Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

The Coordination Group for Mutual Recognition and Decentralized Procedures-Veterinary (CMD-v) is responsible for the coordination and facilitation of the operation of the mutual recognition and decentralized procedures (marketing authorization procedures involving two or more Member States). CMD-v addresses procedural, regulatory and scientific issues.

The United Nations Convention on the law of the sea is the general legal framework covering, among other things, the political process of protection of the marine environment. The negotiation of the UN Resolution on Oceans and the Law of the Sea takes place every year and represents the instrument through which the Parties to the UNCLOS Convention work to implement the contents of the convention.

The aim of the conference is to seek agreement between the member states on a proposal to the European Council and the European Parliament regarding a new phase of the Article 185-project "European & Developing Countries Clinical Trial Partnership (EDCTP)".

The European Commission, in collaboration with the Health Federal Public Service and stakeholders in the sector (animal rights campaigners, veterinarians, farmers, scientists), is organizing the first international conference on animal welfare education during the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The 8th Asia-Europe People’s Forum (AEPF 8), which will be held from 2nd through 5th October 2010, is a parallel event to the ASEM-8 Summit. The forum is being organised by the National Organising Committee (NOC, Belgium) together with the International Organising Committee (IOC, Europe and Asia). Its goal is to enable Asian and European civil society representatives to formulate recommendations. Prior to AEPF 8, on 1st October 2010, trade union organisations will hold a Trade Union Day together with Asian participants. 

From 2 through 4 October 2010 the EU Youth Conference will be held in Leuven. Over one hundred young people will meet there to talk with one another and policymakers from the 27 EU Member States about youth and employment opportunities. Within the framework of the structured dialogue between youth and the EU, this topic was put forward by the Trio presidency Spain - Belgium – Hungary.

The Coordination Group for Mutual Recognition and Decentralized Procedures-Human (CMD-h) is responsible for the coordination and facilitation of the operation of the mutual recognition and decentralized procedures (marketing authorization procedures involving two or more Member States). CMD-h addresses procedural, regulatory and scientific issues. The meeting involves the participation of representatives from the National Competent Authorities (NCA’s), including European Economic Area Competent Authorities (Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein), the European Commission and the European Medicines Agency.

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.

This major event in the ICT sector will bring together 5000 participants from more than 80 countries. The programme will include: an exhibition, conferences and workshops. This conference is intended for professionals from the private and public sectors and academic circles.

Brussels’ universities, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), in collaboration with the Brussels-Europe Liaison Office, are organising a masterclass about Brussels for European civil servants. The primary aim of the project is to give them a broader insight into Brussels and its socio-geographic, economic and political cultures and structures. In this way, European civil servants will be encouraged to widen their perspectives and to obtain a view of the city in which they live and work.

In 2010, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) is inviting visual artist Jan Vanriet (1948, Antwerp) to design a grand itinerary through the galleries of the Old and Modern Masters in the museum.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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

Astonishing and original group, which brings together mentally disabled musicians and independent musicians… On the initiative of the La Hesse CEC, an association working for the promotion of the artistic skills of mentally disabled people with the Inuti (Stockholm) and Remi (France) associations. Brass, voices, percussion, guitars, machines… "The Choolers" is a remarkable musical mixture, the secret of which is the artistic and human collaboration between mentally disabled people and amateur and professional musicians from various European countries.

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.

Take space – Give space – Make space in the Brussels canal zone, Festival Kanal first edition will: examine the challenges, opportunities and problems of the Brussels canal zone via art and cultural projects, act as a lever to steer various social, economic and urban development processes in a specific direction, be a celebration for many people, a positive signal, a contribution towards creating a better image at many levels and create six sustainable art projects in public spaces by 2016.

As the first meal of the day, breakfast has taken very different forms since ancient times. Whether it’s bread and wine, a bowl of rice, a full English or a Continental breakfast, our morning habits reflect our cultural identity; while we forge them as children, it’s still a genuine melting pot of influences, some of them remote. 
With the help of genuine artefacts, displayed in a surprising and impressive way, the visitor will travel around both Europe and the world. Interaction and amusement are scheduled from the time you jump out of bed!

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.

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.

The 20th century saw the production of the first postcard, providing us with a set of photographs of Brussels.

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.

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.

At the time of his birth, the stars foretold that Sigismund would topple his father King Basil from the throne and become a bloody tyrant. To prevent the terrible prediction from coming to pass, Basil locked his son deep inside a tower. Will Sigismund succeed in overcoming the brutality of his nature? Galin Stoev (‘Oxygen’ and ’Genesis No2’) tackles this baroque drama with an eye to marrying classical material with contemporary sensibility.

Move it! promises four days of puppetry in all its diversity: figurines, objects, table puppets, animated characters, shadows, menagerie… appearing at the different venues of the Puppet Centre, in nearby streets and in the main square of Tournai! Fun and laughter guaranteed thanks to puppet wizardry…

Jazz Bruges chooses resolutely for European jazz of high artistic quality.This fifth edition will again take place in three halls.For the first time, we will welcome you every afternoon in the attic of Memling in Sint-Jan, followed by a piano recital in the Kamermuziekzaal (chamber music hall) of the Concertgebouw (concert hall) and two or three concerts in the Concertzaal.

To mark the Belgian presidency of the EU Council during the second half of 2010, the Virtual Resource Centre for Knowledge about Europe — CVCE, a public institution based in Luxembourg, is dedicating a subject portfolio as part of its digital library based on the historical relations between Belgium and the European Community since the Second World War. The portfolio wholly participates in the development of new methods of acquiring knowledge (research and education) by using new information technologies. It will provide all historical documents and original interviews with participants and direct observers in Belgium during the process of European unification.

For 25 years, the FIFF has put on a true extravaganza: screenings of French-language films, special sessions, favourites, professional workshops, educational activities, cinema tutorials, concerts, blind tests, competitions, animations, soirées … something for everyone! Over eight days more than 30,000 spectators will gather in Namur for a fitting celebration of French-language cinema. See you in October

Historical overview of the iconographic representation of the Abduction of Europa, through an impressive collection of original pieces, dating from ancient times to the present, engravings, coins and medals, porcelain, stamps, press illustrations, all set in the political, cultural and social context of their times.

Countless men and women from all backgrounds (childcare workers, teachers, officials, psychologists, sportsmen and women, etc.) are working to combat child poverty in Brussels, dreaming up all kinds of projects which offer support, bringing laughter, joy and a sparkle to the eyes of thousands of children from deprived families. As part of the European Year for Combating Poverty, homage is paid to them in the "Draw me a future" exhibition of photographs and testimonies at the Halles Saint-Gery from 2 to 31 October.

NUIT BLANCHE is an all-night arts festival opening the doors of the city of Brussels to curious night owls. A free cultural event with a broad-based appeal that encourages the public to (re)discover or (re)acquaint themselves with the urban environment from a new perspective, NUIT BLANCHE offers visitors the chance for one night to gather together, taste the unknown and experience the contemporary arts in a warm and festive atmosphere designed to fascinate and surprise.

From July to December, 27 windows in the centre of Dinant will be decorated with a theme specific to each Member State. A 28th window will be devoted to the European Union, and the entire town will be decked in the colours of Europe.