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NEWS & PUBLICATIONSBelgium Today January 2012EMBASSY TO IMPLEMENT NEW BIOMETRIC PASSPORT PROCEDURES Since 2004 Belgium has been issuing electronic passports with a computer chip containing the holder's personal data and photograph. These passports are designed to make traveling easier and safer and to protect the holder against identity theft if the passport should be lost or stolen. Starting next month, biometric data -- specifically digital fingerprints -- will be integrated into the passport’s computer chip. The mandatory fingerprinting will change the passport application procedure. As of February 15, 2012, Belgians age 12 and up who wish to apply for a passport at the Embassy of Belgium in Washington, DC, will be required to appear there in person, whether or not they are registered at the Embassy. The Embassy will no longer accept passport applications sent by mail. As of age 6, children are also expected to be present in order to be photographed and to sign their passports. This procedure complies with European Union regulations and is being put into place at the Embassy following a ten-month test phase which began in April 2011. The new application procedure will later be implemented in the consular jurisdictions of Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York. For further information, please consult the following links: www.Diplobel.us Diplomatie.belgium.be The Consular Section of the Embassy remains at the disposal of Belgians who require any additional information. 2012 YEAR OF GASTRONOMY IN BRUSSELS AND WALLONIA This year visitors to Brussels and Wallonia will have an array of enticing, original and fun gourmet events to choose from, all part of the Belgian Tourist Office's 2012 Year of Gastronomy campaign. The celebration will reinforce Belgium as a gastronomic destination and highlight its quality and creativity through food fairs, chocolate tastings and beer drinking. Confirmed epicureans will enjoy unique gourmet experiences, where location and food come together in extraordinary harmony. Take a cooking class, do a "fritkots" walk or view the exhibition Dinner's Served!. For a calendar of events -- and some recipes -- go to www.brusselicious.be BRUSSELS AIRLINES WILL FLY TO NY On June 1, 2012, Brussels Airlines will begin daily service between Brussels and New York. The US-bound flight will leave Brussels Airport at 10:20 a.m., while the flight to Belgium will depart JFK at 5:15 p.m. All flights will be operated with Airbus A330 aircraft, equipped with a brand-new business and economy class cabin (flat bed in business, ergonomic seats in economy). Ticket sales have already begun. www.brusselsairlines.com/en_uk The Belgian Residence was fully decorated for the Christmas season when Ambassador and Mrs. Matthysen opened their doors to the veterans of the Battle of the Bulge on December 15. Upon arrival at the residence, the veterans and other guests were greeted with holiday songs performed by the Madrigals of Walter Johnson High School, Bethesda, Maryland, under the direction of Choral Director, Isabel Hernandez-Cata. Throughout the reception, the singers, sometimes solo, sometimes in small groups, serenaded guests with songs popular in the 1940’s. Ambassador Matthysen reminisced about the monumental battle for freedom that took place on Belgian and Luxembourg soil 67 years ago, telling his guests, “Those who fought in that long, cold, fierce battle were so involved in the daunting task of routing the enemy that they probably did not have time to consider their role as peace-makers. With hindsight, however, we know that they did make a significant contribution to winning the war and to creating lasting peace in Europe.” He emphasized the respect in which Belgium holds the veterans, the country’s gratitude for their accomplishments and the need to keep alive the memory of the Battle of the Bulge. A highlight of the reception came when the Ambassador announced that a special Belgian award, the Fourragère 1940, had been bestowed on three veterans who were part of a unit cited twice in the Daily Orders of the Belgian Army for heroic actions during the Battle of the Bulge: Mr. Sossio E (Pat) Capasso; Mr. Ted Hauprichts and Mr. Harry E. McCracken. Warm and sustained applause followed and during the reception many guests had the opportunity to individually thank the veterans for their service.
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