Brussels

For many observers, the European Union is mired in a deep crisis. Between sluggish growth; political turmoil following a decade of austerity politics; Brexit; and the rise of Asian influence, the EU is seen as a declining power on the world stage. Columbia Law professor Anu Bradford argues the opposite in her important new book The Brussels Effect: the EU remains an influential superpower that shapes the world in its image. By promulgating regulations that shape the international business environment, elevating standards worldwide, and leading to a notable Europeanization of many important aspects of global commerce, the EU has managed to shape policy in areas such as data privacy, consumer health and safety, environmental protection, antitrust, and online hate speech. And in contrast to how superpowers wield their global influence, the Brussels Effect - a phrase first coined by Bradford in 2012- absolves the EU from playing a direct role in imposing standards, as market forces alone are often sufficient as multinational companies voluntarily extend the EU rule to govern their global operations. The Brussels Effect shows how the EU has acquired such power, why multinational companies use EU standards as global standards, and why the EU's role as the world's regulator is likely to outlive its gradual economic decline, extending the EU's influence long into the future.

With over 30,000 lobbyists in town, Brussels is often called the European capital of lobbying. Despite this, little is known on how this political system works in practice. This book offers an unprecedented window into the everyday relationships between bureaucrats and interest representatives. Where the media only shows lobbyists as they meet MEPs and submit amendments, the book argues that the bulk of their work is done in close contact with EU bureaucrats – a form of ‘quiet politics’ developed by the business community, targeting officials with little public exposure. Based on official archives, the book first sets the historical picture for the emergence of a new layer of bureaucrats; fuelled by European and transatlantic capitalism, it altered the political façade of the business community to fulfil its need for legitimacy. Drawing from observations of internal meetings of the main lobbies operating in Brussels and interviews with lobbyists and Commission officials, the book then shows lobbyists at work. This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of the European Union, interest groups, and more broadly to political science and sociology.

* A practical guide to discovering Brussels' finest places, buildings, restaurant, shops, museums, neighborhoods, parks, hotels and cafés* Revised and updated edition"If you really want to get under the skin of a city, the 500 Hidden Secrets series, which covers a number of cities from Havana to Ghent, all written by people who know the cities inside out, is ideal. It's an innovative and refreshing take on the traditional travel guide." - The Independent The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels is a guide to the Brussels that no one knows. It takes you to undiscovered art museums, forgotten squares and secret shops. The aim is to challenge the idea that Brussels is a boring city and to uncover the hidden places that give this city its charm. The book doesn't mention everything there is to see. There are already more than enough guides that cover the familiar tourist places. This book goes one step further and lists the places the author would recommend to friends if they asked him where to go in Brussels. Here you will find the the 5 best places to eat frites, the 5 small museums that no one should miss and the 5 best record shops in town. The aim is to take the reader to the unexpected places that are different in some way from the normal tourist destinations, like the cafeteria on the top floor of the national library, or the metro station that is decorated with 140 characters from Tintin albums, or the art cinema that seats just 20 people. You do not have to do everything listed in the book, but you are urged at the very least to drink a beer in one of the 5 best Brussels bars, eat at one of the 5 best fish restaurants, and visit one of the 5 best small cinemas. If you do, you will begin to discover a city that no one else knows. 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels offers a practical guide to Brussels' finest places, covering all bases to ensure no visitor to the city is ever anything short of captivated. The 'secrets' are listed thematically and include 60 places for good food, 45 places for a drink, 50 places to shop, 20 places for fashion, 40 buildings to admire, 40 places to discover the world, 25 things to do with children and 60 activities.

"This book shows that there are few stories as remarkable as the complicated love affair Brussels has with beer." - Jonny Garrett, Co-Founder of The Craft Beer Channel, Beer Writer of the Year 2019From the brewery that once employed Congolese freedom fighter Patrice Lumumba, to the race against time to rescue Brussels' rich industrial heritage from the maws of rapacious developers, and the see-sawing fortunes of the city's artisan brewers, Brussels brewing has had a tumultuous past. The city is rightly famed around the world for its vitally important lambic brewing traditions, but there is a history of Brussels brewing brewing that goes so much further and deeper than that. And more than that, the history of beer in Brussels is the history of modern Brussels itself - from a regional backwater to an industrial powerhouse, to the hubris of post-war de-industrialisation and the subsequent revival of local brewing at the end of the 20th century, Brussels and its brewers have seen it all.This collection, bringing together work by Eoghan Walsh on his award-winning blog Brussels Beer City and for Belgian Beer and Food Magazine, brings to life the family dynasties, the brewers, and the activists that sought to keep this invaluable legacy alive into the 21st century. Santeï!"Part picaresque dig into the archives, part elegy for the city's lost breweries, part celebration of Brussels' ineffable spirit, this lucidly written and deeply researched Brussels brewing history is a delight at every turn. Walsh shares key anecdotes from centuries past, draws surprising comparisons, and makes some compelling prognostications for what's next for the city's brewers and beer lovers. This necessary work is a must for anyone who appreciates Belgian beer." - Claire Bullen, Editor, Good Beer Hunting""Fascinating, enjoyable, packed with anecdotes and stories about people and beer (and, er, football skullduggery), this gives the reader an insider's guide to Brussels' beer and brewing history and evokes a sense of nostalgia without being sickly or fussy. Read with a pint or two of Zinnebir to hand And then pour another." - Adrian Tierney-Jones

The brash young artist James Ensor painted Christ's Entry into Brussels in 1889 during a period of extraordinary artistic and political fomentation in his native Belgium. It is one of the most dazzling, innovative, and perplexing paintings created in Europe in the late nineteenth century, rivaling any work of its period in audacity and ambition. Huge in scale, complex in design and execution, and brimming with social commentary, the startling canvas presents a scene filled with clowns, masked figures, and--barely visible amid the swirling crowds--the tiny figure of Christ on a donkey entering the city of Brussels. This insightful volume examines the painting in light of Belgium's rich artistic, social, political, and theological debates in the late nineteenth century, and in the context of James Ensor's exceptional career, in order to decipher some of the painting's messages and meanings.

This book focuses on major amendments introduced in the Brussels I regulatory framework. The contributions scrutenise the changes introduced in the Brussels Ibis Regulation, a legal instrument that presents a core of the unification of private international law rules on the European Union level. It is one of the first publications addressing all the changes in the Brussels I regulatory scheme, which takes into consideration relevant CJEU case law up to July 2016. The texts, written by legal scholars who have published extensively in the field of private international law and international civil procedure, will add to the development of EU private international law. In addition, the authors’ critical analysis may open further discussions on the topic and so benefit a consistent and harmonised application of the Regulation. In this respect the book takes a different approach than the commentaries which have so far been published. It is primarily meant for legal academics in private international law and practitioners who are regularly engaged in cross-border civil proceedings. It may also be of added value to advanced students and to those with a particular interest in the subject of international litigation and more generally in the area of dispute resolution. Vesna Lazić is a Senior Researcher at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut, an Associate Professor of Private Law at Utrecht University and Professor of European Civil Procedure at the University of Rijeka. Steven Stuij is an expert in Private International Law and an external Ph.D. candidate at Erasmus School of Law, Rotterdam.

The Rough Guide to Brussels is the ultimate companion to the beer-guzzling capital of Belgium. The full-colour introduction gives an inspiring insight into many of the city's highlights, from the top museums to Brussel’s handsome Art Nouveau buildings. There are two new full-colour sections on the nation’s twin passions, beer and food, plenty of easy-to-use maps and that essential practical information. You’ll find dozens of extensive, up-to-the-minute reviews for bars, shopping, entertainment, restaurants and hotels of Berlin for every budget. With delightful day-trips to the neighbouring cities of Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp, this is your must-have item to the cultural and political hotspot of Brussels Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Brussels.

The Rough Guide to Brussels is the ultimate companion to the beer-guzzling capital of Belgium. The full-colour introduction gives an inspiring insight into many of the city's highlights, from the top museums to Brussel's handsome Art Nouveau buildings. There are two new full-colour sections on the nation's twin passions, beer and food, plenty of easy-to-use maps and that essential practical information. You'll find dozens of extensive, up-to-the-minute reviews for bars, shopping, entertainment, restaurants and hotels of Berlin for every budget. With delightful day-trips to the neighbouring cities of Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp, this is your must-have item to the cultural and political hotspot of Brussels Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Brussels.

Brussels 1900 Vienna examines the complex cultural networks between Austria and Belgium (1880-1930), and situates these interrelations within a wider European context. The collection covers various fields, including literature, translation, music, theatre, visual arts, café culture, and architecture.