of a rich brewing tradition that goes back
several centuries. The largest beer
company in the world, AB InBev,
is based in Leuven, with an empire
that includes dive bar staples
Stella Artois, Budweiser, Beck’s
and Corona, and has a global
market share of nearly 31%. A
request to have the country’s beer
tradition listed as Unesco heritage
is pending.
Belgium’s brewing legacy is
admired around the world and,
especially in the US, is still seen
as the standard-bearer, says
Vanrafelghem. Many US brewers slap “Belgian-style” on to
their beers as a quality label of
sorts – even when there is nothing “Belgian” about them. “Clearly,
the Belgian aspect must still mean
something to them,” she says.
Joshua Smith, the UK-based brand
ambassador for Goose Island, says
that the first beers of the Chicagobased craft brewery, when it
opened back in the 1990s, were
inspired by Belgium’s brewing
heritage. “I suppose it can be a bit
funny when you’re thinking:
‘Why would Belgium
import a beer
that was
almost
a sort
of
homage to Belgium?’” he says.
In April, the brewery started serving its Goose IPA in a handful of
bars in Belgium. Two additional
brews, 312 and Honkers Ale, and
more bars are to follow in the
coming months.
But they come in peace, Smith
says. “We’d love to be the favourite US import, but we haven’t got
any takeover intentions,” he says.
GOOSEISLAND.COM
Belgian market appear aimed at
the beer connoisseur types who
attend multi-day events like the
Zythos Beer Festival, routinely
seek out new brews, and turn
their nose up at Jupiler, Maes and
the like.
Average customers, meanwhile,
have responded to the US incursions like one might to an indecent proposal – with a bit of curi-
success so far. Belgians remain
attached to their Belgian beers.”
If local brewers seem so lackadaisical about the encroachment of
American competitors into their
home territory, it’s also because
local consumers are no longer
that important to their business
figures.
Domestic beer consumption has
been declining for years, and 62%
I suppose it can be a bit funny: Why would Belgium
import a beer that was a sort of homage to Belgium?
“It’s just putting offering different
choices and expanding the market
in terms of styles. Craft beer, for
me, is all about giving people
options as opposed to trying to
get them to have just one option.”
At the same time, beer experts
have warned that it is time locals
get off their high
horse and open
their eyes to the
changed realities of
the international
beer landscape.
“We're absolutely
not the only country that can make
good beers,” says
Vanrafelghem.
“That list definitely includes
the United States.
And a number
of countries in
Europe,
like
Italy,
the
Netherlands and
Germany,
are also
doing
really
well.”
For
now, the
inroads
of
US
breweries like
Goose
Island
into the
osity but a polite “no, thank you”.
Bram Mombers-Schepers, 30, a
Brussels local, says he doesn’t
see the appeal of US craft beers.
“I'm proud of our Belgian beer
and craftsmanship. Why would I
be unfaithful when I can drink so
many good beers that were made
here?”
Jean-Louis Van de Perre,
chair of the Belgian Brewers industry association, says local brewers have been following
the craft beer developments across the Atlantic. But threatened they
feel not, thank you very
much.
“We’re not panicking,
no,” he says, smiling.
“Belgian beers have
enough qualities to
take on the competition.”
Citing the richness
of the beer landscape,
which
spans dozens
of styles like
pils, Trappist,
abbey, Flemish
browns and
amber beers,
he
expects
local customers to stick
with
homegrown brands
for the foreseeable future.
“If you look
at the Belgian
market, foreign
beers have had
little to
no
© Courtesy PeppeRmint
of our beer production is today
exported abroad, with France,
the Netherlands, Germany and
the US the top export markets.
With the craft beer revolution of
the last decades that has rocked
beer landscapes in established as
well as emerging markets such as
Latin America, the competition
has got a lot tougher for Belgian
brewers.
Faced with this increasingly
crowded marketplace and the
rising popularity of US craft
beers, one strategy of Belgian
beer companies has been to
simply gobble up the craft players. AB InBev, for instance, has
bought Blue Point Brewing in
New York, Golden Road Brewing
in Los Angeles, 10 Barrel Brewing
in Oregon, Elysian in Seattle and
Goose Island.
So, in a strange twist that underlines the behemoth position of
Belgian brewers on the global
market, several of the American
craft breweries trying to seduce
us are in fact owned by Belgian
companies.
Boulevard Brewing Company in
Kansas, which is owned by Duvel
Moortgat, for instance, premiered
two of its beers on the Belgian
market last year. Today, its Single
White IPA and Tank 7 are available in some 400 bars across the
country.
Debbie Wilmsen, spokesperson
for Duvel Moortgat, says Tank
7 is a hit with local beer drinkers. “Customers love the beer and
keep ordering it or asking after
it. The surprising and novel taste
was the decisive factor.”
Klara app matches
classical music
to playlists
Do you like Lana Del Rey?
Then you’ll like 20th-century
Italian composer Nino Rota.
Maybe indie band Bright Eyes
is more your thing? Then
be sure to listen to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. These are just
two of the hundreds of revelations awaiting you on Klarafy,
a clever new app released by
Flemish classical radio station
Klara. “Classical music is made
up of 10 centuries of music,”
said Klara in a statement.
“For many people, that’s just
a confusing mess; they have
no idea where to start.” The
app asks you to create a playlist on Spotify, which it analyses to make suggestions.
Sometimes it combines songs
or artists to reach its conclusions. The combination of Bon
Iver, Lou Reed and Tom Odell,
for instance, inspired Klarafy to
suggest Schubert’s Winter Journey.
\ klarafy.be
Red Star Line
exhibition opens
on Ellis Island
The exhibition Via Antwerp: T
he Road to Ellis Island recently
opened at the Ellis Island
National Museum of Immigration on the famous island
in Upper New York Bay. The
exhibition maps the course
of two million 19th- and
early 20th-century European
emigrants who boarded Red
Star Line passenger ships in
Antwerp harbour to start new
lives in America. Antwerp
culture alderman Philip Heylen
opened the exhibition with CNN
news anchor Kate Bolduan,
who has Belgian roots. Among
the 400 guests on opening night
were descendants of Red Star
Line passengers, including the
grandchildren of Irving Berlin.
The late composer and lyricist
arrived at Ellis Island – where
immigrants from Europe were
processed – on a Red Star Line
ship in 1898. The exhibition
runs until 5 September.
\ libertyellisfoundation.org
Funds released for
repairs to federal
museums
The federal buildings agency
and the Brussels promotional
agency Beliris have earmarked
€36 million for urgent repairs
to the federal museums – principally the Royal Museums of
Fine Arts of Belgium and the
Royal Museums of Art and
History in Jubelpark. The first
phase of repairs will cover leaking roofs, after which a master
plan will be drawn up for more
permanent repairs, the bill for
which could reach €145 million.
Chicago’s Goose Island has started serving its IPA in a handful of bars in Belgium and plans to add additional brews this year
\ 13
\ ARTS
A book for your CD player
Off the bookshelf and on to the stereo: Stefaan Tubex’s hybrid album is a winner
Christophe Verbiest
More articles by Christophe \ flanderstoday.eu
Flemish musician – and civil
servant – Stefaan Tubex debuts
with the CD/book Songs for the
Bookshelf, 10 sparse folky tunes
written alongside his day job and
beautifully illustrated.
“F
or years it’s been a dream
to record an album,” says
Stefaan Tubex, 39, whose
debut, Songs for the Bookself, is the
best album by a Flemish musician
so far this year. “Four years ago,
after the birth of my daughter, I
told myself it was time to finally
make it happen.”
When I first heard Songs for the
Bookshelf, I’d never heard of Tubex.
Trying to find some information, I
discovered that he works for Thuis
in de Stad, a government agency
responsible for mapping out an
urban policy that “encourages
cities to evolve into sustainable
and creative places”.
“It’s a full-time job,” says Tubex,
who studied political sciences and
public administration. “Music has
always just been a hobby. I played
in a band for a while, but it never
went very far. Some songs on the
album, or at least some chord
progressions, started 10 years ago.”
It’s fair to say that Tubex, who was
born and raised in Bruges and has
lived in Ghent since his university
days, is a late bloomer, musically
speaking. He only picked up the
guitar when he was 18.
SONGSFORTHEBOOKSHELF.COM
to learn to play their songs. That’s
when it took off.” He smiles. “I
finally bought a good tuner and
some chord books.”
I called Songs for the Bookshelf an
album, but that’s only half of it.
It’s also a book. It’s published
as a book and it even has an
ISBN number. And of course
there’s a CD with the music.
The book contains the
(English) lyrics and the
songs’ chords, as well as
texts in Dutch and illustrations
(pictured)
by Kevin Vanwonterghem. “It started
out as a CD,” Tubex
explains,
“but
when I had to
decide
how
to release it, I
wanted it to
stand out.
Music
nowadays is
very volatile. That’s
why
I
chose to
release
it as an
illustrated
book. My wife is a
graphic designer,
which was handy.”
In the end, he continues, “it’s first and fore-
You always think the last song
you’ve written is the best
you could ever write
“I’d tried it before; I even got a
guitar from my parents, but I never
had a suitable tuner or an inspiring
lesson book,” he says. “But when I
heard Jeff Buckley and Radiohead,
some 20 years ago, I really wanted
most a musical project. Printing
the chords as well as the lyrics is
unusual, but as a listener, I always
love to have these. It’s not that I
hope people will start playing the
songs themselves, but it’s an extra
visual element.”
Songs for the Bookshelf offers 10
folky tunes, sparsely arranged with
acoustic and electric guitar, violin,
piano, mellotron and lap steel,
though almost never at the same
time. It’s no surprise that when
Tubex contacted sound engineer John Wood, he was immediately willing to the mix the songs.
Wood is famous for working with
folk legends like Nick Drake and
John Martyn.
“I’m a big fan of their records,” says
Tubex. “I read an interview with
Wood in which he explains how he
mixes
young musicians analogue and
not digitally, to keep their work as
authentic as possible. I contacted
him without much expectation,
but he reacted very enthusiastically.”
There’s a good reason for the
combination of Dutch and English
texts in Songs for the Bookshelf.
“My songs normally germinate
from some incoherent English
sentences that surge up spontaneously,” Tubex explains. “But when I
embarked on this project, I started
to write in Dutch. Afterwards I
reworked some of the texts into
the English lyrics on the album.”
More new albums this month
Fence
Faces on TV
The Winding • FONS
Traveling Blind • Waste My Records
During their second life – the Limburg band reunited in
2010 after a four-year hiatus – Fence drift further away
from the Beatles influences they’d been wearing on
their sleeves for years. They still know how to come up
with catchy tunes, but the grooves have become more
important. Combine that with some psychedelic
sounds, and it results in a slice of spacy funk. Fence
stands for funk now? Right on!
“Sad but sexy” said Max Colombie of Oscar & The Wolf
about the music of Jasper Maekelberg. At 27, Maekelberg
is already one of Flanders’ most respected recording engineers and mixers. And now the Ghent native debuts with
a five-track EP of his own. He combines his high-pitched
voice with a symbiotic blend of rock and electronics. It’s
menacing and inviting at the same time, brooding and
inviting you to dance. Colombie was right.
\ fence.be
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\ vi.be/facesontv
So he also printed the Dutch texts
in the book, some of them related
to songs, others not.
Singing in Dutch wasn’t an
option, but it might be, he says,
in the future. “I find it easier to
sing in English, though I’m not
100% sure why. Maybe lyrics in
Dutch are too confrontational?”
That said, he’s thinking about
singing in Dutch for his next
project. “I’m far from worried
about my lyrics,” he says, “but they
probably sound a tad more natural
if they’re in Dutch.”
His plans for the future aren’t very
concrete yet, but Tubex certainly
wants to make another album.
And it won’t take as long, he
promises.
“I’ve come to like it. Probably
I’ll try Dutch, and I hope
the songs will be a bit
more catchy.” Of course,
the tunes on Songs
for the Bookshelf have
been maturing for years,
which won’t be the case
with the next bunch.
“In the past, after writing a song, I often thought
the well had run dry, that
it would be my last one,” he
says. “Or that the next songs
would be less good. But after a
while I would come up with some
new ones, realising they were my
best. I don’t think this will change
in the future. You always think the
last song you’ve written is the best
you could ever write.”
He doesn’t play live often, but he
doesn’t decline offers. “Though I
prefer writing songs to performing them live.” He performs solo
or with his best friend, guitarist
Michiel Van Damme, one of the
musicians who contributed to the
album.
Tubex isn’t aiming to become a fulltime musician. His day job lends
him complete freedom as an artist,
he says. “There’s no commercial
pressure at all. Of course, I want to
reach as many people as possible,
but the main ambition is to create
the most beautiful songs I can.”
\ AGENDA
june 8, 2016
Hair-raising opera
CONCERT
Sweeney Todd
14-30 June
B
ased on an urban legend,
Stephen Sondheim and
Hugh Wheeler’s macabre
musical Sweeney Todd: The
Demon Barber of Fleet Street
took Broadway by storm in 1979.
Sondheim announced at the
time that the versatile piece was
both opera and musical theatre,
depending on where it was staged.
Decades later, in 2007, filmmaker
Tim Burton added Hollywood
blockbuster to the list. His silverscreen adaptation starred Johnny
Depp as the titular hairdresser.
Now the production returns to
the stage for a two-week stand at
the Brussels Opera’s pop-up venue
Muntpaleis (on the grounds of
Brussels
Muntpaleis, Brussels
DEMUNT.BE
Tour & Taxis).
Sondheim originally set the action
in a grungy quarter of Victorian
London. The current production, directed by the West Yorkshire Playhouse’s James Brining,
brings Sweeney Todd into the 20th
century – the 1970s to be exact.
The Dickensian grime is replaced
with a more familiar, disco-era
decadence, but the essential plot
remains the same.
Ex-con-turned-barber
Todd
returns from prison to take his
revenge on polite society while
his pie-making accomplice, Mrs
Lovett, disposes of the evidence
in a most scrumptious manner.
Their respective passions eventu-
© Johan Persson
ally devour both of them.
The story has been interpreted
as a cautionary tale of obsession
and a parable of capitalism, one in
which consumption is portrayed
at its most grotesque and farcical.
You don’t want to know how the
sausage is made.
This revival, performed in English,
is co-produced by the Welsh
National Opera, the Manchester
Royal Exchange and Brining’s West
Yorkshire Playhouse. Leo Hussain
and Bassem Akiki conduct the
resident Munt Symphony Orchestra and Chorus through Sondheim classics like “The Ballad of
Sweeney Todd”.
American
baritone
Scott
Hendricks stars in the title role
with British mezzo soprano Carole
Wilson as Mrs Lovett and American baritone Andrew Schroeder as
Todd’s nemesis, Judge Turpin. (In
English, with Dutch and French
surtitles) \ Georgio Valentino
LITERATURE
Lieve Blancquaert: Ecce Homo
Felix Poetry Festival
M Museum, Leuven
MLEUVEN.BE
Suffering is an elemental component of the human condition,
but each society in each historical period suffers in its own way.
Contemporary Flemish photographer and documentary filmmaker
Lieve Blancquaert found inspiration
in the baroque depictions of agony
in the M Museum’s permanent
collection. This exhibition juxtaposes her fly-on-the-wall photographs of contemporary suffering
with centuries-old canvases painted
by the Flemish masters, among
others. Blancquaert searched for
the face of 21st-century agony in
hospitals, refugee camps and ghettoes. Her work both revitalises and
relativises the surrounding historical pieces. \ GV
8-10 June
Across Antwerp
ANTWERPENBOEKENSTAD.BE
Antwerp’s poetry festival is back
and bigger than ever before. The
eighth edition of the literary extravaganza takes place at three venues
across the city. Opening night ceremonies unfold at the new headquarters of start-up laboratory
Born in Antwerp. Then there’s a
performance poetry blowout led
by local slam poet Seckou at Het
Bos. This event features loads of
rappers and spoken-word artists
from around the world. The festival climaxes with a night of international poetry at the waterfront
Felix Pakhuis, where artists affiliated with the European poetry
project Versopolis assemble for a
veritable orgy of verbal eloquence.
Antwerp
Alleen (Alone): Sara De Roo of
theatre group STAN performs
in this play about the position
of women in a modern society governed by patriarchal
norms, hierarchy, family and
religion (in Dutch). 14-18 June
20.30, Monty, Montignystraat 3
\ monty.be
VISUAL ARTS
Invisible Beauty: Work in
various media by five artists
from Iraq and the diaspora,
illustrating themes including the relationship between
art and survival, record-keeping and beauty, revealing ways
of approaching art generated by a country that has
suffered war, genocide and
human rights violations. Until
4 September, SMAK, Jan Hoetplein 1
Leuven
Diamond Barway: Photos by
Flemish photographer Sander
Buyck taken during his travels through an isolated region
of India, showing the daily
life and rituals of the Adivasi
Christian communities that
live there, trying to bridge
tradition and modernity.
Until 28 August, Kadoc-Kapel,
Vlamingenstraat 39
\ kadoc.kuleuven.be
\ GV
EVENT
FILM
Nous Sommes Grecs
Flemish Blockbusters Since 2000
The ongoing Greek debt crisis has
inspired countless gestures of solidarity by European citizens. The
second edition of the multidisciplinary festival Nous Sommes Grecs
(We Are Greek) celebrates Hellenic
culture in all its forms. Dozens of
artists, performers and speakers
are invited to share their vision of
a country with a rich history and a
thriving contemporary arts scene
in spite of (or perhaps galvanised
by) the nation’s current challenges.
Highlights include a screening
of the documentary Next Stop:
Utopia as well as performances by
rebetiko ensemble Kosmokrators
and contemporary modal musicians Ross Daly and Kelly Thoma
(pictured). \ GV
PERFORMANCE
\ smak.be
FESTIVAL
9-12 June
\ abconcerts.be
Ghent
VISUAL ARTS
10 June to 17 January
Gelukkig zijn sessie: Singalong inviting Dutch-language
learners to sing to Dutch and
Flemish classics, followed by
an after-party with DJ. Free
with reservation. 15 June 20.00,
Ancienne Belgique, Anspachlaan 110
Senghor, Brussels
NOUSSOMMESGRECS.COM
Until 31 August
Thanks to the founding of a promotions agency and an advantageous
tax shelter for investing in local
productions, Flanders’ film industry took off about 15 years ago, and
hasn’t looked back. Cinematek offers
the chance to see the most successful movies produced during the
period, including the Oscar-nominated films The Broken Circle Break-
Ghent
Cinematek, Brussels
cinematek.be
down by Felix Van Groeningen, a
study of how a loving couple handle
overpowering grief, and the gritty
Rundskop (Bullhead) by Michaël
R Roskam. The latter’s story of a
Limburg farmer whose cows aren’t
the only ones getting injections of
growth hormones shot Matthias
Schoenaerts (pictured) into international stardom. \ Lisa Bradshaw
Melle Plage: Urban beach
with lounge bar, kids zone,
cava and oyster bar, petanque,
food trucks, music and Euro
2016 matches on a big screen.
10 June to 28 August, Melle
Vogelhoek, Merelbekestraat 99
\ facebook.com/melleplage
FAMILY
Wetteren
Ola!Peloezza: Free festival for
families with kids aged four to
12, with entertainment and
activities including a soapbox
race, building with hay, learning the djembe and blowing bubbles. 11 June 14.00, De
Warande, Warandelaan 14
\ ccnovawetteren.be
\ 15
\ BACKPAGE
june 8, 2016
Talking Dutch
VoiceS of
flanders today
Take the colander off your head please, sir
In response to: Training shortfall for teachers of pupils with
special needs, says MP
Susanne De Witte: I do recognize that some students need
a special needs school, but that school should allow for their
full potential to be reached.
Derek Blyth
More articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu
W
e’ve all been there. You dutifully go along
to the town hall with your two passport
photos, only to be told that your head is too
small or your ears aren’t visible. But it’s not often that
a passport photo gets rejected because the applicant
is wearing a colander on his head.
It happened recently to Bert Goossens from Ghent
(pictured). Een aanhanger van de kerk van het vliegend spaghettimonster – A member of the Church of
the Flying Spaghetti Monster probeert een foto met een
vergiet op zijn hoofd op zijn identiteitskaart te krijgen –
tried to get a photo put on his identity card showing
him with a colander on his head, read a recent article
in Het Nieuwsblad.
The official behind the counter was having none of it.
Neen meneer, met een vergiet op het hoofd mag je niet op
een pasfoto. – No sir, you’re not allowed to wear a colander on your head in a passport photo, she said firmly.
You can sort of sympathise. Voor haar een man in volledig piratenkostuum – The man standing in front of her
was wearing a full pirate costume. Not to mention the
cooking utensil.
But Goossens refused to back down. Dit is geen grap –
This is not a joke, he said. Ik ben een Pastafarian – I am
a Pastafarian.
Pastafarians zijn aanhangers van de kerk van het vliegend spaghettimonster – Pastafarians belong to the
Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Een beweging
die als mix van ironie en ernst ontstond in de VS – an
organisation that emerged in the United States based
on a mix of irony and gravity.
Het is een aanklacht tegen de invloed van godsdienst
– It’s a protest at the influence of religion, explains
In response to: American craft beers return to the land of their
forebears
Frederik Luppens: If the product is good and special, as a
Belgian, I think many people will be open for it. After all, a
good beer is always worth a try, no?
© Courtesy Het Nieuwsblad
Goossens. Aanhangers dragen een pastavergiet op hun
hoofd en kleden zich als piraat – Followers wear a pasta
strainer on their heads and dress as pirates. Omdat ze
geloven dat we afstammen van piraten – Because they
believe we are descended from pirates.
Waarom niet? – Why not? Wat wij geloven is niet gekker
dan wat anderen geloven – What we believe is no more
insane than what others believe.
De kerk is in de wereld aan een opmars bezig – The
church is on the rise all over the world, it appears, but
Belgium is dragging its heels. In Gent werd de pasfoto
met vergiet geweigerd – the passport photo with the
colander was rejected in Ghent. Terecht – The right
decision, according to the interior ministry. Het gaat
niet om een echte religie – It’s not about a genuine religion, maar om een parodie op het geloof – but about a
parody of faith.
You can wear a headscarf or a turban because they are
based on religious principles that everyone accepts,
argued a Ghent alderman. But the colander has to go.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
In response to: Rail strike called off by Flemish unions
Danielle Robertson: A wildcat strike should be over something massive, like a human rights or a violation by an employer.
I fully respect the role of a well-meaning union, but really...
In response to: Four in 10 Belgians don’t understand what their
GP says
Nkolika Peace Okoye: I do.
Sean Mackinnon @smackinn
Not sure how to explain that race... All I can say is wow! Crazy
experience at u23 Flanders today.
Joe Money @JoeMbongo
Thinking about moving to Ghent next year…
LIKE US
facebook.com/flanderstoday
the last word
Community spirit
Extreme measures
“We had a choice: Either leave the
cemetery untidy or bring in some
volunteers.”
“This time I’m not bringing a
tent. I have a kind of rain cover I
pull over my sleeping bag. And I’ll
be leaving the gas stove at home.
Too heavy.”
Zedelgem mayor Patrick Arnou
disagrees with the Flemish Support
Centre for Volunteer Work that
volunteers are being exploited by
municipalities that use them instead
of paid labour
Bob’s your uncle
“We have to make it perfectly
clear that it’s no longer acceptable to get behind the wheel if
you’ve had a couple of drinks at a
summer party, a festival or a football match.”
© Eric Lalmand/Belga
Heavy weather The scene in Bilzen, near Hasselt, where days of heavy rainfall last week caused
floods and made getting around a struggle
Stef Willems of the Institute for Road
Safety on the coming three-month
campaign of increased drink-driving checks
Stefan Maertens, a lorry driver from
Oostduinkerke, is tackling the gruelling 4,418km Tour Divide cycle race
from Banff in Canada to the Mexican
border for the second time
Live long and
prosper
“Eternal life doesn’t exist, unfortunately. But man is an animal,
and every animal has its lifespan.
For a giant turtle, that’s 300 years.
For a human, 120 to 130 years.”
Geriatric physician Lucien De Cock,
68, has written a book on how to live
to 100, or more
5ELNGFR*bbgbcg+[M\N
\ 16