Brussels - Grey office blocks and European Union civil servants - that's the common image of Brussels.
But behind this cliché lurks a colourful scene waiting to be discovered especially for followers of fashion. A walk through downtown Brussels reveals a palette that reaches from chic boutiques to shrill trendy shops.
"Most people think of fashion only in terms of haute couture from Paris or London, but Brussels is right at their doorstep," said Anne Weger of Belgium's tourist bureau in Cologne.
Brussels - Belgium's right-wing Flemish party Vlaams Belang (VB), known for its anti-foreigner rhetoric, Saturday mourned the car accident death of rightist Austrian politicial Joerg Haider.
Brussels - The governments of France, Belgium and Luxembourg have agreed to guarantee the financing of regional banking group Dexia for at least a year, the three administrations confirmed in a statement Thursday.
"In order to support the group's activity and consolidate its development, the three governments have jointly undertaken to guarantee new interbank and institutional financing ... starting today and lasting until 31 October 2009," the statement said.
Brussels - Belgium's former Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene is to head the board of the struggling Franco-Belgian financial service group Dexia, Belgium's Prime Minister Yves Leterme announced Tuesday after an overnight crisis meeting in Brussels.
French banker and BNP Paribas executive Pierre Mariani is to serve as as chief executive. Mariani is currently a senior executive vice president at France's largest bank, BNP Paribas, France's largest bank.
Amsterdam - The Dutch government has issued state bonds worth 8.64 billion euros (11.76 billion dollars), the government said in a statement on Monday.
Part of the issue will be used to help finance the takeover of the Dutch division of former Belgian-Dutch bank and insurance giant Fortis.
On Friday, the Dutch nationalized the entire Dutch Fortis division, paying some 16.8 billion euros.
On Monday, financial analysts from SNS Securities, Petercam and Dresdner Kleinwort calculated the stock value of Fortis at the Dutch exchanges around 8.225 billion euros.
If accurate, then each of the 2.35 billion shares is worth 3.5 euros per share.
Brussels - The governments of France, Belgium and Luxembourg have agreed to guarantee the financing of regional banking group Dexia for at least a year, the three administrations confirmed in a statement Thursday.
Belgium's former Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene is to head the board of the struggling Franco-Belgian financial service group Dexia, Belgium's Prime Minister Yves Leterme announced Tuesday after an overnight crisis meeting in Brussels.
