Crisis Chronology

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BELGIUM

01/24/2024

Protests by farmers in France and Brussels against low wages and regulatory burden. Poland farmers also demonstrate against “unfair” competition by Ukraine.

03/11/2023

Belgium bans Tik Tok from all government phones.

12/12/2022

All members of the Political Bureau of the parliament of Wallonia resign amid a corruption scandal focused on excessive spending by the parliamentary clerk.

07/15/2021

Flooding in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France as well as Germany.

10/08/2020

Brussels shuts down local bars and and restricts restaurant hours due surge in new cases of COVID-19.

09/30/2020

Governing coalition formed

The self-designated Vivaldi coalition of Liberals, Socialists and Greens, representing both linguistic groups, is able to form a government. Flemish Liberal Alexander de Croo will be prime minister.

03/18/2020

Government issues stay at home order due to COVID-19.

03/17/2020

Temporary government installe

Sophie Wilmés is sworn in as prime minister. Opposition parties have pledged to support her minority government during the COVID-19 crisis with plenary power to handle it.

10/27/2019

Wilmes named prime minister

Sophie Wilmes becomes Belgium’s first female prime minister. She is of the MR party, as was outgoing prime minister Charles Michel, who will become EU president in December. The MR party does not have a majority and no government has been in place since 12/18.

12/21/2018

King Philippe accepts Michel’s resignation but asks him to stay until elections in May.

12/19/2018

Michel resigns

Michel submits his resignation after failing to gain support from opposition parties.

12/09/2018

Michel refuses to oppose UN immigration plan, against demands of New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) party, which withdraws its support from the governing coalition and leaves it with a minority. Michel will seek other support.

11/12/2018

French Pres Macron proposes a joint military force for Europe. Europe already has the European Intervention Initiative (EI2), aimed at creating a unified military force capable of taking coordinated action abroad. Finland joins the group, which includes France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Estonia, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

01/10/2018

Catalan parliament re-elects Carles Puigdemont, who would have to govern via electronic communication from Belgium.

01/08/2018

Outcry over meetings with Sudan officials, who presented a list of individuals who were subsequently forced to return to Sudan, where they are likely to be persecuted. The meetings were set up by the nationalist New Flemish Alliance, which says it will quit the government if its minister, who arranged the meetings, is removed. That would split the governing coalition, which could bring down the Michel government.

12/06/2017

Carles Puigdemont says he will remain in Belgium until further notice.

12/05/2017

Spain withdraws arrest warrant for Puigdemont, who remains in Belgium, and releases some of the Catalan officials. Regional elections are to be held on 12/21, and some of the Catalan separatist officials are trying to run, either from abroad, in jail, or in the region. However, the charges of sedition and rebellion remain.

11/04/2017

Puigdemont and other cabinet members in Belgium surrender to Belgian police, though EU arrest warrant not yet approved.

11/04/2017

Belgian court allows Catalans to stay without imprisonment until court hearing.

11/02/2017

Spain requests an EU arrest warrant for Puigdemont and four others, cabinet members, all in Belgium.

11/01/2017

Puigdemont’s lawyer says he is unlikely to return to Spain to testify.