Quo vadis Middle East?
By Moshe A. Friedman, Rabbi in Antwerp and former Chief Rabbi in Vienna (Antwerp, 10 October 2025) There is now reasonable relief – the Gaza peace treaty should end the massacres and starvation. Nevertheless, the international community should now focus of nine key issues. 1. The last treaty from the beginning of this year was broken in the middle [...]
A century of road safety
By Jürgen Klute In line with the theme, the closing ceremony for DEKRA's 100th anniversary took place on 30 September at Auto World in Parc Cinquantenaire in Brussels. This followed a larger celebration in Berlin, the ‘birthplace’ of DEKRA, and several smaller celebrations and company parties at various locations around the world. DEKRA stands for Deutscher Kraftfahrzeug-Überwachungs-Verein e.V. (German [...]
Former MEPs call for suspension of EU Association Agreement with Israel
110 former members of the European Parliament from almost all political groups have signed an open letter dated 10 August 2025 calling on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas to call on EU member states to completely suspend the EU's association [...]
Paul Lim – an attempt at an obituary from a Brussels perspective
Paul Lim, the only Singaporean who managed to considerably influence EU policies toward his homeland (and the entire ASEAN region) - an attempt at an obituary from a Brussels perspective By Frank Schwalba-Hoth, Brussels And suddenly he was there. To this day, it remains a mystery to me what at the end of the 1980s exactly led to a [...]
In February 2026, Morocco is hosting a maritime trade fair in the historic port city of El Jadida
[DE | NL] By Jürgen Klute A dynamic world is undergoing radical change. Global warming requires us to phase out fossil fuels. This is leading to profound shifts in the global economy and international trade. Some old trade routes will lose importance, while new ones will gain significance. Due to these changes, the African continent will grow in economic [...]
The first Mongolian Naadam Festival in Brussels
[DE | NL| By Jürgen Klute Last Saturday (28 June), there was a premiere in Brussels' Bois de la Cambre. The Naadam Festival took place there for the first time. However, it was not only the first time in Brussels, but also the first time in Europe – and outside Mongolia. The Naadam Festival is Mongolia's national holiday. It [...]
The Mothers of the European Union
[DE | NL] By Jürgen Klute | March 2025 When discussing the foundations of today's European Union (EU), names like Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet are often mentioned first. They are widely recognized as the fathers of the EU’s predecessor, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), established in 1951 under the Schuman Plan. On International Women's Day, celebrated [...]
Afghans demand Pakistan’s government halt deportations
By Jürgen Klute (updated on 21 April 2025) On Easter Sunday this year (20 April 2025), between 5 and 7 p.m., around 60 to 70 people gathered on Place Luxembourg, directly in front of the European Parliament building in Brussels. The demonstrators, most of whom were from Afghanistan, had come to protest against the Pakistani government's threat of deportation. [...]
How Storytelling Can Redefine The Way We Connect
Since 1989, Frank Schwalba-Hoth, co-founder of the German Green Party and former Member of the European Parliament (1984-1987), has been hosting an event called Soirée Internationale about once a month in different restaurants in Brussels. Laura Mantilla Vargas, who first attended the Soirée Internationale on 20 March 2025 at the Tourane restaurant at 62-64 Rue du Luxembourg in Brussels, [...]
Brussels Forum: Women leaders promoting peace, human dignity and interfaith dialogue in the workplace
By Manel Msalmi, Brussels Following women's history month, a big forum on female leadership and interfaith dialogue was organised on March 19th in Brussels at the European Parliament by Empower Women Media and Abraham Women Alliance in collaboration with the European Association for The Defense of Minorities. It was the first forum in Europe and Brussels which gathered more [...]
Sarakhov prize nominees meet civil society organizations at the European Parliament in Strasbourg
By Manel Msalmi On December 19th, I had the privilege of attending the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought ceremony at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. It was a humbling moment to witness the recognition of those who dedicate their lives to defending human rights and democracy-values at the core of Europe’s identity. On behalf of Circle of Sustainable [...]
Dubai Forum to empower Female leaders promoting peace
By Manel Msalmi On November 15th-16th a big forum was organised in Dubai on the eve of the international Day of Tolerance in UAE, a country which was one of the architects of the peace agreements and the Abraham Accords and the one which launched the initiative of The national Tolerance Day. The two-day multifaith event, which was organised [...]
Lions Club charity run: from Warsaw to Brussels
Lions Clubs from Poland and Germany run for war victims in Ukraine By Reinhard Boest There is truly no shortage of charitable initiatives in Belgium. There is not only the Red Cross, Unicef or the Scouts, but also CAP48, 11.11.11, 12-12, Télévie or ‘De Warmste Week’. Every year, non-governmental organisations or television stations collect millions of euros for many [...]
MEP Bernd Lange: ‘Now time for in-depth scrutiny – approval by the EP will not be a foregone conclusion’
The European elections took place on 9 June 2024. The term of office of the EU Commission also ends at the end of the legislative period of the Parliament. After the election of the European Parliament, a new Commission has to be formed. After each EU Member State has proposed a candidate, the European Parliament examines the candidates through [...]
Brussels gets a Palace of the Silk Roads
By Jürgen Klute and Zhou Yi The Chinese Pavilion in the Royal Palace Gardens in the Laeken district of the Belgium und European capital Brussels is awakening from a deep slumber For over ten years, the Chinese Pavilion in the Royal Palace Gardens in Laeken has been lying empty and unused in a kind of slumber, threatening to fall [...]