During the past months, the COVID19-crisis has reduced significantly professional travel. Homework and video & teleconferencing has become the norm. For employees not having been granted the “expat status”, but normally frequently travelling for business purposes, COVID19 could cause unpleasant tax surprises.
On 31st January 2020, the United Kingdom left the European Union. A transition period followed, lasting until 31st December 2020 during which time, freedom of movement continued to apply. This transition period ends on 1st January 2021, which means you will have to apply for a new status as a beneficiary of the Withdrawal Agreement.
“So, what do you do?” is perhaps the most often asked question in any given social situation. It’s not surprising then that we often believe our identity to be wrapped up with our careers. But what happens when you move abroad? Can you continue to further your career as a trailing partner, or will you feel left behind during your partner’s foreign assignment? Finding the answer might not be as difficult as you expect…
With Belgium in the European top 3 for COVID-19 related deaths per 100,000 inhabitants and with a second lockdown freshly instated, it’s safe to say that, as a nation, we’re on high alert. It’s also safe to say that these last eight months have had their impact on our mental wellbeing. We caught up with past ABRA keynote speaker Willemijn van Dommelen of PRR Consultancy to find out how we can fortify our mental resilience in times of COVID. 
The scale and impact of the novel coronavirus and subsequent quarantine measures have led us all into uncharted territory. As the pandemic continues to evolve, our serviced apartment providers have been working hard to ensure they are able to provide tenants and staff with a safe and hygienic environment. We wanted to find out how our accommodation providers have experienced the past eight months and how they are coping now that we are back in lockdown. Our thanks go out to everyone who responded to our informal callout for feedback.
Initially, Belgium kept a conservative position on the EU recommendations for border reopening and travel from outside the EU was highly restricted. Belgium only considered EU Blue Card Holders as essential highly skilled workers exempt from the travel ban.
UPDATE NOVEMBER 17th: It appears private individuals may now view properties, providing no one else is on site at the time.
The lockdown instated on Monday November 2nd has called for all non-essential businesses to close. The list of allowed commercial activities is more extensive than during the first lockdown, but under the current governmental guidelines property viewings, and entry and exit surveys are forbidden.
2020 will forever be remembered as the year in which lockdowns, social distancing and self-isolation became part of our daily vocabulary. Now that the novelty of working in your pyjama’s is starting to wear off and you’ve seen every meme pass by at least twice, you might find yourself starting to feel slightly less enamoured with your new place of work. Because chances are your home office comprises a chair at the dining table, or perhaps a small desk jammed into a corner of the living room.
The Belgian government has also thought of smaller business owners with regards to support measures. A quick roundup of the main measures. Please note there are some differences between Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels, so always check with your own bookkeeper before taking action.
In these challenging times, we’d like to outline a number of possible support measures for you as an employer. We highlight the fact that the below mentioned measures only relate to the employment of your employees. You may also be eligible for other measures with regard to corporate tax, VAT, etc. Further on, we can’t emphasize enough that the Belgian government adjusts these measures as much as every day. This newsletter reflects the state of affairs on April 16th, 2020.
