How do we make Amsterdam’s bike tunnels less scary?
It involves all the five senses, apparently
The Brussels Capital Region, created in 1989, was the only administrative entity in Belgium to not have a working mediation office
Today, finally, the Brussels Capital Region got its first-ever appointment to the ombudsman position. The ombudsman provides mediation services between citizens and government structures and as such, is not directly part of the administration, but rather sits parallel to it.
Independent of the administration, the ombudsman serves as a mediator between citizens, answering their grievances and mediating for the resolution of their issues. Additionally, the ombudsman can recommend structural changes to administrative bodies.
Curiously, the Brussels Capital Region, which was officially created in 1989, kept the position vacant up until this point. Ombudsman services are quite popular in Belgium and until today, it was the only administrative entity in the country to not have an ombudsman service.
The first ombudsman, Catherine De Bruecker, was originally appointed in December, however, the service itself was originally launched at the start of September. Catherine De Bruecker is an exceptional pick for the position because she used to be the Federal Mediator of the French-speaking part of Belgium from 2005 up until her appointment in Brussels.
As La Nouvelle Gazette reports, De Bruecker explained that her position should mend the trust between public institutions and private citizens. Also, she pointed out that she would rather work with the administration to solve structural issues internally. However, when something is not working right, citizens should still report to the ombudsman service.
One interesting point is that the mediation service is also tasked with protecting whistleblowers. People who work in the Brussels’ administration and come across corruption and fraud can file reports to the ombudsman service. The Service will then launch an investigation into the matter while protecting whistleblowers.
Brussels Capital Region, not to be confused with the city of Brussels, is a curious case when it comes to administration structures. It is the third part of the Federal Republic of Belgium. As a bilingual composite part of Belgium, it forms the core and balance between the French-speaking Wallonia and the Dutch-speaking Flanders.
The region has the same administrative weight as Flanders and Wallonia and comprises 19 municipalities in the Brussels agglomeration, meaning its metropolitan territory.
Are you between 15 and 29 years old? Take a moment to complete a short survey on youth empowerment on this link.
It involves all the five senses, apparently
Germany’s new approach has convinced hundreds of thousands of people to start using public transport for the first time
Drivers will be legally required to push their scooters manually in pedestrian areas and parks
Greece and Bulgaria are set to build one of the first 5G cross-border corridors in Europe
The feline registry is expected to start operating in 2026
The team presented the final report about a year, which was supposed to put the Luxembourgish city on the cultural map of Europe
It involves all the five senses, apparently
What you pay for having your car resting in the city will now depend on several different factors
Germany’s new approach has convinced hundreds of thousands of people to start using public transport for the first time
What you pay for having your car resting in the city will now depend on several different factors
Fredensborg Municipality is inviting residents to take the bikes for a spin…lasting up to 3 months
After all, sleeping carriages are basically hotels on wheels
The practical art objects are competing for one of the 2023 New European Bauhaus Prizes
Cast your vote before 24 May and do your part in promoting the NEB values
The new itineraries are part of the DiscoverEU programme, which lets 18-year-olds travel by train between important European sites
An interview with the president of the European Federation of Journalists
A talk with the head of Mission Zero Academy on the benefits for municipalities if they go the zero waste way
A talk with Nicolae Urs, one of the key figures behind the city's new data platforms and online services strategy