Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Every member state charged with the alternating Presidency of the European Union traditionally organises a meeting of the Customs Union Group (Customs Legislation and Customs Policy) outside Brussels. This event brings together the customs ministerial advisors from the 27 member states and representatives from the Commission, the Council and the Legal Service. This meeting is an excellent opportunity to build links between colleagues in a pleasant atmosphere.

The seminar will have a dual focus. On one hand, the reasons will be explored why, based on the new Eurojust decision and the practical experience of Eurojust, better coordination and collaboration between the judicial authorities of Eurojust and consequently, more effective operation of Eurojust is necessary. In this segment, the approach will be based on article 85 of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union. On the other hand, the option provided for in article 86 of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union for the establishment of a European public prosecutor’s office will be explored.

The Encuentro de Mexicanistas 2010 will gather experts, researchers and academicians from Member States of the EU and Mexico, to discuss important fields in the areas of Education, Science and Technology and Culture.

The Ministers of Agriculture of the 27 Member States of the Union and the four candidate countries as well as the European Commissioner for Agriculture will visit farm sites together on Monday 20/09 in order to find out about the specific features and the dynamism of Belgian agriculture.  On 21/09 in the course of an informal meeting whose theme is "European agriculture: choosing today for a strong CAP tomorrow",  they will exchange their views on the directions to take for the Common Agricultural Policy after 2013.

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.

Love is Strange [rough cut] is a resolutely interdisciplinary performance. A staged concert, a musical performance, a play without theatricality, a ribbon of dreamlike visions accompanied by danced monologues and visual dialogues.
Love is Strange [rough cut] explores the impossible and unreal nature of romantic relationships. Love is Strange [rough cut] asks questions about the strangeness of love, its hidden beauties and its far-flung extravagances.
Words in French, German, English and Dutch.

An exhibition composed of photographs and films produced by students in Brussels, France, Austria, Poland and Spain who, thanks to the European CULTURE Programme, went off and discovered the ancient palace of Brussels, as well as châteaux in Versailles, Chambord, Schönbrunn, Wilanow and Madrid. A useful discovery-tour tool will be provided for visitors to hone their appreciation of the materials and building techniques of the archaeological site and the Royal Palace.

The René Magritte Museum, situated in the painter’s house in Jette, is putting on an exhibition devoted to Belgian abstract art to coincide with the centenary of non-representational art in Europe (1910-2010). Around 40 masterpieces give a fine overview of representatives of this movement in Belgium, from the 1920s to the present day. Activities organised on the fringes of the exhibition will emphasise the exciting cross-fertilisation between these artists and other European countries.

Every five years, Bruges is the setting for a major cultural city festival. This time creative people from the area and artists from Central Europe are taking over the city. For about four months 'Brugge Centraal' will draw people to an intense and varied selection of concerts, films, stage shows and exhibitions. The programme balances East and West, past and present, confrontation and harmony. The modern art trail 'Luc Tuymans: A Vision of Central Europe' and the historic exhibition 'Van Eyck to Dürer' are the stars of this major event.

100 Years of abstract art in Belgium is organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in cooperation with the René Magritte Museum in Jette (Brussels) in the context of the Belgian EU presidency. It introduces five Belgian artists with a clear focus on covering different provinces of Belgium. They represent the geometric approach in abstraction - also known as constructive or concrete art.

Brussels enjoys a unique position as the capital of Europe. However, we have noticed that only a small number of young people in Brussels are aware of what this European presence means for Brussels and what repercussions it will have. That is why, on the occasion of the Belgian presidency, the Brussels-Europe Liaison Office has proposed an exceptional project to the schools: a rally in the European quarter for all students in the final two years of secondary school, with the aim of informing them about 'Europe in Brussels' in a fun atmosphere.

The “SOS Planet” exhibition is set to be the biggest exhibition ever created on the topic of climate change.

Throughout the Belgian Presidency of the EU, the Brussels-Capital Region will be offering tours of discovery in the canal area (guided, with a reservation, or unaccompanied) of projects cofinanced by the European Union.

Architecture and urban planning in the European Quarter: past, present and future. Many artists have resided in the Leopold Quarter in the past. The project aims to show visitors the past and future potential of the area. During the Belgian presidency of the European Union, a discovery group will be set up in the European Quarter, accompanied by an exhibition.

Take part in a fun adventure quest through Brussels' European district, complete with a prize-winning contest, a version for kids (also with prize-winning contest) and a photo competition.

The permanent exhibition "The ikob Collection – in progress" adapts its content in tandem with temporary exhibitions. To create additional dialogue between the different exhibitions, the curator Francis Feidler chooses a selection of works from the museum’s collection.

In connection with Belgium’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Belgian State Archives will be organising an exhibition about the establishment of the European Institutions in Brussels. The Belgian State Archives (including the Archive of the Royal Palace) itself has various rich archive stocks that illustrate this subject and is also undertaking complementary research in other archive bodies and documentation centres.

Installation consisting of 200 monuments in the gardens of the Château des Langues in Hamois.