2025 in Belgium

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Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2025 List of years in Belgium

Events in the year 2025 in Belgium.

Incumbents

• Monarch – Philippe
• Prime Minister – Alexander De Croo (until 3 February); Bart De Wever (since 3 February)

Events

January

• 27 January – Former Belgium national football team player Radja Nainggolan is arrested on suspicion of involvement in cocaine trafficking.^[1]
• 31 January – The N-VA, Vooruit, CD&V, MR and LE agree to form a federal coalition government with the N-VA's Bart De Wever as prime minister.^[2]

February

• 3 February – Bart De Wever is sworn in as prime minister.^[3]
• 7 February – Following four shootings in the span of a few days in Brussels, the six separate police zones in the city temporarily start working under one command.^[4]
• 13 February – Massive protests and a strike are held in Brussels against plans by the De Wever government to reduce public services, resulting in stoppages of bus and tram systems and partial disruptions at Brussels Airport.^[5]
• 28 February – Two people are killed in a knife attack at a nursing home in Dentergem. The suspect, a 90-year-old man who was institutionalised at the facility on suspicion of killing his wife, is arrested..^[6]

March

• 13 March – Federal prosecutors announce the arrest of suspects as part of an investigation into the bribery of incumbent and former European Parliament officials by lobbyists linked to the Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei.^[7]
• 17 March – Rwanda severs diplomatic relations with Belgium and orders the expulsion of the latter's diplomats from the country after accusing Brussels of attempting to "sustain its neo-colonial delusions" amid the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.^[8]

April

• 7 April – A court in Brussels denies a request by Prince Laurent of Belgium to claim social security benefits, saying that he cannot be considered as either self-employed or an employee.^[9]
• 28 April – A massive blackout hits parts of Europe, causing power outages in Belgium.^[10]

May

• 25 May – Union Saint-Gilloise wins the Belgian Pro League for the first time since 1935 after defeating KAA Gent 3-1.^[11]

June

• 30 June – Pope Leo XIV accepts the resignation of Lode Van Hecke as bishop of Ghent.^[12]

July

• 1 July – In the hottest 1 July on record in Belgium, the Royal Meteorological Institute measures a temperature of 34.7°C.^[13]
• 13 July – Belgium becomes the first European country to win the IQA World Cup after defeating Germany 170–90 at the final held in Tubize.^[14]
• 16 July – The main stage of the Tomorrowland music festival in Boom is destroyed in a fire two days before the event's opening.^[15]

August

• 7 – 17 August – Belgium at the 2025 World Games^[16]

September

• 2 September –
  • Belgium–Palestine relations: Belgium announces that it would recognize the State of Palestine effective later in the month.^[17]
  • Belgium–Israel relations: The government imposes sanctions on Israel, including banning products from Israeli settlements and restricting certain public contracts.^[18]
• 10 September – Belgium–Germany relations: The Festival of Flanders in Ghent cancels a performance by the Munich Philharmonic orchestra due to its Israeli conductor, Lahav Shani's views towards the Israeli government.^[19]
• 19 September – A cyberattack on a third-party supplier of online check-in services causes major operational disruptions at some European airports, including Brussels Airport.^[20]
• 22 September – Belgium formally recognizes the State of Palestine effective after the removal of Hamas from Palestine's governance and the return of hostages.^[21]

October

• 9 October – Three people are arrested in Antwerp on suspicion of plotting drone attacks against Prime Minister de Wever and other politicians.^[22]
• 14 October – A nationwide strike is held in protest against a government savings plan, causing massive disruptions in the transportation sector.^[23]

November

• 1–2 November – Unidentified drones are seen flying near Kleine Brogel Air Base in a suspected spying operation.^[24]
• 5 November – Unidentified drones are seen flying near Brussels Airport, forcing a suspension of operations.^[25]
• 18 November – Belgium qualifies for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after drawing with Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.^[26]
• 24 November – A three-day national strike is launched in protest against government austerity policies.^[27]

December

• 2 December – Three people, including former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, are arrested in separate raids on the College of Europe in Bruges and at the headquarters of the European External Action Service in Brussels as part of a fraud investigation involving the awarding of a tender in a European Diplomatic Academy training program.^[28][29]

Holidays

Further information: Public holidays in Belgium

Source:^[30][31]

• 1 January – New Year's Day
• 21 April – Easter Monday
• 1 May – Labour Day
• 29 May – Ascension Day
• 9 June – Whit Monday
• 21 July – Belgian National Day
• 15 August – Assumption Day
• 1 November – All Saints' Day
• 11 November – Armistice Day
• 25 December – Christmas Day

Deaths

January

• 3 January – Gilbert Van Binst, 73, footballer (Anderlecht, Club Brugge, national team).^[32]
• 10 January – Bram Van Paesschen, 45, filmmaker^[33]
• 30 January – Andrée Dumon, 102, resister^[34]

March

• 16 March – Émilie Dequenne, 43, actress^[35]

April

• 19 April – Guy Ullens, 90, art collector and businessman.^[36]
• 23 April – Chris Cauwenberghs, 78, actor (Hector, Koko Flanel).^[37]

September

• 3 September – Pascal Baurain, 55, member of the Parliament of Wallonia (2016–2018, since 2024).^[38]
• 21 September – Serdu, 85, cartoonist (Spirou) and illustrator.^[39]

See also

• 2025 in the European Union
• 2025 in Europe

References

1. Loftus, Alex (27 January 2025). "Belgian footballer Nainggolan arrested in cocaine trafficking sting". BBC. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
2. "Belgium gets new government with Flemish separatist Bart De Wever as PM". Politico.eu. 31 January 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
3. Casert, Raf (3 February 2025). "Belgium has a new prime minister, one who long tried to gut the nation and seek regional autonomy". AP News. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
4. "Opnieuw schietpartij in Brusselse gemeente Anderlecht, één dode". nos.nl (in Dutch). 2025-02-07. Retrieved 2025-02-08.
5. "Close to 100,000 protest Belgian plans to cut social services in strategy to reduce debt". AP News. 14 February 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
6. "Man, 90, suspected of killing two in Belgium nursing home". France 24. 28 February 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
7. "Belgian prosecutors arrest suspects in Huawei bribery probe targeting EU Parliament". AP News. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
8. "Rwanda severs ties with Belgium over 'neo-colonial delusions'". BBC. 18 March 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
9. "Belgian prince loses bid for benefits on top of £300k royal allowance". BBC. 8 April 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
10. "Breaking news. Spain, Portugal and parts of France hit by massive power outage". Euronews. April 28, 2025. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
11. "Union Saint-Gilloise end 90-year Belgian title drought". BBC. 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
12. "Pope accepts resignation of Belgian bishop". The Brussels Times. Belga. 30 June 2025.
13. Maïthé Chini (1 July 2025). "Warmest 1 July ever in Belgium since records began". The Brussels Times.
14. "Belgium conjures up win at quidditch world cup". France 24. 13 July 2025.
15. "Tomorrowland organisers say festival will go ahead after fire destroys main stage". BBC. 17 July 2025.
16. "The World Games qualifications for 2025, Chengdu (CHN)". IWGA. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
17. "Belgium says it will recognise Palestinian state at upcoming UN General Assembly". France 24. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
18. Dey, Mrinmay (2025-09-01). "Belgium to recognise Palestinian state at UN General Assembly". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
19. Jones, Timothy (2025-09-11). "Festival drops German orchestra over Israeli conductor". DW. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
20. "Cyberattack disrupts check-in systems at major European airports". AP News. 20 September 2025.
21. "Belgium recognizes Palestinian state but says can only take legal effect if Hamas is removed and hostages are returned". CNN. 22 September 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
22. "Belgian police detain 3 over a suspected plot to attack politicians with a drone". AP News. 10 October 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
23. "National strike by Belgium's big unions hits public transport, airports and ships". BBC. 14 October 2025. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
24. "Belgium's defense minister says drone flights near an air base could be part of a spying operation". AP News. 2025-11-03. Retrieved 2025-11-04.
25. "Drone sightings force fresh flight cancellations at Belgium's main airport". AP News. 2025-11-05. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
26. "Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Scotland and Austria Secure Automatic World Cup Spots". Fox Sports. 18 November 2025.
27. "Belgium hit by three-day national strike". France 24. 24 November 2025.
28. "Belgian police make 3 arrests after raids on college and EU diplomatic headquarters". AP News. 2025-12-02. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
29. "Ex-EU top diplomat Mogherini detained in Belgium fraud case: Reports". Al Jazeera. 2025-12-03. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
30. "Belgium Public Holidays 2025". Public Holidays Global. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
31. "Holidays and Observances in Belgium in 2025". Time and Date. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
32. "Ex-Rode Duivel Gille Van Binst op 73-jarige leeftijd overleden na slepende ziekte". HLN. 3 January 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
33. "Documentairemaker Bram Van Paesschen (45) onverwacht overleden in Laken". Het Laatste Nieuws. 13 January 2025.
34. "La résistante Andrée Dumon est décédée à l'âge de 102 ans". La Libre Belgique. Belga. 1 February 2025.
35. "Belgian actress Emilie Dequenne dead at 43: family, agent". France 24. AFP. 16 March 2025.
36. "Le baron Guy Ullens est décédé". Le Soir (in French). 2025-04-19.
37. Acteur Chris Cauwenberghs (78) overleden, bekend als Kabouter Lui in 'Kabouter Plop' en als Fernand Verbist in 'Thuis' (in Dutch)
38. "Saint-Ghislain : le député-wallon Pascal Baurain (Les Engagés) est décédé à l'âge de 55 ans". RTBF (in French). 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
39. "Le caricaturiste et dessinateur Serdu (Hollain) est décédé : "Mon métier, c'est de faire sourire ; excusez-moi pour ce faux pas"". L'Avenir (in French). 21 September 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.

External links

• Online calendar