Today, The Grandma has been in contact with TheWatsons. They have been talking about RennetteWatson and her next candidature to EurovisionSong Contest.
She has explained them who is the youngest winner of this Contest, Sandra Kim, who won it when she was thirteen representing Belgium in its only triumph along this Contest.
Before talking about Belgium and SandraKim, The Grandma has offered The Watsons a new Cambridge Key English Test A2 Example.
Belgium has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 61 times since making its debut as one of seven countries at the first contest in 1956. The only countries with more appearances are Germany (63), France (62) and the United Kingdom (62).
Belgium have been absent only three times in total, in 1994, 1997 and 2001, due to low scores in the previous contests that relegated them from the contest.
Belgium has won the contest once, in 1986.
In the first 20 years of the contest, Belgium's best result was Tonia's fourth place in 1966. In 1978, Jean Vallée achieved Belgium's first top three placement, when he was second.
Sandra Kim
Sandra Kim became the first and to date only winner for Belgium in 1986, when she won as a 13-year-old in Bergen, performing the song J'aime la vie.
Belgium's only other top three result came in 2003, when the group Urban Trad finished second in Riga, losing out by only two points.
Belgium has finished last in the contest five times, most recently in 2000, and has twice received nul points; in 1962 and 1965.
After the introduction of the semi-final round in 2004, Belgium failed to reach the final for five consecutive years (2005–09).
Since 2010, Belgium has become more successful, qualifying for the final in five out of nine contests and placing in the top 10 four times, with Tom Dice sixth (2010), Loïc Nottet fourth (2015), Laura Tesoro tenth (2016), and Blanche fourth (2017).
Belgium has two national broadcasters of the contest, Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep (VRT) and French-speaking broadcaster Radio télévision belge de la communauté française (RTBF).
The two broadcasters rotate selection for the Eurovision Song Contest each year, currently starting with 2002, VRT in the even-numbered years and RTBF in the odd-numbered years; until 1993 BRT/BRTN in the odd-numbered years and RTB/RTBF in the even-numbered years).
Tonia's fourth-place at the 1966 contest remained Belgium's best result until Jean Vallée finished second in 1978.
Following good results for Stella (fourth in 1982) and Jacques Zegers (fifth in 1984), Belgium finished last for the third time in 1985. This was followed by Belgium's first and only Eurovision victory in 1986, when Sandra Kim won with her song J'aime la vie in Bergen, Norway.
Sandra Kim
Although she claimed she was 15 years old, she was actually only 13, but was allowed to keep her victory. Currently the minimum age for participation is 16 and thus SandraKim will remain the youngest winner unless the age limit is lowered.
By winning in 1986, Belgiumbecame the last of the French-speaking countries to win the contest, as France, Luxembourg, Monaco and Switzerland all had won at least once before.
Belgium scored an absolute record at the time, with Sandra Kim earning a never seen before number of 176 points, that record remained until 1993, with Ireland scoring 187 points, an average of 9.26 points per voting nation.
Sandra Kim received 77.2% of the maximum possible score, which, as of 2017, still ranks eighth among all Eurovision winners.
Belgium finished last for the fourth time at the 1993 contest, before achieving its only top ten result of the decade at the 1998 contest in Birmingham, where Mélanie Cohl finished sixth.
Sandra Caldarone (born 15 October 1972), better known as Sandra Kim, is a Belgian singer of Italian descent who won the Eurovision Song Contest1986.
Her father was an Italian immigrant from Torrebruna in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
Kim was born in Montegnée, near Liège to a hairdresser mother and accordionist father, and started singing when she was seven.
At the time of her Eurovision win, she was only 13 years old, making her the youngest winner of the contest, even though the lyrics of her song J'aime la vie claim her to be 15; the Swiss petitioned to have the song disqualified after her real age was revealed.
Sandra Kim also represented Belgium at the Yamaha Music Festival in Tokyo during the autumn of 1986 and sang the title song for the French animated television series Il était une fois... la vie.
Sandra Kim's pop rock album Make Up was released on 12 May 2011, containing songs written by famous Belgian artists like Salvatore Adamo, Dani Klein (Vaya Con dios), Ozark Henry, Anthony Sinatra (Piano Club), Jacques Duval and David Bartholomé (Sharko).
Devant Jacques Brel, devant Mozart Je m'sens petite, j'ai le cafard Je ne suis rien qu'une poussière Dans cet univers (C'est la vie-la vie, toute la vie)
Before Jacques Brel, before Mozart I feel small, I'm depressed I am nothing but a speck of dust In this universe (That's life, life, all of life)
Today, The Grandma has travelled to Brussels to visit some old friends.
She is going to spend the weekend in the capital of Belgium enjoying its history, its culture, its people, its cuisine and its freedom.
Brussels has a hidden secret that makes it a different city, its sewer. On a day like today in 1867 started the covering of the Senne/de Zenne, an ambitious civil plan to change the city, its urban aspect and its quality of life.
The Grandma has visited this amazing part of the city during his first day in the city and she has discovered the recent history of this wonderful city, capital of Belgium and heart of the European Union.
The covering of the Senne, in Dutch de Zenne, was the covering and later diverting of the main river of Brussels, and the construction of public buildings and major boulevards in its place. Carried out between 1867 and 1871, it is one of the defining events in the history of Brussels.
The Senne/Zenne (French/Dutch) was historically the main waterway of Brussels, but it became more polluted and less navigable as the city grew.
By the second half of the 19th century, it had become a serious health hazard and was filled with pollution, garbage and decaying organic matter. It flooded frequently, inundating the lower town and the working class neighbourhoods which surrounded it.
Numerous proposals were made to remedy this problem, and in 1865, the mayor of Brussels, Jules Anspach, selected a design by architect Léon Suys to cover the river and build a series of grand boulevards and public buildings. The project faced fierce opposition and controversy, mostly due to its cost and the need for expropriation and demolition of working-class neighbourhoods.
The construction was contracted to a British company, but control was returned to the government following an embezzlement scandal. This delayed the project, but it was still completed in 1871. Its completion allowed the construction of the modern buildings and boulevards which are central to downtown Brussels today.
Covering the Senne, Brussels
In the 1930s, plans were made to cover the Senne along its entire course within the greater Brussels area,which had grown significantly since the covering of the 19th century.
By 1955 the course of the Senne was changed to the downtown's peripheral boulevards.
In 1976, the disused tunnels were converted into the North-South Axis of Brussels' underground tram system, the premetro. Actual purification of the waste water from the Brussels-Capital Region was not completed until March 2007, when two treatment stations were built, thus finally cleansing the Senne after centuries of problems.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Brussels was still in many ways a medieval city. The royal quarter in the upper town, inhabited mainly by the nobility and the richer members of the bourgeoisie, was upscale and modern. The rest of the city, however, in particular the lower town, located in the western half of the Pentagon, was densely populated and industrial, characterised by an illogical street layout, back alleys, narrow streets, and numerous dead ends.
The Senne river split into two branches at Anderlecht, penetrating the Pentagon, the former site of the second city walls, in two places. The main and more southern arm entered through the Greater Sluice Gate, near today's Brussels-South railway station.
The smaller northerly arm entered through the Lesser Sluice Gate, near today's Ninove Gate. The courses of the two traced a meandering path through the city centre, forming several islands, the largest of which was known as SaintGaugericus Island. The two branches met up on the north side of SaintGaugericus Island, exiting the Pentagon one block east of Antwerp Gate.
A man-made arm, called the Lesser Senne, in French Petite Senne and in Dutch Kleine Zenne, continued on the borders of the Pentagon in the former moat, outside the sluice gates. It followed the Charleroi Canal before rejoining the main part of the Senne north of the city.
The Grandma visits the sewer, Brussels
The Senne had long since lost its usefulness as a navigable waterway, being replaced by canals, including the Charleroi Canal.
The Senne had always been a river with an inconsistent flow, often overflowing its banks. In times of heavy rainfall, even the sluice gates were unable to regulate the flow of the river which was often swollen by numerous creeks flowing down from higher ground. Making matters worse, within the city, the river's bed was narrowed by encroaching construction due to demographic pressure. The supports of numerous unregulated bridges impeded water flow and caused water levels to rise even further, exacerbated by a riverbed of accumulated waste.
During dry periods, however, much of the Senne's water was diverted for the needs of the populace of the city, as well as to maintain the water level in the Charleroi Canal. This left a flow too feeble to evacuate the filthy water, leaving the sewage, garbage, detritus and industrial waste that had been dumped into the river to accumulate in the stagnant water.
The Senne, which a witness in 1853 described as the most nauseous little river in the world, had become an open-air sewer spreading pestilential odours throughout the city.
Early in the second half of the 19th century, Brussels saw numerous dry periods, floods and a cholera epidemic, caused as much by the river itself as by the poverty and the lack of hygiene and potable water in the lower city. This forced the governments of the Province of Brabant and the City of Brussels to act.
The first studies and propositions to clean up the river date back to 1859, and during the following years, many different commissions of engineers were assigned to examine possible solutions. Dozens of different ideas were submitted, many of which were completely unfeasible. Several of them proposed diverting large amounts of cleaner water from other rivers upstream to dilute the Senne,while greatly improving the drainage system in the city. Other proposals involved diverting the main course of the Senne completely to the Lesser Senne, which would then be enlarged and thus more useful for boat traffic and mills. Others considered any sort of sanitisation impossible, and proposed covering the Senne without greatly changing its course.
Brussels, 19th century
Among these was a proposal to double the size of the underground drainage tunnels, creating space for a subterranean railroad tunnel. The idea was ahead of its time, but would be implemented a century later with the North–Southconnection.
The municipal council chose the proposal by architect Léon Suys, submitted in 1865, which had the backing of mayor Jules Anspach.The plan involved suppressing the secondary arm of the Senne by closing the Lesser Sluice Gate. The main branch would be channeled into tunnels, to be placed directly beneath a long, straight 30-metre-wide boulevard, stretching from the Greater Sluice Gate to the Augustinian church, now De Brouckère Square, before splitting into two. One branch was to head towards the Brussels North railway station and present day Rogier Square, the other towards AntwerpGate, thus forming a long, narrow Y shape.
Anspach's backing of Suys' proposal was a calculated decision, as he had radical plans to transform the city. Anspach saw the proposal as an unexpected boon, as it allowed him to accomplish several of his goals at once. It had long been his ambition to transform the impoverished lower city into a centre of business and commerce, suitable for a modern capital, Belgium had declared its independence in 1830, with Brussels its capital. He wanted to attract the middle class, most of whom had left the dingy downtown for the cleaner suburbs, including the Leopold Quarter, now often called the European quarter, and Avenue Louise, causing a large loss in tax revenue for the city.
The elimination of the numerous alleys and dead-ends in the lower town in favour of a large, straight, wide, open-air boulevard, linking the two rapidly growing train stations, seemed both a necessity and an opportunity to beautify the city and improve both traffic circulation and hygiene.
The Belgian Parliament had recently passed a law allowing the expropriation of privately owned land by the government when the land was to be used for the greater good. This could be done even if the project was still speculative in nature, and allowed for more land to be taken beyond what was strictly necessary for a project.
The Grandma visits the sewer, Brussels
The city expropriated large swathes of the lower town, counting on reselling the land for a profit, which, after the project was complete, would be on a grandiose modern boulevard in an upper-class neighbourhood.
The selling of land after the completion of the project was seen as a way of financing the project itself. That the poorer residents of the lower town were forced away into other already overcrowded districts or into the surrounding suburbs did not trouble the upper classes very much, as the displaced residents did not pay taxes or have the right to vote.
Even after Suys' proposal was officially adopted, Anspach faced strong opposition to the project. This opposition came first from engineers who felt that the covering was incompatible with Brussels's geology, would accumulate potentially dangerous gases and would not be able to handle enough water to prevent floods. Others opposed to the project complained about the high taxes resulting from its high cost, poor compensation for seized property and the lack of public input into the project. The press accused Anspach of being responsible for demolishing Brussels' old town, and published numerous caricatures mocking him.
A liberal, Anspach feared the weakness and rigidity of the government and therefore gave the work of covering the river to a private British company, the Belgian Public Works Company, the English name was used, which was created for the task. However, partway through construction, it was forced to relinquish control to the city of Brussels after an embezzlement scandal in which a company director allegedly attempted to steal 2.5 million francs from the company. Anspach only barely kept his office in the 1869 by-elections.
Excluding the important sewers built upriver and downriver in the adjacent suburbs, the covered section itself was to be 2.2 kilometres in length. Constructed from bricks, the covering was to consist of two parallel 6 metres wide tunnels, and a set of two lateral drainage pipes, each taking in waste water from its respective side of the street.
The sewers, Brussels
The contract was signed on 15 June 1866, and the expropriation of the first 1,100 houses was completed in a few months. The work began on 13 February 1867.
There were several technicaldifficulties that delayed the covering, many of which were due to the geology of Brussels, though they were not as bad as some engineers had forecast. The embezzlement scandal also caused a significant delay in construction, largely due to the change in control. The project was completed in 1871,with the municipal council ceremonially opening the reconstructed sluice gates on 30 November.
The series of boulevards created by the project -Hainaut Boulevard, now Maurice Lemonnier Boulevard; Central Boulevard, now AnspachBoulevard;North Boulevard, now Adolphe Max Boulevard; and Senne Boulevard, now Émile Jacqmain Boulevard- were progressively opened to traffic from 1871 to 1873.
The opening of these new routes offered a more efficient way to get into the lower town than the cramped streets of Rue du Midi/Zuidstraat, Rue des Fripiers/Kleerkopersstraat and Rue Neuve and helped revitalise the lower quarters of the town.
In order to accomplish this revitalisation and attract investment, public buildings were constructed as part of Léon Suys' project, including the Brussels Stock Exchange. The vast Halles Centrales/Centrale Hallen, a good example of metallic architecture, replaced unhygienic open-air markets, though it was torn down in 1958. The monumental fountain, which was to break the monotony of the boulevards at Fontainas Square, was abandoned for budgetary reasons.
The construction of private buildings on the boulevards and surrounding areas took place later. The middle class continued to prefer living in new suburbs rather than the cramped areas of the city centre. The high prices of the land, expected to finance part of the construction costs, and the high rents were not within the means of the lower classes. Life in apartments was no longer desirable for residents of Brussels, who preferred to live in single family homes. The buildings constructed by private citizens had difficulty finding buyers.
Commemorating the covering
To give builders an incentive to create elaborate and appealing facades on their works, an architecture competition was arranged in which twenty buildings built before 1 January 1876 would win prizes. The first prize of 20,000 francs was awarded to Henri Beyaert who designed the Hier ist in den kater en de kat (loosely, House of Cats) on North Boulevard. Nonetheless, it took another 20 years, until 1895, for buildings to solidly line the boulevards.
The former Augustinian church, built at the beginning of the 17th century in the Baroque style, was the only remaining part of a convent destroyed in 1796 by French revolutionaries. After having been used as a Protestant church from 1815 to 1830, it subsequently saw use as a concert hall, a commercial exchange, and a post office. At the centre of De Brouckère Square, the church's facade was intended by Léon Suys to be one of the focal points of the new boulevards.
The work to cover the river, which nearly surrounded the church, preserved the integrity of the building at great trouble and expense, but the church was finally demolished in 1893, its style no longer popular with the people and its presence unsuitable for the area. The church was replaced by a fountain dedicated to the memory of Jules Anspach. Its facade, however, was preserved, being disassembled and moved to serve as the facade for the Church of the Holy Trinity in the municipality of Ixelles.
Although the original covering of the Senne resolved sanitary problems and flooding in Brussels’ old city, this was not the case in peripheral areas.
The Senne was still very polluted, despite work done to the sewers and spillways in the canal. The drainage into the canal was not able to completely stop thefloods that regularly affected certain outer areas of the city.
In 1930, a group was created whose objective was to channel the Senne into tunnels for nearly its entire course through the Brussels metropolitan area. This was done in order to expand the benefits that the covering achieved in the old city. In the centre, the course of the river was to be changed, using a diversion, from the central boulevards to the peripheral boulevards of the small ring. The project, delayed by war and the work being done on the North–Southconnection, was only finished in 1955.
The disused channels of the central boulevards later facilitated the construction of the north-south line of the premetro, which opened in 1976. The conversion of the existing tunnels to metro tunnels ensured that there was minimal disruption on the surface. Some of the former pipes also served as storm drains. The Anspach Fountain was transferred to the Quartier des Quais/Kaaien.
Actual purification of the waste water from the Brussels-Capital Region was not completed until the 21st century, when two purification stations were built.
The south station treats refuse water from 360,000 inhabitants, which is about one third of the polluted water, and lies on the border of Anderlecht and Forest.
The north station, completed in March 2007, is located near the border of the Brussels-Capital Region, between the Senne and the Charleroi-WillebroekCanal, near Buda Bridge.
A portion of the cost was footed by the Flemish Government, as 7 of the adjacent municipalities lie within the Flemish Region. This station is capable of treating the water of 1,100,000 inhabitants and should finally be capable of fully purifying the Senne, which had long caused much of the pollution of the Scheldt river.
Today, The Grandma has read about Benelux, a union and formal international cooperation between Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg that was constituted on a day like today in 1944. The Grandma wants to visit these countries in a few months and she has thought that knowing more things about them is a good way to prepare her travel.
Before searching information about Benelux, The Grandma has studied a new lesson of her Ms. Excel course.
The Benelux Union, also known as simply Benelux, is a politico-economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe: Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
The name Benelux is a portmanteau formed from joining the first two or three letters of each country's name -Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg- and was first used to name the customs agreement that initiated the union, signed in 1944. It is now used more generally to refer to the geographic, economic and cultural grouping of the three countries.
Since 1944, when a customs union was introduced, cooperation among the governments of Belgium, the Netherlands and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has been a firmly established practice. The initial form of economic cooperation expanded steadily over time, leading in 1958 to the signing of the Treaty establishing the Benelux Economic Union.
Initially, the purpose of cooperation among the three partners was to put an end to customs barriers at their borders and ensure free movement of persons, goods and services among the three countries. It was the first example of international economic integration in Europe since the Second World War. The three countries therefore foreshadowed and provided the model for future European integration, such as the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community (EEC).
Manneken Pis, Brussels, Belgium
The three partners continue to play this pioneering role. They also launched the Schengen process, which came into operation in 1985, promoting it from the outset.
Benelux cooperation has been constantly adapted and now goes much further than mere economic cooperation, extending to new and topical policy areas connected with security, sustainable development and the economy. Benelux models its cooperation on that of the European Union and is able to take up and pursue original ideas.
The Benelux countries also work together in the so called The Pentalateral Energy Forum a regional cooperation group formed of five members -the Benelux states, France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Formed ten years ago, the ministers for energy from the various countries represent a total of 200 million residents and 40% of the European electricity network.
On 17 June 2008 Belgium, in all its component parts, the Netherlands and Luxembourg signed a new Benelux Treaty in The Hague. The purpose of the Benelux Union is to deepen and expand cooperation among the three countries so that it can continue its role as precursor within the European Union and strengthen and improve cross-border cooperation at every level. Through better cooperation between the countries the Benelux strives to promote the prosperity and welfare of the citizens of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Benelux works together on the basis of an annual plan embedded in a four-year joint work programme.
Benelux seeks region-to-region cooperation, be it with France and Germany (North-Rhine-Westphalia) or beyond with the Baltic States, the Nordic Council, the Visegrad countries, or even further. In 2018 a renewed political declaration was adopted between Benelux and North-Rhine-Westphalia to give the cooperation a further impetus.
Some examples of recent results of Benelux cooperation: automatic level recognition of all diplomas and degrees within the Benelux, a new BeneluxTreaty on Police cooperation, common road inspections and a Benelux pilot with digital consignment notes. The Benelux is also committed to working together on adaptation to climate change. In 2018, a Benelux Youth Parliament was created. The main institutions
of the Union are the Committee of Ministers, the Council of the Union,
the General Secretariat, the InterParliamentary Consultative Council and
the Benelux Court of Justice while the Benelux Office for Intellectual
Property cover the same territory but are not part of the Benelux Union.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Benelux General Secretariat is located in Brussels. It is the central platform of the BeneluxUnion cooperation. It handles the secretariat of the Committee of Ministers, the Council of Benelux Union and the various committees and working parties. The General Secretariat provides day-to-day support for the Benelux cooperation on the substantive, procedural, diplomatic and logistical levels.
The presidency of the Benelux is held in turn by the three countries for a period of one year. Luxembourg holds the presidency in 2019.
In addition to cooperation based on a Treaty, there is also political cooperation in the Benelux context, including summits of the Benelux government leaders. In 2019 a Benelux summit was held in Luxembourg. A Benelux Parliament, originally referred to as an InterparliamentaryConsultative Council,
was created in 1955. This parliamentary assembly is composed of 21
members of the Dutch parliament, 21 members of the Belgian national and
regional parliaments, and 7 members of the Luxembourg parliament.
On 20 January 2015, the governments of the three countries, including, as far as Belgium is concerned, the community and regional governments, signed in Brussels the Treaty of the Benelux Interparliamentary Assembly. This treaty will enter into force on the 1st of August 2019. This means the 1955 Convention on the Consultative Interparliamentary Council for the Benelux expires. Moreover, the current official name has been largely obsolete in daily practice for a number of years now. Both internally in the Benelux and in external references, the name Benelux Parliament has been used de facto for a number of years now.
In 1944, exiled representatives of the three countries signed the LondonCustoms Convention, the treaty that established the Benelux Customs Union. Ratified in 1947, the treaty was in force from 1948 until it was superseded by the Benelux Economic Union.
Lower City with Church, Luxembourg City
The treaty establishing the Benelux Economic Union, BeneluxEconomische Unie,was signed on 3 February 1958 in The Hague and came into force on 1 November 1960 to promote the free movement of workers, capital, services, and goods in the region. Under the Treaty the Union implies the co-operation of economic, financial and social policies.
In 2017 the members of the Benelux, the Baltic Assembly, and three members of the Nordic Council (Sweden, Denmark and Finland), all EU-member states, sought intensifying cooperation in the Digital Single Market, as well as discussing social matters, the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union, the European migrant crisis and defence cooperation. Relations with Russia, Turkey and the United Kingdom was also on the agenda.
Since 2008 the Benelux Union works together with the German Land (state) North Rhine-Westphalia.
In 2018 Benelux Union signed a declaration with France to strengthen cross-border cooperation.
In 2018 Education ministers from all three of Belgium's regions as well as from the Netherlands and Luxembourg have signed an agreement to recognise the level of all higher education diplomas between the three countries. This is unique in the EU. To continue studies or get a job in another country, applicants must get their locally earned degree recognised by the other country, which entails a lot of paperwork, fees and sometimes a months-long wait.
In 2015, the Benelux countries agreed to automatically recognise each other’s bachelor’s and master’s diplomas. Now that recognition is extended to PhDs and to so-called graduate degrees, which are earned from adult educational institutions. This means that a graduate of any of the three countries can continue their education or seek a job in the other countries without having to get their degree officially recognised.
The Treaty of Liège entered into force in 2017. As a result, Dutch, Belgian and Luxembourg inspectors may carry out joint inspections of trucks and buses in the three countries. This treaty was signed in 2014 in Liège (Belgium) by the three countries. In the meantime, on the basis of a transitional regime and pending the entry into force of the Treaty, several major Benelux road transport inspections have taken place. Under this transition regime, inspectors from neighboring countries could only act as observers. Now they can exercise all of their skills.
Benelux Map
Co-operation on the basis of this Benelux Treaty leads to a more uniform control of road transport, cost reductions, more honest competition between transport companies and better working conditions for drivers. In addition, this cooperation strengthens general road safety in the three countries.
The Benelux Treaty seeks to intensify cooperation by improving the existing situation through intensive harmonisation of controls, exchange of equipment and training of personnel in order to reduce costs and by allowing inspectors of a country to participate in Inspections in another Benelux country by exercising all their powers, which in particular enables the expertise of the specialists in each country to be obtained. In so doing, they are fully committed to road safety for citizens and create a level playing field, so that entrepreneurs inside and outside the Benelux must comply with the same rules of control.
The application of the Treaty of Liège allows the three Benelux countries to play the role of forerunners in Europe. In addition, the treaty expressly provides for the possibility of accession of other countries.
The Treaty between the Benelux countries establishing the Benelux Economic Union was limited to a period of 50 years. During the following years, and even more so after the creation of the European Union, the Benelux cooperation focused on developing other fields of activity within a constantly changing international context.
At the end of the 50 years, the governments of the three Benelux countries decided to renew the agreement, taking into account the new aspects of the Benelux-cooperation –such as security– and the new federal government structure of Belgium. The original establishing treaty, set to expire in 2010, was replaced by a new legal framework (called the Treaty revising the Treaty establishing the Benelux Economic Union), which was signed on 17 June 2008.
The new treaty has no set time limit and the name of the Benelux Economic Union changed to Benelux Union to reflect the broad scope on the union. The main objectives of the treaty are the continuation and enlargement of the cooperation between the three member states within a larger European context.
The renewed treaty explicitly foresees the possibility that the Benelux countries will cooperate with other European member States or with regional cooperation structures. The new Benelux cooperation focuses on three main topics: internal market and economic union, sustainability, justice and internal affairs. The number of structures in the renewed Treaty has been reduced and thus simplified.
The Benelux Council
Five Benelux institutions remain:the Benelux Committee of Ministers, the Benelux Council, the Benelux Parliament, the Benelux Court of Justice, the Benelux Secretariat General. Beside these five institutions, the Benelux Organisation for Intellectual Property is also present in this Treaty as an independent organisation.
The Committee of Ministers is the supreme decision-making body of the Benelux. It includes at least one representative at ministerial level from the three countries. It composition varies according to its agenda. The ministers determine the orientations and priorities of Benelux cooperation. The presidency of the Committee rotates between the three countries on an annual basis.
The Council is composed of senior officials from the relevant ministries. It composition varies according to its agenda. The Council's main task is to prepare the dossiers for the ministers.
The Benelux Parliament comprises 49 representatives from the parliaments of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Its members inform and advise their respective governments on all Benelux matters.
The Benelux Court of Justice is an international court. Its mission is to promote uniformity in the application of Benelux legislation. When faced with difficulty interpreting a common Benelux legal rule, national courts must seek an interpretive ruling from the Benelux Court, which subsequently renders a binding decision. The members of the Court are appointed from among the judges of the Cour de cassation of Belgium, the Hoge Raad of the Netherlands and the Cour de cassation of Luxemburg.
The General Secretariat, which is based in Brussels, forms the cooperation platform of the Benelux Union . It acts as the secretariat of the Committee of Ministers, the Council and various commissions and working groups. Because the General Secretariat operates under strict neutrality, it is perfectly placed to build bridges between the various partners and stakeholders.
The General Secretariat has years of expertise in the area of Benelux cooperation and is familiar with the policy agreements and differences between the three countries. Building on what already been achieved, the General Secretariat puts its knowledge, network and experience at the service of partners and stakeholders who endorse its mission. It initiates, supports and monitors cooperation results in the areas of economy, sustainability and security. In a greatly enlarged European Union, Benelux cooperation is a source of inspiration for Europe.
The Grandma is a great fan of beer. When she is in Barcelona, she likes enjoying beer in the Moritz Factory,in the centre of the city.
Today, she has decided to travel to Brussel, the capital of Belgium to drink some beer with Claire Fontaine who is spending her summer holidays in the Flemish city.
Belgian beers are recognized as the best beers around the world and they have been named as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
During the flight, The Grandma has studied a new lesson of her Intermediate LanguagePractice manual.
Beer in Belgium varies from pale lager to amber ales, lambic beers, Flemish red ales, sour brown ales, strong ales and stouts. In 2016, there were approximately 224 active breweries in Belgium, including international companies, such as AB InBev, and traditional breweries including Trappist monasteries.
On average, Belgians drink 84 litres of beer each year, down from around 200 each year in 1900. Most beers are bought or served in bottles, rather than cans, and almost every beer has its own branded, sometimes uniquely shaped, glass.
The Belgian flag with beer
In 2016, UNESCO inscribed Belgian beer culture on their list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Brewing in Belgium dates back at least the 12th century. Under the Catholic Church's permission, local French and Flemish abbeys brewed and distributed beer as a fund raising method.
The relatively low-alcohol beer of that time was preferred as a sanitary option to available drinking water. What are now traditional, artisanal brewing methods evolved, under abbey supervision, in the next seven centuries.
The Trappist monasteries that now brew beer in Belgium were occupied in the late 18th century primarily by monks fleeing the French Revolution. However, the first Trappist brewery in Belgium, Westmalle, did not start operation until 10 December 1836, almost fifty years after the Revolution. That beer was exclusively for the monks and is described as dark and sweet. The first recorded sale of beer, a brown beer, was on 1 June 1861.
In the 16th and 17th century, a beer termed crabbelaer was the most popular beer in Ghent; at the peak of its popularity, more than 50 different breweries produced more than 6 million liters a year. Other kinds of beer brewed in Ghent were klein bier, dubbel bier, clauwaert, dubbele clauwaert and dusselaer.
In Belgium, four types of fermentation methods are used for the brewing of beer, which is unique in the world.
Claire, The Grandma & the Manneken Pis, Brussel
However for good understanding of labels of Belgian beer and reference works about Belgian beer often use different terms for the fermentation methods based on archaic or traditional jargon:
-Spontaneous fermentation with beers that are unique in Europe, Lambic and the derived Faro, Gueuze and Kriek beers.
-Warm fermentation is referred to as Top or High Fermentation for Trappist beers, white beers, ale, most other special beers.
-Mixed fermentation for the type old-brown beers.
-Cool fermentation is referred to as low fermentation for Lager or Pils.
Belgian beers have a range of colours, brewing methods, and alcohol levels. Beers brewed in Trappist monasteries are termed Trappist beers. For a beer to qualify for Trappist certification, the brewery must be in a monastery, the monks must play a role in its production and the policies and the profits from the sale must be used to support the monastery or social programs outside. Only eleven monasteries currently meet these qualifications, six of which are in Belgium, two in the Netherlands, one in Austria, one in the United States, and one in Italy.
The Trappist certification
Trappist beer is a controlled term of origin: it tells where the beers come from, it is not the name of a beer style. Beyond saying they are mostly warm fermented, Trappist beers have very little in common stylistically.
The designation abbey beers, Bières d'Abbaye or Abdijbier, originally applied to any monastic or monastic-style beer. After introduction of an official Trappist beer designation by the International Trappist Association in 1997, it came to mean products similar in style or presentation to monastic beers.
In 1999, the Union of Belgian Brewers introduced a Certified Belgian Abbey Beer, Erkend Belgisch Abdijbier, logo to indicate beers brewed under license to an existing or abandoned abbey, as opposed to other abbey-branded beers which the trade markets using other implied religious connections, such as a local saint.
The requirements for registration under the logo include the monastery having control over certain aspects of the commercial operation, and a proportion of profits going to the abbey or to its designated charities.
Monastic orders other than the Trappists can be and are included in this arrangement. The Abbey beer logo and quality label is no longer used for beers given the name of a fictitious abbey, a vaguely monastic branding or a saint name without mentioning a specific monastery. Some brewers may produce abbey-style beers such as dubbel or tripel, using such names but will refrain from using the term Abbey beer in their branding.
What connoisseurs now recognize as Trappist breweries began operations in 1838. Several monasteries, however, maintained working breweries for 500+ years before the French regime disrupted religious life (1795–1799). Even then, some Abbey beers such as Affligem Abbey, whose name now appears on beers made by the Heineken-owned Affligem Brewery, resumed brewing from working monasteries until the occupation of most of Belgium in World War I.
The Grandma and the most selected Belgian beers
Commercial Abbey beers first appeared during Belgium's World War I recovery.
Although Abbey beers do not conform to rigid brewing styles, most tend to include the most recognizable and distinctive Trappist styles of brune, Belgian brown ale, aka dubbel, strong pale ale or tripel, and blonde ale or blond.
Modern abbey breweries range from microbreweries to international giants, but at least one beer writer warns against assuming that closeness of connection with a real monastery confirms a product's quality.
Belgian special beers, stronger or bottled beers, are often served in elaborate branded beer glassware. Unless the bar is out of the specific glass that goes with that beer it is more often than not served in its own glass. Most bartenders or waitresses will apologize if the beer comes in a different glass.
One of the more common types is the tulip glass. A tulip glass not only helps trap the aroma, but also aids in maintaining large heads, creating a visual and olfactory sensation. The body is bulbous, but the top flares out to form a lip which helps head retention.
A vessel similar to a champagne flute is the preferred serving vessel for Belgian lambics and fruit beers. The narrow shape helps maintain carbonation, while providing a strong aromatic front. Flute glasses display the lively carbonation, sparkling colour, and soft lacing of this distinct style.
Chalices and goblets are large, stemmed, bowl-shaped glasses mainly associated with Trappist and Abbey ales. The distinction between goblet and chalice is typically in the glass thickness. Goblets tend to be more delicate and thin, while the chalice is heavy and thick walled. Some chalices are even etched on the bottom to nucleate a stream of bubbles for maintaining a nice head.
In addition to the profusion of glasses provided by brewers, some Belgian beer cafés serve beer in their own house glassware.
