Stories from Brussels · Belgium

The European Union and European institutions presented a specific work plan regarding the creation of a special military tribunal for Russia. The plan aims to prosecute Russian President Vladimir Putin and others involved in criminal activities and war crimes. The discussion involves varying perspectives within the EU and on a global level. Radio Svoboda reported that there are demands within the European Union for the extradition of Russian war criminals or the establishment of special tribunals. The report noted that this is part of a push for unity within the EU regarding Russia. The source noted that the level of unity within the West regarding these demands is currently unclear. A broad coalition of countries is approaching the issue of Russian war crimes and aggression against Ukraine through the implementation of a special tribunal.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has compared Brussels' net zero transition policies to an old communist hierarchy. Peter Springfeldt stated that many voters feel change is being imposed by distant elites.

Experts describe the major power outage as a multifactorial event that caused the system to lose synchronism with the rest of Europe. The failure involved high renewable energy production, automatic disconnections of power plants, and voltage management failures. The outage affected Portugal and nearly reached France, according to technical diagnoses. The MAGS press service stated that the Cloudflare issue was caused by a technical error rather than actual security threats. Service representatives noted that the platform undergoes regular checks and utilizes its own user protection mechanisms. This follows reports of a vulnerability discovered via incorrect access control.

The Chamber's Mobility Commission unanimously approved a resolution from the Flemish socialist party Vooruit on Tuesday. The resolution suggests making bicycle transport on trains free of charge. The text also requests the federal government to develop a combined ticket valid for all public transport to replace the current system requiring additional payments. Vlaamsbelang did not vote for the resolution. Currently, passengers must pay a supplement for bicycle transport. The Belgian parliament has unanimously approved a plan to make transporting bicycles on trains free. Currently, passengers in Flanders must pay 3 euros to bring a bicycle on board during peak hours, in addition to a 5 euro fare. The initiative aims to encourage travelers to leave their cars behind and use rail transport.

Several European countries are warning that Russia may increase military activity to attack EU nations by the end of the year. These initiatives aim to bolster security by 2027, according to the report. Moscow has denied these military plans.

A date has been set for the oral arguments in the trial of former Brussels federal judicial police chief Glenn Odenhard. The arguments are scheduled for November 24.

Markets reacted to criticism of the established emissions trading system following comments by Friedrich Merz at an EU industry summit in February.

The Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that Israeli operations in Gaza constitute strong similarities to genocide. This follows an International Court of Justice assessment regarding plausible risks of genocide in the region.

European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jørgensen stated that the war's cost is approximately 5 million euros per day. The conflict's impact extends beyond travelers and airports, potentially keeping energy prices high for months or years.

The European Commission proposes merging the Common Agricultural Policy and regional development funds into a single pool of approximately one trillion euros. The European Parliament does not oppose this restructuring provided that funding levels are not reduced. The proposal also suggests that distribution of these funds should not be decided by national capitals. This multi-year financial framework is designed for a seven-year period. The primary allocations include agriculture, regional development, road repairs, rail infrastructure, and research. The European Union is considering a proposal to merge regional funding into a single large fund valued at approximately one trillion euros. Current Commission drafts suggest capital cities should decide on fund distribution, but the Parliament proposes a different mechanism.