NEWS & PUBLICATIONS

Belgium Today
June 2010

VOTING IN THE JUNE ELECTIONS

The failure of the ruling coalition to resolve the voting problems of the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde district resulted in the fall of the Leterme II Government on April 22. Several days later the King accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Yves Leterme and the process has now begun to create a new government.

Elections are scheduled in Belgium on Sunday, June 13. Belgians living in the United States were provided detailed information about voting options and registration on the Web site of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dutch, French and German. Those who have registered and have chosen to vote in person will be able to do so at the Embassy and Consulates General where polls will be set up on Friday, June 11 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

This will be the third time that Belgians living abroad will be able to vote: the first time was in 2003 and the second in 2007.

VOLCANO ASH CLOUDS CAUSE HAVOC IN EUROPEAN AIRSPACE

In mid-April the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull (for most of us an unpronounceable name) provoked a phenomenon that affected air traffic throughout the world. The volcanic eruption resulted in a cloud of ash that moved quickly towards the European continent and forced one European airport after another to close down. For the first time in history almost all European airspace was completely shut down for several days.

Stranded passengers all over Europe sought alternative means of transportation. In a minimum amount of time, all trains were fully booked. In an attempt to return home victims took the initiative to charter buses. Enormous amounts were spent on car rentals.

Belgians trying to get home from the United States needed other options and it did not take long before the Embassy was besieged by calls. In most cases Belgians were referred to their respective Consulates General where the personnel were better equipped to handle calls coming from their jurisdiction.

The majority of our compatriots were stranded at one of New York area’s big airports –Kennedy, Newark or LaGuardia. Personnel at our Consulate General in New York worked day and night to provide assistance to the Belgians affected. The stranded Belgians even had a surprise visit from Princess Astrid, who was on an official mission to the United States and who encouraged them to ‘hang in there.’ A group of twenty-five students and their five leaders from Aarschot were featured on ABC News which reported on their unfortunate adventures at Dulles International Airport.

On April 20, the Embassy received a message that a military aircraft (Airbus A 330) would be made available to Belgians who could fund their own travel to Washington, DC. Nine Belgians took advantage of the opportunity to travel to Melsbroek Airport on this flight, which was organized by the Belgian Military Supply Office.

Air traffic has resumed, with occasional delays or cancellations, but the situation remains unpredictable. Belgium is working with its European partners to ensure appropriate and effective responses to any possible future disruptions caused by the volcanic ash cloud.

BELGIAN JOURNALISM STUDENTS ATTEND WHITE HOUSE PRESS CONFERENCE

So you’re a student. From Belgium. Flanders, to be exact. You have been very impressed by the rise and charisma of President Obama. You’re about to graduate with a journalism degree and you plan to conclude your studies by leaving a major impression on your professors and friends. So you decide that as the final project for your degree you will meet and interview the US president. Impossible, people say. But you will prove them wrong, and after months of lobbying a US ambassador and a couple of White House aides, you eventually reach your goal. Well, almost…

This is the story of Ellen Volders and Axelle Van Lint, two final-year students in television journalism at Katholieke Hogeschool Mechelen who took everyone by surprise when they managed to attend a press conference by President Obama last March. As they stood waiting nervously in the White House Rose Garden, they watched Mr. Obama, who had just returned from Prague, touch down in Marine One and disappear into the Oval Office, only to emerge again minutes later to make a statement concerning the West Virginia coal mine disaster. The students, who had wanted to shout some questions at the president after the press meeting, quickly realized that would be inappropriate, so they had to content themselves by listening, taping and cherishing their unique moment. That same night, they also talked with Jon Favreau, the president’s speech writer, who agreed to let them interview him the next day.

The students wanted to trump two former students’ interview with Belgian Prince Laurent last year. They set out to find sponsors and laid out their plan to the US Ambassador to Belgium in Brussels, who pledged his support to their endeavor and linked them up with some White House contacts. As soon as they arrived in Washington DC, they started networking and meeting young government employees. “Attending happy hours is the way to meet people” and get things done, the students suggested in a telephone interview with Flemish radio station Studio Brussel. Eventually, the Foreign Press Center organized a reception for them and the State Department provided them with official press passes. And the rest is history…

Ahead of and during their trip to the nation’s capital, Ellen and Axelle wrote a blog about their great adventure. This led to several TV interviews and a lot of coverage in the Flemish newspapers, which were quick to turn the girls’ story into front-page news. Never mind that the headlines didn’t necessarily reflect the true extent of their encounter with the president of the US... “Students are stalking Obama,” De Standaard headlined and “Obama grants interview to Flemish students,” Het Laatste Nieuws reported. Flemish commercial television channel VTM had a reporter follow them on their trip.

Granted, Ellen and Axelle were never invited for coffee at the White House and didn’t get answers to the questions they had prepared, but they did manage to be in the presence of their hero, take a peek behind the scenes of the nation’s capital and went home with an unforgettable story and an even greater ambition to one day become great journalists.

For photos and blog: http://www.supo.be/obama/ and
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yeswecantoo/

EU Embassy Open House Day: Shortcut to Europe

On Saturday, May 8th, the fourth edition of “Shortcut to Europe,” the European Union Embassies’ Open House Day, offered people a chance to visit the continent through the embassies of all twenty-seven EU member states. At the Belgian Embassy, people got a peek into our offices and the Belgian way of life, and apparently our guests enjoyed the opportunity to pay a visit to Belgium in Washington, DC. 4473 visitors came through our front door to learn about our country and what we do here at the embassy. They discovered the art of lacemaking, and watched movies on our bilateral relations with the United States and about the Princess Elisabeth station, the first zero emission research station in Antarctica. They also had a taste of some of our culinary treats including juices, beer, waffles, cookies and chocolate.

Comments by our Visitors

“My father is from Belgium and I have visited the country several times with my husband,” said Lynne Goss. “My father was born and raised in Brussels and would send us on vacations to Europe. So we spent our summers touring different countries.”
“We were here at the Embassy last year,” her husband Joe added. “You have a beautiful tapestry by Jespers, an artist whom we own a painting of. And it doesn’t hurt that you have a nice beer collection.”
“At first, Belgians are a little more reserved or self-contained than Americans, but they make wonderful friends once you get to know them,” Lynne said.

“We are visiting our daughter who lives in Washington DC and decided to come to your Embassy today. We are also going to the embassies of the UK and Italy,” said William and Beth Honrath, who came from Wisconsin.
“My father fought in Belgium during the war, in the Battle of the Bulge,” William Honrath explained. “We have been to Brussels and Bruges. People were very friendly and we loved the French fries. Belgians know how to eat. There are some great Belgian restaurants in Wisconsin.”
“There isn’t much in Europe as beautiful and well-preserved as Bruges,” he suggested, while his spouse added that they “also liked Brussels. It is very cosmopolitan and we enjoyed our stay at the Métropole.”

“Belgium is the first European country that I was ever in,” said Chris Terry, a visitor from Chicago. “In 1971, I traveled there as a teenager, on Sabena from JFK, and stayed at a hostel. I would like to go back and visit Antwerp and Ghent.”

“I came to your Embassy because I have heard wonderful things about the chocolates and the waffles,” Celest Allred said.
“We’re very impressed that you have so many things happening in different rooms,” added her friend Angie Siggard, an intern at a senator’s office. “It’s nice that it’s spread out and that we can visit several offices. It just shows how open you are, you get the feeling that it’s more welcoming.”

“I’ve always wanted to go to Brussels, so I wanted to come here and see what Belgium is about,” said Elena López, a visual graphics designer and DC resident who grew up in New York.” I hear it’s a beautiful country. I have seen wonderful photos and brochures. The castles, the zoo in Antwerp… It’s just amazing.”

“I am currently writing an expat guide about Washington and have come to the open house to talk to your diplomats about the services that are available for arriving expats,” said Victoria Reynolds, a DC resident who has lived in Paris for a few years. “I think it is important for expats to embrace their own culture while they are abroad and meet with people from their country.”
“There are not enough groups to help people come together,” she added. “The psychological aspect of acclimating to a new environment is often underestimated and it is hard to know where to go to for emotional support.”

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