Events in the year 2022 in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Incumbents

* Monarch: Philippe * Prime Minister:

Alexander De Croo Alexander De Croo (born 3 November 1975) is a Belgian politician and businessman who has served as the prime minister of Belgium since October 2020. De Croo was born in Vilvoorde, Flemish Brabant, and studied business engineering at the Vrije ...

Events

Ongoing –

COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium The COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths. The virus was confirmed to have spread to Belgium on 4 February 2020, when one of a group of nine Belgians repatriated from Wuhan to Brussels was repor ...

*3 January - The

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

finalizes an agreement to buy 20,000 courses of

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...

's Paxlovid COVID-19 drug and Merck & Co.'s

Molnupiravir Molnupiravir, sold under the brand name Lagevrio, is an antiviral medication that inhibits the replication of certain RNA viruses. It is used to treat COVID-19 in those infected by SARS-CoV-2. It is taken by mouth. Molnupiravir is a prodrug of ...

COVID-19 drug. *20 January - Nineteen-year-old Belgian-British pilot

Zara Rutherford Zara Rutherford (born 5 July 2002) is a Belgian-British aviator. At age 19, she became the youngest female pilot to fly solo around the world and the first person to complete a circumnavigation in a microlight aircraft after a five-month journ ...

returns to

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Regio ...

, to complete her five-month

circumnavigation Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical object, astronomical body (e.g. a planet or natural satellite, moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circ ...

, becoming the youngest female pilot to fly solo around the world. *18 February - Two people are killed as

Storm Eunice Storm Eunice () (known as Storm Zeynep in Germany and Storm Nora in Denmark) was an intense extratropical cyclone that was part of the 2021–2022 European windstorm season. Storm Eunice was named by the UK Met Office on 14 February 2022. A re ...

impacts northwestern Europe. Millions are also left without power. *7 March - Belgium removes most of its COVID-19-related restrictions, including lifting most of

mask mandate During the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks or coverings, including N95, FFP2, surgical, and cloth masks, have been employed as public and personal health control measures against the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In com ...

and no longer requiring COVID Safe Tickets to enter most public places, after the country lowered its COVID-19 barometer from code orange to yellow. *20 March - A car is driven into a crowd preparing to celebrate

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

in Strépy-Bracquegnies, killing six people and injuring around 40 others. *29 March - Belgium joins the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

in expelling Russian diplomats due to the

invasion of Ukraine The territory of present-day Ukraine has been Invasion, invaded or Military occupation, occupied a number of times throughout History of Ukraine, its history. List See also *List of invasions *List of wars involving Ukraine References

...

, *20 May - Belgium, and the

confirm their first cases of

monkeypox Monkeypox (also called mpox by the WHO) is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some other animals. Symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over. The time from exposure to ...

. *22 May - Belgium becomes the first country to introduce a monkeypox

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

. *8 June -

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Philippe of Belgium french: Philippe Léopold Louis Mariegerman: Philipp Leopold Ludwig Maria , house = Belgium , father = Albert II of Belgium , mother = Paola Ruffo di Calabria , birth_date = , birth_place = Belvédère Castle, Laeken, B ...

, in a speech to the Congolese parliament in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

, formally condemns the atrocities that occurred when the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

was declared the personal property of his great-great granduncle,

Leopold II of Belgium * german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor , house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , father = Leopold I of Belgium , mother = Louise of Orléans , birth_date = , birth_place = Brussels, Belgium , death_date = ...

, saying that the colonial government "was one of unequal relations, unjustifiable in itself, marked by paternalism, discrimination and racism". *20 June - The

Belgian government The Federal Government of Belgium ( nl, Federale regering, french: Gouvernement fédéral, german: Föderalregierung) exercises executive power in the Kingdom of Belgium. It consists of ministers and secretary of state ("junior", or deputy-mini ...

repatriates Congolese independence leader and former

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba (; 2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic of the Congo) from June u ...

's remains, consisting of a tooth, through an official ceremony attended by his family at the

Egmont Palace The Egmont Palace (french: Palais d'Egmont, nl, Egmontpaleis), also sometimes known as the Arenberg Palace (french: Palais d'Arenberg, link=no, nl, Arenbergpaleis, link=no), is a Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical palace in Brussels, Bel ...

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. *20 September –

Episcopal Conference of Belgium The Belgian Bishops' Conference or the Episcopal Conference of Belgium ( nl, Belgische Bisschoppenconferentie; french: Conférence épiscopale de Belgique; german: Belgische Bischofskonferenz) is the permanent organ of the Roman Catholic bishops i ...

publishes a suggested ritual for blessing stable same-sex unions. *10 November - A police officer is killed and another is wounded during the 2022 Brussels stabbing at a

train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing suc ...

. The perpetrator is killed. * 30 November – Jury selection begins in the trial of 10 suspects of the

2016 Brussels bombings On 22 March 2016, two coordinated terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium were carried out by the Islamic State. Three coordinated suicide bombings occurred: two at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, and one at Maalbeek metro station on the Brussels m ...

, the largest court case in Belgian history.

Art and literature

* 4 March – Release of ''

Multitude Multitude is a term for a group of people who cannot be classed under any other distinct category, except for their shared fact of existence. Though its use dates back to antiquity, the term first entered into the lexicon of political philosophy w ...

'',

Stromae Paul van Haver (; born 12 March 1985), better known by his stage name Stromae (), is a Belgian singer, rapper, songwriter and producer. He is mostly known for his music blending hip hop and electronic music. Stromae came to wide public attenti ...

's third album, making it his first since 2013.

Deaths

* 2 January -

Eric Walter Elst Eric Walter Elst (30 November 1936 – 2 January 2022) was a Belgian astronomer at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle and a prolific discoverer of asteroids. The Minor Planet Center ranks him among the top 10 discoverers of minor planets ...

, Astronomer (b.1936) * 11 January - Evence-Charles Coppée, press director (b. 1953) * 11 January - Louis Dupré, Religious philosopher (b.1925) * 12 January - Marc Janson, painter (b. 1930) * 13 January -

Fred Van Hove Fred Van Hove (19 February 1937 – 13 January 2022) was a Belgian jazz musician and a pioneer of European free jazz. He was a pianist, accordionist, church organist, and carillonist, an improviser and a composer. In the 1960s and 1970s he perf ...

, Jazz musician (b. 1937) * 14 January -

Alice von Hildebrand Alice Marie von Hildebrand, GCSG (née Jourdain; 11 March 1923 – 14 January 2022) was a Belgian-born American Catholic philosopher, theologian, author, and professor. She taught philosophy at Hunter College for 37 years. She was also the sec ...

, Philosopher (b.1923) * 17 January - Michel Konen, journalist (b. 1950) * 20 January - Carla Galle, Olympic swimmer (b. 1948) * 29 January -

Freddy Thielemans Freddy Thielemans (11 September 1944 – 29 January 2022) was a Belgian socialist politician who was the mayor of the City of Brussels from 2001 to 2013, and previously also for a period in 1994. Freddy Thielemans learnt to play rugby with Br ...

, politician (b. 1944) * 30 January -

Frans Aerenhouts Frans Aerenhouts (4 July 1937 – 30 January 2022) was a Belgian cyclist. He died on 30 January 2022, at the age of 84. He most notably won Gent–Wevelgem in 1960 and 1961 and a stage of the 1963 Vuelta a España. Major results ;1957 : 1st Ov ...

, cyclist (b. 1937) * 1 February -

Jan Callewaert Jan Callewaert (1956 – 1 February 2022) was a Belgian businessman. He was the general manager of Option N.V. In 2005, he was voted manager of the year in Belgium. He also was the chairman of football club Oud-Heverlee Leuven. Life and career C ...

, businessman (b. 1956) * 7 February - Jacques Calonne, artist (b. 1930) * 11 February - Philippe van Kessel, actor (b. 1946) * 15 February -

Roger Lambrecht Roger Lambrecht (1 January 1916 – 4 August 1979) was a Belgian road bicycle racer. He rode professionally from 1945 to 1954 and won 18 races, which included two stages of the 1948 and 1949 Tour de France; he wore the yellow jersey for two stag ...

, businessman and footballer (b.1931) * 17 February -

André Messelis André Messelis (17 February 1931 – 17 February 2022) was a Belgian professional racing cyclist. He won the E3 Harelbeke E3 Saxo Bank Classic, previously known as E3 BinckBank Classic, E3 Harelbeke, Harelbeke–Antwerp–Harelbeke and E3-Pri ...

, road racing cyclist (b. 1931) * 19 February - Monique Hanotte,

resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

member (b. 1920) * 10 March - Georges Ginoux, politician (b. 1933) * 11 March - Frank De Coninck, diplomat (b. 1945) * 29 March - Miguel Van Damme, footballer (b. 1993) * 30 March -

Willy Vanden Berghen Willy Vanden Berghen (3 July 1939 – 30 March 2022) was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. In 1960 he won two bronze medals in the road race, one at the amateur world championships and the other at the Olympic Games. Major results ;1 ...

, Olympic cyclist (b. 1939) * 6 April -

Reinhilde Decleir Reinhilde Decleir (16 May 1948 – 6 April 2022) was a Flemish actress and director. Career In theater, Decleir played with the Blue Monday Company, the Toneelhuis and Theater Antigone in, among others, En deliver us from evil, In the name of th ...

, actress (b. 1948) * 6 April -

Annie Servais-Thysen Annie Servais-Thysen (18 June 1933 – 6 April 2022) was a Belgian politician. A member of the Reformist Movement, she served in the Parliament of Wallonia from 1995 to 2004. She died in Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german ...

, politician (b. 1933) * 8 April -

Henri Depireux Henri Depireux (1 February 1944 – 8 April 2022) was a Belgian football player and manager. Career Depireux played club football for RFC Liège and Standard de Liège. He also played twice for Belgium. After his playing career ended, Depireux ...

, footballer (b. 1944) * 10 April -

Philippe Boesmans Philippe Boesmans (17 May 1936 – 10 April 2022) was a Belgian pianist, composer and academic teacher. He studied to be a pianist at the Royal Conservatory of Liège, and was self-taught as a composer, influenced by the Liège Group of Henri Pou ...

, composer (b. 1936) * 17 April -

Gilles Remiche Gilles Remiche (1979 – 17 April 2022) was a Belgian director and actor. He studied at the University of East London and began working as an assistant director in 2006. He made his acting debut in 2017 with a minor role in ''The Benefit of the ...

, film director (b. 1979) * 17 April -

Catherine Spaak Catherine Spaak (3 April 1945 – 17 April 2022) was a French-born Italian actress and singer who acted in mostly in Italian films with some Hollywood and international productions. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Il Sorpasso'' (1 ...

, actress (b. 1945) * 23 April -

Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a s ...

, singer (b. 1949) * 1 May -

Régine Zylberberg Régine Zylberberg (born Rachelle Zylberberg; 26 December 1929 – 1 May 2022), often known mononymously as Régine, was a Belgian-born French singer and nightclub impresario. She dubbed herself the "Queen of the Night". Early life Rachelle Zyl ...

, singer (b. 1929) * 2 May -

Jean-Marie Faux Jean-Marie Faux SJ (9 November 1923 – 2 May 2022) was Belgian Jesuit author, translator, professor, and theologian. Biography and work Faux was born in 1923. He lived for thirty years in the small commune of Schaerbeek. During this time he bec ...

, Jesuit author (b. 1923) * 3 May - Jan Béghin, politician (b. 1949) * 15 May - Robert Cogoi, singer (b. 1939) * 31 May -

Andrée Geulen Andrée Geulen-Herscovici (6 September 1921 – 31 May 2022) was a Belgian teacher and member of the resistance during the German occupation of Belgium during World War II. After becoming aware of the persecution of Belgian Jews through her em ...

, teacher (b. 1921) * 1 June -

, philanthropist (b. 1921) * 13 June -

Henri Garcin Henri Garcin (born Anton Albers; 11 April 1928 – 13 June 2022) was a Belgian film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1956 to 2022. Selected filmography * ''Mademoiselle and Her Gang'' (1957) * ''Mata Hari, Agent H21'' (1964) * '' ...

, actor (b.1928) * 18 June -

Marie-Rose Gaillard Marie-Rose Gaillard (19 August 1944 – 18 June 2022) was a Belgian racing cyclist Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross ...

, racing cyclist (b. 1944) * 26 July -

Daniel Cardon de Lichtbuer Daniel, Baron Cardon de Lichtbuer (16 November 1930 – 26 July 2022) was a Belgian businessman, mainly active in the Belgian banking sector. Education He obtained a PhD degree in Law (1953) and a MBA degree (1955) from the Catholic Universi ...

, banker (b. 1930) * 28 July - Philippe Sonnet, politician (b. 1964) * 2 August -

Lucien Kroll Lucien Kroll (13 March 1927 – 1 August 2022) was a Belgian architect. With his wife, Simone Kroll, he founded the Atelier de Architecture Simone & Lucien Kroll. They are considered to be the founders—as early as 1960—of participatory archi ...

, architect (b. 1927) * 3 August -

Franz Marijnen Franz Marijnen (4 April 1943 – 3 August 2022) was a Belgian theatre director. His early career, in the Netherlands and Belgium, was influenced by the work of the Polish theatre director and theorist Jerzy Grotowski. Marijnen then moved to th ...

, theatre director (b. 1943) * 5 August - Caroline Pauwels, rector (b. 1964) * 5 August - Jean-Jacques Cassiman, geneticist (b. 1943) * 6 August - Arnold Willems, actor (b. 1932) * 12 August - Georges Joris, politician (b. 1921) * 17 August - Jan De Crem, politician (b. 1928) * 25 August -

Herman Van Springel Herman Vanspringel (14 August 1943 – 25 August 2022), also spelled Herman Van Springel, was a Belgian road racing cyclist, from Grobbendonk, in the Flemish Campine or Kempen region. He achieved podium finishes in all three of the grand tours ...

, cyclist (b.1943) * 11 September -

Jean Bock Jean Bock (15 January 1931 – 11 September 2022) was a Belgian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Reformist Party (PRL) and later the Reformist Movement (MR). Life and career Bock's childhood was impacted by the loss of his mother at t ...

, politician (b. 1931) * 11 September -

Michael DeGroote Michael George DeGroote (August 13, 1933 – September 12, 2022) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist from Hamilton, Ontario, who resided in Bermuda. Aside from his business career, he was best known as a major private donor to local ...

, businessman (b. 1933) * 14 September - Michel Verschueren, businessman (b. 1931) * 8 November —

Will Ferdy Werner Ferdinande (9 March 1927 – 8 November 2022), known as Will Ferdy, was a Belgian singer. He became known for the songs ''Christine'', ''Belijdenis'', ''De stervende'', ', and ', which is a song, based on the poet with the same name, b ...

, singer (b. 1927) * 20 November –

Andreas De Leenheer Andreas De Leenheer (16 May 1941 – 20 November 2022) was a Belgian academic and biologist. He was Vice-Rector of Ghent University from 1997 to 2001 and Rector from 2001 to 2005. Biography In 1971, De Leenheer became a lecturer at the Faculty o ...

, biologist (b. 1941) * 19 December –

Luc De Schepper Luc De Schepper (22 April 1957 – 19 December 2022) was a Belgian physicist and professor. De Schepper was rector of the Hasselt University from 2004 to 2020. He was chairman of the Flemish Interuniversity Council from 2015 to 2017. De Schepper ...

, physicist (b. 1957)

References

{{Years in Belgium

2020s in Belgium Years of the 21st century in Belgium