2024 in Belgium

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Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2024 List of years in Belgium

Events in the year 2024 in Belgium .

Incumbents

• Monarch – Philippe ^[1]
• Prime Minister – Alexander De Croo

Events

January

• 1 January – 2024 Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union begins.

February

• 1 February – The Monument to John Cockerill is vandalised during farmers' protests in Brussels. ^[2]
• 13 February – The European Court of Human Rights upholds Flemish and Wallonian bans on the ritual slaughter of animals that have not been stunned. ^[3]

March

• 12 March – Far-right political activist and former Vlaams Belang politician Dries Van Langenhove is jailed for one year for Holocaust denial and incitement to violence. ^{[4] [5] [6]}
• 18 March – A police officer is killed and two others are injured in a shooting during a house search in Charleroi investigating illegal trade in arms, drugs, and stolen vehicles; the suspect is shot and critically injured by police. ^[7]
• 21 March – Pope Francis laicizes the Bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe due to abuse. ^[8]
• 25 March – Humo magazine and Apache website, both based in Belgium, reveal that politician Filip Dewinter worked as a "senior political advisor" for China for years. ^[9]

April

• 12 April – Belgian prosecutors open an investigation into Russian interference in the 2024 European Parliament election. ^[10]
• 16 April – Brussels police shut down the right-wing National Conservatism Conference attended by Nigel Farage and expected to host Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. ^[11]

June

• 9 June –
  • 2024 Belgian federal election: Prime Minister Alexander De Croo's governing coalition loses its majority, leading to his resignation. ^[12] The New Flemish Alliance wins the highest percentage of votes, followed by Vlaams Belang and the Reformist Movement. ^[13]
  • 2024 Belgian regional elections
• 19 June –
  • The European Commission reprimands Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland, and Slovakia for breaking budget rules. ^[14]
  • Brussels declines to host a UEFA Nations League match between Belgium and Israel over security concerns. ^[15]

July

• 23 July – The European Union deprives Hungary of its ability to host the next set of foreign and defense ministry meetings as a "symbolic signal" against Viktor Orbán's uncoordinated meetings in Russia and China, moving the ministry meetings from Budapest to Brussels. ^[16]
• 26 July – Seven people are arrested on suspicion of terrorist activity in raids on 14 locations nationwide. ^[17]

September

• 26–29 September – Pope Francis conducts a three-day visit to Belgium. ^{[18] [19]}
• 27 September – Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and King Philippe publicly criticise Pope Francis during their welcome addresses for him over sexual abuses committed by the Roman Catholic Church in Belgium. ^[20]

October

• 13 October: 2024 Belgian local elections
• 29 October – A court in Brussels convicts 120 people on drugs charges and sentences them to up to 17 years imprisonment in the biggest drugs-related trial in the country. ^[21]

December

• 1 December – A law allowing sex workers to enter into formal employment contracts and avail of standard labour benefits such as standardised working hours, health insurance, paid leave, maternity benefits, unemployment support and pensions comes into effect. ^[22]
• 2 December – An appeals court in Brussels finds the Belgian state liable for crimes against humanity in a lawsuit filed five mix-raced children who were abducted from their mothers in Belgian colonies in Africa and orders restitution of 50,000 euros to each victim. ^[23]

Holidays

Further information: Public holidays in Belgium

Source: ^{[24] [25]}

• 1 January - New Year's Day
• 1 April - Easter Monday
• 1 May - International Workers' Day
• 9 May - Ascension Day
• 20 May - Whit Monday
• 21 July – Belgian National Day
• 15 August - Assumption Day
• 1 November - All Saints' Day
• 11 November - Armistice Day
• 25 December - Christmas Day

Art and entertainment

• List of Belgian European Film Award winners and nominees
• List of Belgian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

Deaths

• 1 January – Camila Batmanghelidjh, 61, Iranian-Belgian charity executive, founder of Kids Company. ^[26]
• 20 January – Herbert Glejser, 86, economist. ^[27]
• 16 February – Jan Sørensen, 68, footballer
• 24 February – Benoît van Innis, 63, artist
• 28 March – Guy Goffette, 76, poet
• 15 May – Patrick Moenaert, 75, politician.
• 12 July – Ellis Brandon, 101, veteran.

See also

• 2024 in the European Union
• 2024 in Europe

References

1. "Philippe, king of Belgium". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
2. "Farmers topple statue from John Cockerill monument in Place du Luxembourg". The Brussels Times . Belga. 1 February 2024.
3. Paula Andrés (13 February 2024). "Top human rights court backs Belgian religious slaughter bans". Politico.
4. "Belgium's far-right prodigy gets prison term for inciting violence". 12 March 2024.
5. "A Belgian court sentences a prominent far-right activist to 1 year in prison for spreading hate". Associated Press News . 12 March 2024.
6. Lauren Walker (12 March 2024). "Racism and negationism: Van Langenhove sentenced to prison and fined". The Brussels Times.
7. Lauren Walker (18 March 2024). "One special forces agent and suspect die during house search shooting". The Brussels Times.
8. Tom Heneghan (27 March 2024). "Belgian bishop laicised 14 years after abuse exposed". The Tablet .
9. "Vlaamse media: politicus Filip Dewinter jarenlang werkzaam voor China". nos.nl (in Dutch). 2024-03-25. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
10. "Belgium probing alleged Russian interference in EU election campaign". Reuters. 12 April 2024.
11. "Farage and Orbán's Brussels jamboree descends into mayhem amid police siege". POLITICO. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
12. "Belgium headed for new government as PM set to resign after general election". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
13. VRT News. "Verkiezingsuitslagen 2024". VRTNWS (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-06-10.
14. "European Commission reprimands France and six countries for breaking budget rules". Le Monde.fr. 2024-06-19. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
15. "Brussels refuses to host Belgium-Israel match over security concerns". euronews. 2024-06-19. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
16. "Hungary stripped of EU meeting over Ukraine stance". BBC. 23 July 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
17. "French minister thanks Belgium for detaining 7 terror suspects on eve of Olympics opening ceremony". Associated Press. 25 July 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
18. "The Pope's plane lands in Brussels in a thunderstorm". The Brussels Times . 26 September 2024.
19. "ope wraps troubled Belgium visit by doubling down on abortion and women, praising abuse victims". AP News . 29 September 2024.
20. "Belgian PM and king blast Pope Francis for church's sex abuse cover-up legacy in blistering welcome". AP News . 26 September 2024.
21. "Belgium's largest drug trial ends with over 100 convictions". Euronews . 29 October 2024.
22. "A new Belgium law gives sex workers contracts, benefits and safety protection". Associated Press . 1 December 2024.
23. "Belgian court rules against state in a landmark case addressing its colonial past". Associated Press . 2 December 2024.
24. "Belgium Public Holidays 2024". Public Holidays Global. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
25. "Jours fériés nationaux" [National public holidays in Belgium]. Belgian Federal Public Service (in French). Retrieved 7 November 2023.
26. Butler, Patrick (2024-01-02). "Kids Company charity founder Camila Batmanghelidjh dies aged 61". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-01-03.
27. "L'économiste belge Herbert Glesjer est décédé à l'âge de 86 ans". La Libre . 19 Feb 2024.

External links

• Online calendar