http://www.alliancealert.org news from the frontlines of the culture war Thu, 24 May 2012 23:12:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/10/countries-where-same-sex-marriage-is-legal/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/10/countries-where-same-sex-marriage-is-legal/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 19:16:27 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133484 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/10/countries-where-same-sex-marriage-is-legal/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/14/belgium-government-official-wants-euthanasia-law-expanded-to-include-minors/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/14/belgium-government-official-wants-euthanasia-law-expanded-to-include-minors/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:51:08 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=120886 Turtle Bay and Beyond: Belgium’s chairman of the Federal Committee on Euthanasia, Wim Distelmans, sent an open letter to Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo last month “asking him to re-open a national debate on euthanasia” and update the parameters that qualify a person to be euthanized. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/14/belgium-government-official-wants-euthanasia-law-expanded-to-include-minors/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/21/belgium-25-percent-of-brussels-population-is-muslim/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/21/belgium-25-percent-of-brussels-population-is-muslim/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:12:29 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=119206 Eurasia Review: More than 250,000 residents out of a total population of one million in Brussels have Muslim roots, according to a study carried out by the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium and published in the Belgian media Friday. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/21/belgium-25-percent-of-brussels-population-is-muslim/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/09/french-germans-explore-idea-of-smaller-euro-zone/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/09/french-germans-explore-idea-of-smaller-euro-zone/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:06:32 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=118228 Yahoo! News: German and French officials have discussed plans for a radical overhaul of the European Union that would involve establishing a more integrated and potentially smaller euro zone, EU sources say. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/09/french-germans-explore-idea-of-smaller-euro-zone/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/08/17/muslim-face-veil-fine-in-belgium-paid-off-by-french-businessman/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/08/17/muslim-face-veil-fine-in-belgium-paid-off-by-french-businessman/#comments Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:20:39 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=111113 Telegraph: Two of the first fines imposed on Belgian women for wearing the full Muslim face veil were paid off on Wednesday – by a man who says women should not wear them. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/08/17/muslim-face-veil-fine-in-belgium-paid-off-by-french-businessman/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/08/11/belgian-burqa-ban-takes-effect-%e2%80%94-whos-next/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/08/11/belgian-burqa-ban-takes-effect-%e2%80%94-whos-next/#comments Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:47:42 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=110572 Belgian Burqa Ban Takes Effect — Who's Next? :: Islamist Watch: Opponents of the burqa and niqab had reason to celebrate on July 23 as Belgium became the second Western country to enforce a nationwide prohibition on face-covering attire in public. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/08/11/belgian-burqa-ban-takes-effect-%e2%80%94-whos-next/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/07/25/belgiums-new-burqa-ban-challenged-in-court/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/07/25/belgiums-new-burqa-ban-challenged-in-court/#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:43:09 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=109020 Expatica Belgium: A burqa and niqab ban came into force in Belgium on Saturday with the threat of fines and jail time, but the law faced an immediate court challenge from two women who wear the full Islamic veil. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/07/25/belgiums-new-burqa-ban-challenged-in-court/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/06/16/belgium-shock-study-organs-harvested-from-euthanized-patients-make-better-transplants/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/06/16/belgium-shock-study-organs-harvested-from-euthanized-patients-make-better-transplants/#comments Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:02:37 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=106645 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/06/16/belgium-shock-study-organs-harvested-from-euthanized-patients-make-better-transplants/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/06/13/belgian-doctors-boast-of-harvesting-organs-after-euthanasia/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/06/13/belgian-doctors-boast-of-harvesting-organs-after-euthanasia/#comments Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:38:09 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=106221 LifeNews.com: But Belgium has jumped so enthusiastically off the euthanasia cliff, it only took them a few years before coupling voluntary euthanasia with organ harvesting. . . ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/06/13/belgian-doctors-boast-of-harvesting-organs-after-euthanasia/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/05/26/religion-clause-belgium-to-become-second-european-country-to-ban-burqa-in-public-places/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/05/26/religion-clause-belgium-to-become-second-european-country-to-ban-burqa-in-public-places/#comments Thu, 26 May 2011 17:24:42 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=104801 : M&C reported yesterday that Belgium is about to become the second European country to ban the wearing of the burqa or other full face veils in public. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/05/26/religion-clause-belgium-to-become-second-european-country-to-ban-burqa-in-public-places/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/04/28/belgium-moves-closer-to-banning-burqa-in-public/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/04/28/belgium-moves-closer-to-banning-burqa-in-public/#comments Thu, 28 Apr 2011 20:20:31 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=102272 The Daily Caller: Belgium has taken a major step toward banning burqa-type Islamic dress in public when its lower house of parliament overwhelmingly backed the measure. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/04/28/belgium-moves-closer-to-banning-burqa-in-public/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/04/20/efforts-to-ban-the-burqa-go-well-beyond-france/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/04/20/efforts-to-ban-the-burqa-go-well-beyond-france/#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:21:48 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=101547 Islamist Watch: Though France is the pace setter, efforts to impose burqa bans, both broad and narrow, press on across the West. The following is a quick and by no means exhaustive update on recent attempts . . . ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/04/20/efforts-to-ban-the-burqa-go-well-beyond-france/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/25/belgian-doctors-harvest-high-quality-organs-from-euthanized-patients/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/25/belgian-doctors-harvest-high-quality-organs-from-euthanized-patients/#comments Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:11:14 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=93321 MercatorNet / Careful: "A group of Belgian doctors are harvesting 'high quality' organs from patients who have been euthanased. This is not a secret project, but one which they described openly at a conference organised by the Belgian Royal Medical Academy in December." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/25/belgian-doctors-harvest-high-quality-organs-from-euthanized-patients/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/21/belgium-court-rules-boy-had-the-right-to-be-the-object-of-an-abortion/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/21/belgium-court-rules-boy-had-the-right-to-be-the-object-of-an-abortion/#comments Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:22:19 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=88017 Culture of Life Foundation: "The bioethics website BioEdge (www.bioedge.org) just reported that an appeal’s court in Belgium recently upheld a similar suit brought by parents against doctors on behalf of their disabled son. The Court of Appeal of Brussels ruled that because of a faulty prenatal diagnosis, which led to a disabled boy being born, the doctors 'have injured [the boy’s] certain and legitimate interest in being the object of a therapeutic abortion.' In other words, the boy had a right to be killed through abortion, and that right was violated when, because of the doctors' misdiagnosis, he was born alive." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/21/belgium-court-rules-boy-had-the-right-to-be-the-object-of-an-abortion/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/03/belgiums-catholic-primate-faces-homophobia-charge/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/03/belgiums-catholic-primate-faces-homophobia-charge/#comments Wed, 03 Nov 2010 20:53:57 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=80179 AFP: "Amid mounting uproar, a lawyer for a gay rights group filed a complaint against Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard in the northern city of Bruges after the church leader described gay love as a travesty of nature and AIDS as 'a sort of intrinsic justice.'" ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/03/belgiums-catholic-primate-faces-homophobia-charge/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/15/only-half-of-belgium%e2%80%99s-euthanasia-cases-are-reported/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/15/only-half-of-belgium%e2%80%99s-euthanasia-cases-are-reported/#comments Fri, 15 Oct 2010 21:59:53 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=76785 BioEdge: "Only half of all euthanasia cases in Belgium are reported, according to a study in the BMJ. Euthanasia has been legal since 2002 and three biennial reports have been published about all reported cases of euthanasia. No cases of abuse have ever been found." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/15/only-half-of-belgium%e2%80%99s-euthanasia-cases-are-reported/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/06/belgium-keeping-alive-eu-anti-discrimination-bill/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/06/belgium-keeping-alive-eu-anti-discrimination-bill/#comments Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:56:45 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=75436 EU Observer: "The Belgian EU presidency is keeping alive hopes that disabled, gay and old people will in the coming years have equal access to services in the Union's single market." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/06/belgium-keeping-alive-eu-anti-discrimination-bill/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/08/18/police-raid-on-belgian-archdiocese-ruled-illegal-by-appeals-court/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/08/18/police-raid-on-belgian-archdiocese-ruled-illegal-by-appeals-court/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:05:38 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=69377 Catholic News Agency: "In the absence of an official statement from Belgium's judiciary, the lawyer for the Archdiocese of Brussels-Mechelen announced the court's decision that the police raids of the archbishop's offices and Cardinal Danneel's residence in June were unlawful." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/08/18/police-raid-on-belgian-archdiocese-ruled-illegal-by-appeals-court/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/08/13/court-rules-to-allow-belgian-clergy-abuse-inquires/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/08/13/court-rules-to-allow-belgian-clergy-abuse-inquires/#comments Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:42:06 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=68658 Associated Press: "A Brussels appeals court ruled Friday to allow an investigating magistrate to continue looking into alleged sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy, in cases that came to light after police seized documents, computers and data discs from the Belgian archbishop's residence in June." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/08/13/court-rules-to-allow-belgian-clergy-abuse-inquires/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/08/05/the-fate-of-catholic-europe-the-void-within/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/08/05/the-fate-of-catholic-europe-the-void-within/#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:37:25 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=67632 The Economist: "Among Europe’s historically Catholic lands, France is an outlier. Its leap into modernity took the form of a secular revolution; that differs from places like Ireland or Poland, where church and modern nationhood go together. Things are different again in Bavaria or the southern Netherlands, where the church inspires local pride; or in Spain, where Catholicism is at issue in an ideological war. But in many European places where Catholicism remained all-powerful until say, 1960, the church is losing whatever remains of its grip on society at an accelerating pace. The drop in active adherence to, and knowledge of, Christianity is a long-running and gentle trend; but the hollowing out of church structures—parishes, monasteries, schools, universities, charities—is more dramatic." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/08/05/the-fate-of-catholic-europe-the-void-within/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/08/embassies-supporting-homosexual-protests-in-peru/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/08/embassies-supporting-homosexual-protests-in-peru/#comments Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:43:38 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/08/embassies-supporting-homosexual-protests-in-peru/ Catholic News Agency: "Seven foreign embassies in Peru have expressed support for protests organized by homosexual activists groups demanding the legalization of same-sex unions by claiming they are being discriminated against. The statement of support was signed by the Embassies of Australia, Belgium, the United States, Holland, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/08/embassies-supporting-homosexual-protests-in-peru/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/06/29/warning-about-churchs-abuse-documents-led-belgian-police-to-raid-its-offices/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/06/29/warning-about-churchs-abuse-documents-led-belgian-police-to-raid-its-offices/#comments Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:08:05 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=64501 New York Times: "Four days after a series of police raids of Catholic institutions in Belgium that drew sharp criticism from the pope, the reason for the unusually aggressive operation has emerged: a formal accusation that the church was hiding information on sexual abuse lodged by the former president of an internal church commission handling such cases." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/06/29/warning-about-churchs-abuse-documents-led-belgian-police-to-raid-its-offices/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/06/28/belgium-church-panel-on-sex-abuse-shuts-after-raid/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/06/28/belgium-church-panel-on-sex-abuse-shuts-after-raid/#comments Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:42:07 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/06/28/belgium-church-panel-on-sex-abuse-shuts-after-raid/ AP: "A Catholic panel investigating clerical sex abuse in Belgium is shutting down to protest a police raid on its church offices last week, the group's chairman said Monday." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/06/28/belgium-church-panel-on-sex-abuse-shuts-after-raid/feed/ 1 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/06/10/belgian-patients-are-being-killed-without-their-consent/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/06/10/belgian-patients-are-being-killed-without-their-consent/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:23:00 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=62759 The Christian Institute: "Terminally ill patients in Belgium are being subjected to euthanasia without their consent, according to a shocking study . . . The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), suggests that almost half of Belgium’s euthanasia deaths may be carried out on patients who have not asked for their lives to be ended." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/06/10/belgian-patients-are-being-killed-without-their-consent/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/06/08/belgian-school-sacks-teacher-over-burqa/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/06/08/belgian-school-sacks-teacher-over-burqa/#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 19:50:38 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=62460 Expatica: "A Belgian high school on Tuesday sacked a Muslim maths teacher after she insisted she would continue to wear the burqa while taking classes." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/06/08/belgian-school-sacks-teacher-over-burqa/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/04/29/belgium-lower-house-approves-burqa-ban/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/04/29/belgium-lower-house-approves-burqa-ban/#comments Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:03:46 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=59425 JURIST: "The Belgian House of Representatives on Thursday voted 136-0 to approve a bill that would ban the Islamic burqa and other full face veils in public." | For related information see this ADF Alliance Alert compound tag: http://www.alliancealert.org/tag/country-belgium+topic-islam/ ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/04/29/belgium-lower-house-approves-burqa-ban/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/04/22/belgium-discusses-burqa-ban/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/04/22/belgium-discusses-burqa-ban/#comments Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:49:42 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=58727 UPI: "Belgian lawmakers are debating a bill that, if approved, would make Belgium the first European country to ban the burqa in public places, BBC News reports." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/04/22/belgium-discusses-burqa-ban/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/04/20/more-nations-saying-i-do-to-same-sex-marriages/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/04/20/more-nations-saying-i-do-to-same-sex-marriages/#comments Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:05:59 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=58501 Jakarta Globe: "Today seven countries, five US states and several Latin American cities have legalized same-sex marriage. The Netherlands ushered the way in 2001, the first nation to permit same-sex couples to marry legally. This historic decision marked a turning point, with demands for equality reverberating across borders. Barriers fell as Belgium (2003), Canada and Spain (2005), South Africa (2006), Norway and Sweden (2009) each approved legislation." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/04/20/more-nations-saying-i-do-to-same-sex-marriages/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/04/01/belgium-moves-to-become-first-european-country-to-ban-the-burka/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/04/01/belgium-moves-to-become-first-european-country-to-ban-the-burka/#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:46:43 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/wordpress/2010/04/01/belgium-moves-to-become-first-european-country-to-ban-the-burka/ Daily Mail: "A parliamentary committee agreed yesterday to outlaw the wearing of face-covering veils in public. The full Parliament will vote later this month . . . The MP said Belgium did not wish to follow the ‘bad examples’ of Britain and the Netherlands, where he said many Muslims lived in separate communities." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/04/01/belgium-moves-to-become-first-european-country-to-ban-the-burka/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/03/22/law-review-euthanasia-in-belgium-five-years-after-legalisation/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/03/22/law-review-euthanasia-in-belgium-five-years-after-legalisation/#comments Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:59:09 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/wordpress/?p=56318 Euthanasia in Belgium Five Years after Legalisation (January 9, 2009). European Journal of Health Law, Vol. 16, 2009. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1573667 | "In 2002, Belgium became the second country to legalise euthanasia after the Netherlands. Three biannual reports have been published by the Federal Control and Evaluation Commission, the body which monitors the application of the law. This article explores how the Belgian law works and what is known about Belgian euthanasia practice both before and since legalisation." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/03/22/law-review-euthanasia-in-belgium-five-years-after-legalisation/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/03/19/belgian-court-suspends-ban-on-islamic-headscarves/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/03/19/belgian-court-suspends-ban-on-islamic-headscarves/#comments Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:48:28 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/wordpress/2010/03/19/belgian-court-suspends-ban-on-islamic-headscarves/ Religion Clause Blog: "Yesterday, Belgium's Council of State suspended a ban on Islamic headscarves that had been imposed on Muslim school girls in the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/03/19/belgian-court-suspends-ban-on-islamic-headscarves/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/03/12/teacher-in-belgium-wins-right-to-wear-veil-in-class/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/03/12/teacher-in-belgium-wins-right-to-wear-veil-in-class/#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:17:57 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/wordpress/?p=55257 The Times of India: "A Muslim mathematics teacher in a municipal school in Belgium won her legal battle to wear a veil in class on Thursday when an appeals court overturned a lower court decision." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/03/12/teacher-in-belgium-wins-right-to-wear-veil-in-class/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/02/25/european-council-president-van-rompuy-insulted-in-parliament/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/02/25/european-council-president-van-rompuy-insulted-in-parliament/#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:35:34 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/wordpress/?p=53321 EU Observer: "Herman Van Rompuy was subjected to a series of personal insults on Wednesday (24 February) spoiling his maiden appearance in the European Parliament as president of the European Council. Mid-way through a fairly tame exchange of views on EU policy, Mr Van Rompuy was visibly shocked and uncomfortable when comments by British eurosceptic MEP Nigel Farage took a personal turn." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/02/25/european-council-president-van-rompuy-insulted-in-parliament/feed/ 1 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/01/25/new-belgian-primate-in-debate-on-homosexuality/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/01/25/new-belgian-primate-in-debate-on-homosexuality/#comments Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:16:46 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/wordpress/?p=49662 Catholic Culture: "The Archbishop-elect of Brussels—a conservative prelate who was chosen by Pope Benedict XVI to replace the liberal Cardinal Godfried Danneels-- touched off the debate by affirming that homosexuality is a psychological disorder." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/01/25/new-belgian-primate-in-debate-on-homosexuality/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/19/belgian-premier-van-rompuy-named-first-eu-president/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/19/belgian-premier-van-rompuy-named-first-eu-president/#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:21:01 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=42919 Wall Street Journal: "European Union leaders picked the low-key prime minister of Belgium and a British trade representative who's never held elective office as the bloc's first president and foreign minister." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/11/19/belgian-premier-van-rompuy-named-first-eu-president/feed/ 0