2019 in Belgium

Incumbents

• Monarch: Philippe
• Prime Minister: Charles Michel ; Sophie Wilmès

  Events

• 1 January — Fifteen Flemish municipalities merge into seven, the first such merges for several decades
• January — A ban on Kosher and halal slaughter comes into effect in the Flanders region of Belgium. The northern region of Belgium is the first to implement the ban. Similar restrictions will be in place in the southern Wallonia region from September.
• 26 May – European elections, regional elections and federal election
• 29 May – King Philippe held an official meeting with the leader of the nationalist Vlaams Belang party, Tom Van Grieken. According to Belgian media, 1936 was the last time a far-right leader had had an official meeting with the king.
• 25 July – The hottest day on record in Belgium, with a temperature of 39.7 °C measured at the Royal Meteorological Institute in Ukkel and of 41.8 °C in Begijnendijk.
• 27 October – Sophie Wilmès appointed head of caretaker government: Belgium's first female Prime Minister.
• 27 November – Lode Van Hecke, Abbot of Orval, named bishop of Ghent in succession to Lucas Van Looy.

  Culture

• 20 May – Dardenne brothers film Young Ahmed screened at 2019 Cannes Film Festival, winning them Best Director award.
• 21 May – Plans to build microbrewery inside Grimbergen Abbey publicised.

  Births

Deaths

January

• January 4: Wiet Van Broeckhoven, 69, radio presenter and writer.
• January 18: Etienne Vermeersch, 84, moral philosopher.

  February

• February 13: Willy Willy, rock musician, dies at age 59.
• February 17: Claude Renard, 72, comics artist and teacher.
• February 18: Bob Van Der Veken, TV actor, dies at age 95.

  March

• March 14: Godfried Danneels, 85, cardinal Metropolitan Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and the chairman of the episcopal conference.

  April

• April 19: Patrick Sercu, 74, cyclist.

  May

• May 26: Alexis Dragonetti, 50, publisher, in a car accident.

  July

• July 17 - Robert Waseige, 79, association football trainer.

  August

• August 5: Bjorg Lambrecht, 22, cyclist.
• August 9: José Desmarets, 93, politician.

  September

• September 5: Charles Jarry, 66, comics artist.

  October

• October 5:
• * Rik Pareit, 66, journalist and writer.
• * Philippe Vandevelde, aka Philippe Tome, 62, comics writer and artist.
• October 22: Marieke Vervoort, 40, athlete.
• October 23: Michel Nihoul, Belgian criminal, dies at age 78.

  November

• November 22: Gaston Durnez, 91, journalist, poet, writer and comics writer.

  December

• December 7: Dani Dacquin, 84, comics artist.
• December 14: Panamarenko, 79, sculptor.
• December 22: Freek Neirynck, 70, theatre director, journalist, actor, writer and comics writer.
• December 30: André Smets, 76, politician.

  Links