According to ezinereligion, in 2007, Belgium had an estimated population of over 10 million people, composed of multiple ethnic groups including Flemish, Walloons, and Germans. The official languages were Dutch, French and German. The economy was largely based on services and industry, as well as exports. In terms of foreign relations, Belgium maintained close ties with its neighbors in the region such as France and Germany. It also maintained diplomatic relations with several other countries such as the United States, China and Japan. Politically, Belgium was a constitutional monarchy led by King Albert II since 1993 until his abdication in 2013. Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt was in power from 1999 to 2008 when he was replaced by Prime Minister Yves Leterme who remained in power until 2010. Following his resignation Elio Di Rupo became prime minister in 2011 and is still in power today.
Yearbook 2007
Belgium. In a satirical ad on the e-commerce site eBay in September, the whole of Belgium was offered for sale, as “a kingdom, in three parts”. Any buyers were advised to buy one of the parts Flanders, Wallonia or Brussels. The background to the ad, which was soon removed from the site, was the political crisis in which Belgium was in. The country was without government since the parliamentary elections just over three months earlier, and there was talk of the risk of the nation falling apart.
The June 10 election to both parliament’s chambers was a major setback for the largest government party, the liberal VLD, and for the government coalition in general. Guy Verhofstadt filed his resignation after eight years as prime minister.
- According to abbreviationfinder: BE is the 2-letter acronym for the country of Belgium.
According to CountryAAH, Brussels is the capital city of Belgium. The largest party and the winner of the election became the Flemish Christian Democratic Party CD&V, whose leader Yves Leterme was commissioned to put together a new coalition. The task was difficult in the politically complex landscape where most parties are in two sets: one in Flanders and one in French-speaking Wallonia.
Leterme tried to form a government with Christian democratic and liberal parties. But in August, after two months, he was forced to announce that negotiations had broken down. The major battle issue was increased autonomy for the regions, which the Flemish CD&V and VLD advocated, but which their Walloon sister parties rejected.
Many Flemish people wanted increased self-government and reduced the transfer of resources from Flanders to Wallonia, the poorer of the two countrymen.
King Albert now had to step in to try to help find a solution. It was the first time the monarch participated in the formation of government in almost 20 years. The royal house is generally regarded as a unifying factor in the fragmented Belgium.
The attempts to form a government continued during the fall, without success. In November, a long time had passed since the election without a new government; 30,000 people demonstrated in Brussels for a united Belgium and to persuade politicians to form government.
In early December, Leterme gave up for the second time the attempts to form a government. Instead, the outgoing Prime Minister Verhofstadt was invited to form a transitional government to temporarily resolve the crisis. Just before Christmas, a five-party coalition with a three-month mandate was approved.
During the year, the Belgians marked the 100th anniversary of Georges Remi’s birth with exhibitions, stamps and plans for a new museum. Remi created under the pseudonym Hergé one of the world’s most famous Belgians: the cartoon character Tintin.
Belgium weather in March, April and May
Average daily temperatures between 9 ° C and 17 ° C can be expected over the next three months. In Brussels, it will be warmest in May, but March is noticeably cooler.
The expected rainfall is around 13 days in March, around 11 days in April and around 12 days in May.
In the period from March to May , the sun shines on average between 3 and 6 hours a day. The sunniest weather in Brussels is in May, but with less sun you will have to get by in March.