Tag: Politics

Tervuren’s chilly ice-skating ban. What to know?

In Belgium, mayoral duties can involve dispatching police in freezing conditions to enforce the ban on walking, skating, or playing on ice surfaces. Despite the rule, when ice last graced Tervuren’s lakes, numerous prominent locals were seen flouting the mayor’s directives, turning the lakes into a clandestine playground.

Soup at official opening of Tervuren’s cycle bridge

Tervurenaars, too, are invited to the inauguration of the 77.5-meter-long bridge over the Vier-Armen crossroad. The inauguration takes place on Thursday, December 19, from 14:30 to 18:00. There’s free soup, non-alcoholic mulled wine for cyclists, and a “surprise” gadget to make you stand out on the bridge and during the dark winter months.

Tervuren’s tech road safety expert

The transformative power of technology in promoting road safety was an essential part of Geert Van Der Linden’s keynote lecture on Thursday 21 November. Geert, from Tervuren, works for the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport.

Tervuren’s battle for the €100k mayor’s job

In Tervuren, two candidates are competing for the job of mayor, worth €100,000 per year. The ultimate decision isn’t solely in the hands of Tervuren’s 14,305 voters. The real question is which candidate — Flemish nationalist Marc Charlier or Flemish liberal Thomas Geyns — can secure the best deal with Groen’s top candidates in terms of key posts and policy agreements.

Congolese commemorate their lost in Tervuren

In a stark reminder of Belgium’s colonial past, over 250 Congolese were forcibly brought to Tervuren for the International Exhibition held from May to November 1897. Displayed as if they were part of a human zoo, seven of them died during the wet summer of 1897. A commemoration honored their graves.

Tervuren talks politics on Thursday 3 October

Ahead of local elections, you have three opportunities to hear Tervuren politicians and new MEP Anna Strolenberg in action this week on Thursday, 3 October. The trio of debates in Tervuren, held in the lead-up to the local elections, cover youth issues, town council policies, and integration in Tervuren.

McDo majority looms after Tervuren elections

McDonald’s is set to secure a political majority in Tervuren following the upcoming elections, according to answers given by local political leaders to the newspaper De Standaard. This would allow a newly constituted town government to overturn the rejection by Vlaams-Brabant authorities, earlier this year, of McDonald’s second planning application.

Tervuren’s €279,000 bill for Duisburgsesteenweg

Residents along the Duisburgsesteenweg see little hope of any real solution to traffic problems once the luxury appartments are completed with an estimated 400 accompanying new cars to join. Town grandees appear not to have decided for widening dangerously narrow pedestrian and cycle path before handing over the plush Panquin appartments.

Merger: Overvuren, Terijse or Druivenstreek?

If lucky, Tervurenaars may get to choose a new name after the October elections. Following rejections of mergers elsewhere in Flanders, it is uncertain whether town grandees could trust Tervuren’s 14,164 voters with the weighty decision. And don’t forget the significant opposition to Tervuren’s last merger with Duisburg in 1977.

Choosing Tervuren’s next mayor

Choosing the next mayor appears less about how Tervurenaars vote, but whether or not the party holding the balance, Groen Tervuren, once again opts for the N-VA or decides to favour Voor Tervuren, the local fusion between Flemish liberals and Catholics. Come what may, the choice of mayor appears limited to Flemish nationalist N-VA’s Marc Charlier or Flemish liberal Thomas Geyns.

Mini foot also gets sports money

The mini football pitch in the Ravenstein district, behind the KAT, is once again in tip-top condition, thanks to a thorough renovation. Sport obviously remains important for Tervuren for our politicians, ahead of October town hall elections.

Tervuren political campaign heats up

A shock for Tervuren’s campaign has been the campaign photo of 34-year-old Anna De Smedt of Vossem, taken in front of the Acropolis, where the concept of European democracy blossomed in fifth century BC. But De Smedt’s Tervuren campaign photo poses questions about how new Flemish party ‘Voor U’ sees gender equality in politics.

European party Volt sets up Tervuren branch

Member of the European Parliament Sophie in ‘t Veld was in Tervuren on 6 May to launch Volt Tervuren, a local section of the pan-European party. “Establishing a local branch of Volt in Tervuren is crucial as it brings our European vision closer to citizens, enabling concrete local action,” says in ‘t Veld.

New book by EU correspondent Mathijs Schiffers

Schiffers first stayed at Tervuren’s Rastrelli hotel in 2019 while searching for a home and school for his children. In many respects, Tervuren surpasses London, where he relocated from five years ago. “Trying to raise a young family in London is almost impossible. It’s so expensive, and the housing quality is poor,” he tells Tervuren+.