Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

A number of European experts groups are involved in preparing international negotiations on a wide range of climate change topics. These groups are coordinated by the rotating Presidency. As part of this role, Belgium will organise a series of workshops during which groups of experts will examine, at a technical level and in their fields of expertise, items which are currently the topic of negotiations and formulate proposals for European positions.

On 13^th and 14^th September 2010, the Presidency will hold a ministerial conference dedicated to quality and efficiency in the asylum process. The Belgian Presidency wishes to invite all of the Member States and the European Institutions as well as the High Commissioner for Refugees and civil society to take part in the conference. The meeting is primarily intended to inventory good practices that contribute to a more efficient asylum policy in the Member States, in compliance with defined quality standards.

The subjects of this meeting are a number of current themes from the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

A pioneer in the Youth Information sector, Infor Jeunes Bruxelles Nord Ouest has spent four decades bringing pluralist information to various young audiences. Infor Jeunes Laeken is on the periphery of what has been agreed shall be called the "poor crescent" of Brussels. Among the large majority of young people, and particularly those from working class backgrounds, Europe tends to be reduced to a single currency and a commonplace repeated a thousand times "Brussels, capital of Europe". And that's about all.

 The initial target group is the fifth year of basic education. In order to reach the entire province, the concept of a search is offered to all Limburg Local Public Libraries in the form of a didactic suitcase. Five suitcases are put together which can be obtained for free from Europe Direct in the Provincial Town Hall.

The new opera from Belgian composer Philippe Boesmans, based on the eponymous work by Witold Gombrowicz, has its Belgian premiere one year after it was written for the Opéra National de Paris.

Artists' portraits is a collection started by the SmartBe Foundation. The Foundation decided to put together a collection of contemporary works of art in connection with the artist's portrait, a theme close to the mission and objectives of SMartBe.

The building of the Council of the European Union in Brussels is being decorated in an original way for the occasion of the Belgian EU presidency. Famous fashion designers have designed silhouettes with clothing donated from the Spullenhulp/Petits Riens depot, a charity that collects old objects for the benefit of social projects. This initiative highlights the European Year 2010 for combating poverty and social exclusion. Alongside the silhouettes that can be admired throughout the whole Council Building, there is also a photography exhibition on "the making of" of the designs.

Series of 20 8-minute programmes.
Theme: introduction for citizens, associations and teachers to the history, institutions and cultural dimensions of Europe.

Photography exhibition with Alice Smeets (B), Willy Filz (B), Christian Roosen (B), Geneviève Biwer (L) & Thomas Brenner (D).

When the design world moves into to the power station, something must be afoot! 20 designers agreed to play the game, to reveal the mysterious and hazardous journey from creative idea to finished object, a design object intended for mass production to improve our lives; this conversation oscillates between art and technology, it is a constant - and sometimes strained - dialogue between the designer and the constraints of industrial manufacture. 

This summer, Africa explodes in colours and life to celebrate 50 years of independence in Congo and 16 other African countries. A festival with the finest in theatre arts and dedicated creators. The fascinating GEO-graphics exhibition constitutes the first part of a new vision of our relationship with Africa. All the festival artists are then encouraged to come join the discussion and the engagement for this visionary Africa during their 48 hours in Brussels.

Lively and complex, the work of Philippe Herbet is the fruit of a quest begun long ago by this artist from Liège. He unveils his colour photographs here, which were taken in Belarus. With its poetic and elegant form, his work immerses us in his journeys filled with beautiful objects, unusual monuments, and strange and disturbing women. Inspired by both literature and photography, he pairs his photographs with texts from his postcards.