2013 in Belgium

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Decades:	1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2013 List of years in Belgium

Events in the year 2013 in Belgium.

Incumbents

• Monarch: Albert II (until 21 July); Philippe (from 21 July)^[1]
• Prime Minister: Elio Di Rupo^[2]

Events

• January 1: Bart De Wever (New Flemish Alliance) becomes mayor of Antwerp.
• January 6: Noémie Happart crowned Miss Belgium 2013.
• January 13: Following accusations of tax evasion, Belgium's Dowager Queen Fabiola of Belgium has her annual allowance cut by over 400,000 pounds.
• February 9: Five people killed in a plane crash at Charleroi airport.^[3] The airport was closed shortly after the crash.^[4]
• February 21: 30,000 angry workers take to the streets of Brussels to demonstrate against government austerity plans.^[5]
• May 4: During a railway accident in Wetteren several tank cars filled with acrylonitrile explode.
• May 19: Anderlecht draw against Zulte Waregem to win the Jupiler Pro League.
• May 21: Soccer club Beerschot AC declared bankrupt by the Court of Commerce.
• May 30: Pope Francis accepts the resignation of Aloys Jousten as bishop of Liège
• July 3: King Albert II announces his pending abdication in favour of his son Philippe.^[6]
• July 14: Jean-Pierre Delville consecrated as bishop of Liège
• July 21: King Albert II abdicates in favour of his son, King Philippe.^[7][8][9]
• July 25: First official heatwave in Belgium since the 2006 European heat wave.
• August 25: Sebastian Vettel wins the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix.
• October 6: Samson Kiptoo Bunge wins the Marathon of Brussels in 2:15.49.
• October 8: François Englert and Briton Peter Higgs awarded the Nobel prize for Physics.
• October 12: Popgroup Clouseau make a comeback with the song "Vliegtuig" {Airplane} in the Ultratop 50.
• October 19: Ten parachutists and a pilot die in a plane crash shortly after take-off.^[10]
• December 3: Three heavy pile-ups occur on the A19 motorway due to fog
• December 7: Veerle Baetens wins the European Film Award for Best Actress. Death of a Shadow wins in the category Best Short Film.

Sports

• February 27: Ellen van Dijk wins 2013 Le Samyn des Dames
• August 23–26: Ellen van Dijk wins 2013 Lotto-Belisol Belgium Tour

Deaths

• 4 January – Amanda Stassart, 89, member of the Resistance during World War II and air hostess
• 9 October – Wilfried Martens, 77, former Prime Minister of Belgium.

See also

• 2013 in Belgian television
• 2013 in the European Union

References

Years in Belgium