Economist.com Cities Guide: Brussels Briefing - October 2005

News this month

Hot-air Walloon

Controversial plans are afoot to charge all car drivers to use the roads in Wallonia, the southern, French-speaking half of Belgium. Michel Daerden, the budget minister of the Walloon government, announced on September 13th that all cars on the region’s main roads and motorways will have to display a sticker costing €25 ($31) by January. The policy, which would also apply to visitors, is proving unpopular with Flemish drivers from northern Belgium, who complain that they would be taxed to improve Walloon roads.

Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe, head of the Walloon government, rushed to deny Mr Daerden's announcement. He then explained that he was not opposed to the idea, just to the way Mr Daerden made it public, and that the scheme would have to be introduced simultaneously in Flanders and Brussels. Flanders has already been debating such a plan, which could yet run into objections from the European Commission. A similar scheme already applies on Switzerland’s motorways.

Oil and troubled waters

Rising petrol prices evoked fears of protests similar to those staged in 2000, when tractors and lorries blockaded the main roads of Brussels for days. After vowing to refuse to cut fuel taxes, European Union finance ministers began yielding to the threat of new demonstrations. In Belgium, faced with the lorry-drivers' union's threats of strikes and blockades, the government promised to speed up the repayment of duty on fuel, and ordered a crack-down on demonstrating hauliers. The government also promised some subsidies on home-heating oil in the event prices reach a certain level. Many Belgian homes use oil for heating, and the price of fuel was threatening to send the bill for domestic heating through the roof.

Reconstructing the Atomium

After an extensive restoration, the Atomium once again looks the part of the city’s most famous post-war landmark. The outsized model of a crystallised iron molecule, which was built for the 1958 World Fair, was originally meant to stand for only six months. Its popularity kept it from being destroyed, but it started to show its age in recent years; visitors who used the lifts, escalators and stairs could not help noticing the decay.

The structure was closed for restoration in March 2004. Its original aluminium panels, which had become a dull grey, were replaced with gleaming stainless steel. The last were attached in mid-September, and the Atomium now shines brighter on the horizon, though it will not reopen until the first half of next year. In the meantime, some of the old aluminium panels have been sold off—for €1,000 apiece.

IPO for Telenet

Telenet, a Flemish telecommunications company with television, internet and telephone services, will make an initial public offering of shares in early October. The company hopes to raise €1 billion in one of the biggest Belgian flotations of recent years. Telenet styles itself as a challenger to Belgacom, the national telecoms utility, which is still state-controlled. In recent years, competition between the two has driven down the price of phone calls and broadband internet connections.

The flotation is creating some uncertainty about Telenet’s future ownership. The local governments of Flanders have a 34% stake in the company, while Liberty Global (whose owner, John Malone, also owns the Discovery Channel) has a 21% stake. Liberty Global is expected to take control at some point in the future.

Catch if you can

October 2005

Panamarenko Retrospective

September 30th 2005–January 29th 2006

When Albert, King of the Belgians turned 70 last year, the government presented him with a drawing by Panamarenko. It was a clever choice—although the conceptual artist defies classification, he is a Belgian of considerable renown. Part inventor and part engineer, his sketches of flying saucers, submarines and cars are amazing flights of fancy. Indeed, his explorations of space, flight and machinery make him something of a latter-day Leonardo da Vinci. This year, as Panamarenko celebrates his 65th birthday, the fine arts museum in Brussels is staging a comprehensive exhibition that charts his artistic development.

Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Place Royale 3, 1000 Brussels. Tel: +32 (02) 508-3211. Open: Tues-Sun, 10am-5pm; Thurs till 9pm. Entry: €9. Subway: Gare centrale or Parc. For more information see the exhibition’s website.

More from the Brussels cultural calendar