Belgium

Despite a growing global demand for cybersecurity expertise, with 97 people falling victim to cybercrimes every minute globally, women are still significantly underrepresented in the cybersecurity field.

There is a huge demand for employees: over 800,000 new trained cybersecurity professionals are needed in Europe alone and there is a global shortage of nearly five million cybersecurity workers. Women will need to play a bigger role in this sector as life increasingly moves online and the real-world consequences of cybercrime become graver.

Currently, women occupy a slim share of the workforce in this emerging field, both in Europe and internationally. In the EU, 56% of organisations reported that none of their cybersecurity employees were women. According to the latest statistics, just 22% of the global cybersecurity workforce is made up of women.

Recognising this disparity, which is increasingly pressing against the backdrop of companies' growing hiring needs and a shortage of cybersecurity talent, the Belgian branch of Women4Cyber is working to change perceptions about cybersecurity. The global foundation aims to promote the inclusion of women in the field and attract people from different backgrounds to the industry.

Not just men in hoodies in basements

In an interview with The Brussels Times, Kayle Giroud, director of Common Good Initiative at the Global Cyber Alliance and Iva Tasheva, co-founder and cybersecurity lead at CyEn, both board members of Women4Cyber in Belgium, spoke about the importance of inclusion in this increasingly critical industry.

"Often young professionals think cybersecurity is just men in hoodies in basements, but that's not really it," Giroud said. "We need all kinds of people in cyber."

The cybersecurity professional, who works in policy to help underserved communities with their cybersecurity needs, is an example of the many different career paths that lead Belgians to the cybersecurity sector. Giroud originally studied political science and cooperation, before later joining the cybersecurity sector.

The organisation is keen to stress that not every cybersecurity position is hands-on, code-heavy and fast-paced. Hollywood has romanticised much of cybersecurity work, and while tasks such as ethical hacking and pen-testing are important, they are just small parts of an otherwise diverse sector.

"It's a whole universe. It's like medicine or economics. Behind the computers, there are always people developing, cracking, presenting. Someone needs to know how to manage all that. In cybersecurity there are very few pure IT-cyber profiles," explained cybersecurity start-up creator Tasheva.

Underrepresented

With women increasingly entering into STEM roles, and now achieving higher levels of formal education and training than their male counterparts, there is an array of opportunities in the field. Yet the two cybersecurity professionals acknowledged that there will still be significant societal barriers preventing women from joining the industry or considering it as an option.

"It starts with perception... You won't try it if you don't see other people like you thriving in it, so why would they join us?" Tasheva theorised. Giroud believes that the field is rarely presented to graduates, especially women. "Cybersecurity is not easy and not as glamorous as other professions," she warned.

Founded in 2019 by a board of both women and men, Women4Cyber aims to increase the visibility of the sector and help women with their professional development in cybersecurity skills. Notably, it offers mentorships and networking opportunities to help women coming from any sector or educational background to eventually find a cybersecurity position, or at least acquire new skills.

Women4Cyber Belgium works to raise awareness about the diverse roles available in cybersecurity, from technical positions to policy and strategy roles. By showcasing the various pathways into the field, Women4Cyber Belgium hopes to attract a broader range of talent.​ "We need people from political science, social science, psychologists… all types of profiles can make it within the field of cybersecurity," Giroud beamed.

Cybersecurity positions exist across the workforce. While most jobs exist in the banking sector, government, and public companies, other fields like NGOs and firms trying to use cybersecurity skills for social causes, such as Giroud's Global Cyber Alliance, are also looking to take on an array of bright and promising candidates.

"We see cybersecurity roles in banking, government sector, consultancies, and solution providers, but it's disproportionate. Cybersecurity follows our state of society; as we digitalise, we need to protect everything," Tasheva explained. "Cybersecurity needs to be embedded in professional career paths."

Thinking of a career in cybersecurity?

Women4Cyber Belgium is actively looking for interested candidates, such as recent graduates, those looking to retrain, or even people mildly interested in getting to know the sector, to join its regular events.

"We organise virtual coffees on Friday mornings, presentations, career advice, and experiences working in cybersecurity," Giroud said. "We organise conferences around diversity in the field, bringing policymakers and experts together. This year, we even brought in a space engineer specialised in cybersecurity," echoed Tasheva.

The cybersecurity specialists are proud of the results they have achieved through their small but expanding chapter. "Getting young professionals out of unpaid internships is my primary mission," said Giroud. Both she and Tasheva act as role models for the organisation's mentees, who take part in training and networking and who sometimes land job interviews at top companies.

"We just had 26 mentor-mentee pairs finish our mentorship programme. One person from my team participated in a hackathon on which we partnered with the European Commission. She was on the winning team. It just goes to show that diverse teams hack better," Tasheva said.

To get involved with the events, and benefit from mentorship, career networking and specialised opportunities for women looking to enter the industry, the Women4Cyber board members suggest that interested parties sign up for membership, which is just €10 annually for students. For more information, interested participants can follow the Women4Cyber Belgium LinkedIn page or visit Women4Cyber's website.

brusselstimes.com

This Saturday, people living in Belgium will be able to see a partial solar eclipse. The last solar eclipse visible in the country was in October 2022. Next year, people will be able to catch an almost complete eclipse.

If the weather cooperates, people in Belgium will be able to see a partial solar eclipse on Saturday 29 March. The moon will pass in front of the sun as seen from Earth. At 11:14 Belgian time, the first small bite will be taken out of the sun's surface, at the top.

"In Belgium, we will have to make do with a lesser eclipse: from just under 38% [of the diameter] in the far west of our country to 31% in the southeast," public observatory MIRA said. The spectacle will last one hour 48 minutes, ending at 13:04.

The Flemish Public Observatory Urania described the spectacle as a "giant Pac-Man in the sky".

No full eclipse

The moon is not exactly in line with the sun. This means that the solar eclipse will not be total anywhere in the world. Around a quarter of the surface will be covered.

"When a partial solar eclipse occurs somewhere in the world, it is often seen as a total solar eclipse somewhere else. Last year, on 8 April, a very beautiful total solar eclipse could be seen over large parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada. In many places, it lasted just four minutes," said Berend van Straaten, Meteorologist at Meteovista.

The timeline of the eclipse. Credit: Urania

This will not be the case on Saturday. However, in areas to the northwest of Belgium, the sun will be more obscured. "But not many people will experience this. The areas where the sun will be more than 50% obscured are hardly inhabited."

This includes Greenland, where the moon will cover approximately 80% of the sun's surface. For some people viewing in the province of Quebec in Canada, 93% of the sun's surface will be covered by the moon.

How to watch the eclipse

Even during the eclipse, people should never look directly at the sun without protection, as this can cause permanent eye damage.

However, there are plenty of ways to safely watch the spectacle. The best and most common way is to wear eclipse glasses, which block the most harmful UV and infrared radiation.

Don't have a pair lying around? Then project the sunlight onto a flat surface. Use a colander or punch several holes in a sheet of A4 paper and let the sunlight shine through the holes. In the projection on the surface, viewers will see a bite has been taken out of the sun. However, to see the eclipse, the weather on Saturday must be clear and cloudless.

"This partial solar eclipse is nothing compared to the eclipse planned for 12 August 2026," said van Straaten. On this occasion, the sun will be up to 90% covered in Belgium. In parts of northern Spain and Iceland, the sun will even be completely eclipsed for a short time.

The chess tournament Your Next Move will return to Antwerp on 21 October after more than a decade, allowing young and professional Flemish players to challenge former world champion Garry Kasparov.

Following preliminary rounds, 20 participants will have the opportunity to play against the grandmaster simultaneously.

The tournament was previously held from 2007 to 2011, initiated by Inge Geerdens, founder and CEO of the software company CVWarehouse. Geerdens now hopes Your Next Move will become a recurring event.

brusselstimes.com

For eight decades, Henri Mignon has viewed Americans as heroes. They twice liberated his tiny Belgian hometown, Houffalize, from German occupation — the second time, he said, when he was 8 years old, mere hours after shrapnel from shelling had killed his father.

The image of U.S. troops handing out gum to local children is a memory he has carried with him ever since. And he has dedicated more than 30 years to retelling the story of the war as a guide to tourists who flock to this corner of the Belgium-Luxembourg border, eager to learn about the last major German offensive on the Western Front.

But this month Mr. Mignon, 88, said he felt uncomfortable as he anticipated his Saturday morning Battle of the Bulge tour in Bastogne, just south of Houffalize.

nytimes.com

The Flemish public transport company De Lijn, the Brussels public transport company MIVB and the Belgian rail company NMBS jointly quit the social media platform X (the former Twitter) on Wednesday. The three public transport companies announced that they were leaving X in messages posted on the platform on Wednesday morning.

vrt.be

In response to the "alarming political interference" of the Trump administration in academic research in the United States, the Brussels VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) wants to bring American researchers to the Belgian capital.

The university is opening 12 postdoctoral positions for international researchers, with a specific focus on American scholars working in socially significant fields. These prestigious fellowships come with substantial funding (€2.5 million) as part of the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) programme.

Additionally, as part of the Brains for Brussels initiative, VUB aims to actively attract American professors looking to relocate. In collaboration with its Francophone sister university ULB (Université Libre de Bruxelles), VUB is also providing 18 apartments for international researchers seeking temporary residence at the Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies.

brusselstimes.com

Since the introduction of the NIS2 legislation last October, 2410 organizations from critical sectors have registered with the Center for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB). The largest ever cyber security operation in the country is currently underway. During this period, reports of cyber incidents increased by 80%.

Cybercrime is set to explode in the coming years. The new European Network and Information Security Directive (NIS2) aims to improve the cybersecurity and resilience of essential and key services in well-defined sectors in the EU.

Belgium was the first European member state to fully implement the new NIS2 directive. Belgian organizations covered by the NIS2 legislation have until tomorrow to register on the website atwork.safeonweb.be on a mandatory basis and are currently taking the necessary security measures such as protection against cyber attacks and data breaches.

news.belgium.be

Dutch food delivery service Takeaway.com will soon offer home delivery on medicines to Belgian consumers.

In cooperation with pharmaceutical retailer Phoenix group, Takeaway.com will deliver products from BENU (formerly Lloyds Pharmacy) to the doors of Belgian clients. Customers will be able to order painkillers, skin care products, feminine hygiene products and other essential goods from within the app.

brusselstimes.com

Radiance', the first Franco-Belgian event dedicated to 100% female esports, will be held on 15 March at La Tricoterie in Brussels, organisers announced on Thursday. The event is being organised to mark International Women's Day (8 March).

In the world of esports, women are underrepresented and face numerous obstacles in their professional pursuits, according to the French Embassy in Belgium and Belgian non-profit Gaming Factory, both of which are behind the initiative.

A 2020 study by the Syndicat des Editeurs de Logiciels Libres found that 47% of video game players are women, yet only 6% of them are represented on the esports scene. The organisers believe that a structured, responsible and inclusive esports environment must include women.

brusselstimes.com

Belgian police have raided several locations in the country as part of an investigation into corruption within the European Parliament.

Prosecutors said the alleged corruption was "under the guise of commercial lobbying", and that several people had been detained for questioning.

According to officials, an address in Portugal was also searched by local police in relation to the case.

Belgian newspaper Le Soir said the investigation was linked to Chinese tech giant Huawei and its activities in Brussels since 2021. The BBC has approached Huawei for comment.

bbc.com

Every person registered in Belgium will be able to request a digital copy of their physical identity card for their smartphone from November next year. The digital version, which will not be mandatory, will be as valid as the physical card.

From the age of 15, all people in Belgium are required to carry their identity card with them at all times. Failure to show an identity card is punishable by a fine of €26 to €500. However, people who grew up outside Belgium may not instinctively remember to carry theirs on them.

The digital identity card offers a solution to this problem. From November 2026, anyone who wants a digital ID will be able to apply for one free of charge, Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) confirmed on VRT Radio 1. "We have so many things on our phones, including our payment cards. So it's also time for a digital identity card."

The digital document will have the same validity as the physical card, and can be used for identification and authentication. People will also be able to use it to identify themselves within the Schengen zone.

Importantly, the digital card will not replace the current physical card – both systems will co-exist for the time being – and having this version will not be mandatory, meaning people who solely want a physical copy can continue to use this system.

Security threat?

The Interior Ministry has not yet presented a prototype of the new system, so it is currently unclear what form it will take.

The Ministry is still working on the technical side, but this is not easy, Quintin said. As the digital ID offers so many possibilities, this also makes it a target for cybercriminals. "We are living in an era of cybercrime, so security is highly important."

Quintin added that the new system will also be subject to strict security guarantees and will also have to be certified by the European Union.

Cybersecurity expert Inti De Ceukelaire stressed that, in some cases, digitisation even offers security benefits. "Owners of this document may be able to act more quickly if their physical card is stolen or lost."

brusselstimes.com

The Saint Peter’s abbey in Ghent was the place to be for fans of the game Dungeons & Dragons last Saturday. Some 700 enthusiastic gamers gathered here to play the game, but also to dress up, buy accessories and attend workshops. ‘It is a form of escapism,’ explains organiser Thomas Goyvaerts.

The St Peter's Abbey is an appropriate setting for a festival organised around the game. ‘This is the 3rd edition of Day of Dungeons, but it's the first time it is staged in Ghent,’ says Thomas. ‘There are hundreds of thousands or even millions of players worldwide, but usually you only play with a small group of about 6 people. Today is one of the few times you can play with a very large group, which is really something unique.’

vrt.be

Caught between the weight of rising taxes and the winds of political unrest, the art world finds itself in the throes of crisis. Though policies threaten to suffocate its vibrancy, Belgium’s art community perseveres in various ways.

There is still much to learn and adapt to, yet despite mounting obstacles, it remains a champion of social and political dialogue — proving that its power to provoke is as strong as ever.

SOME THOUGHTS

A proposal to increase VAT on art to 21% in Belgium has raised concerns about the impact on its art market, which ranks 11th globally. The Royal Chamber of Art Dealers warns that the move could hurt Belgium's international standing and reduce long-term tax revenue.

Dealers fear it will drive businesses to countries with lower VAT, like France, diminishing Belgium's status. For artists, gallery workers, and art lovers alike, this could result in higher prices, fewer gigs, and more undervalued labor.

How to cultivate unfiltered, unapologetic conversation. UK gallery Sadie Coles recently launched a new event series of thought-provoking talks aimed at resisting the sanitised narratives often dominating the cultural scene. Brussels’s cultural institutions—especially commercial galleries—could take note, creating space for more open, challenging dialogue in the art world.

With political tensions rising and the market increasingly commercialised, Brussels still has an opportunity to position itself as a hub for critical discourse and take its local artists more seriously. Done right, it could carve out a new cultural niche that values genuine engagement over surface-level spectacle.

EXPOS ON MY RADAR

In a time when democracy is under threat and truth itself is challenged, art remains a powerful tool for testing the status quo and offering alternative perspectives. Art has long served as a voice for the oppressed and a catalyst for social change.

Enter Kendell Geers, the Brussels-based, South African artist/provocateur who’s bringing that tradition to life with his curated show “Everything is True, Nothing is Permitted” at Brutus in Rotterdam.

The exhibition tackles the collapse of truth, the rise of censorship, and the simmering political unrest that’s gripped the globe as of late. Decades of blending activism with aesthetics have made Geers an unapologetic agent of civil disobedience. In a world teetering on the edge of instability, he’s proving that art is a battleground for discourse.

Is that chair staring at me? Collectible Fair champions contemporary design yet again, presenting pieces by designers that challenge conventional design norms. No mass production, no safe bets—just semi-functional conversation starters. It takes place next week, from March 13 to 16, at the Vanderborght building.

SCENE & BE SEEN

Kumo Collective is back for its third edition of Kumo Expo, turning La Vallée into an indoor festival until 4 am with DJs, pop-ups, and work for sale from Brussels’ rising artists.

Martin Kudlek Gallery will present a Drinks & Talks event on March 11th, from 6 to 8 pm, for their upcoming exhibition featuring Erik de Bree & Niels Sievers.

At ETE 78 on MArch 23rd, 1 Heure, 1 Oeuvre offers exactly what it promises: one hour, one artwork, and one deep dive, featuring Patrice Alexandre, Tristan Trémeau and Philippe Nys. RSVP required.

KIN Brussels hosts Urlaub, a conversation between Luca Lo Pinto and Nicolaus Schafhausen on March 15th. Sharp takes on exhibition making, working with artists, museums, galleries, free will, dogs and aesthetic pleasure.

EDJI Gallery highlights artists exploring identity, gender, and social change, with women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ voices leading the way toward a more inclusive art world. Join them for the opening of their new group show, Ethereal, on March 19th from 6–8 pm.

In Ghent, Demain Art is organising a vernissage event for their exhibition The Ripple Effect at Wintercircus Collective on Thursday, March 20, from 6 to 9 pm. Featuring 17 artists working across diverse media, the show reflects on societal shifts, personal narratives, and hidden connections that shape our world.

Two lions, Miron and Marek, that had been in a shelter in Ukraine arrived at the Natuurhulpcentrum (Nature Aid Centre) in Oudsbergen on Wednesday after a quarantine period in Poland. They were transferred to their new outdoor enclosure on Thursday morning.

"The animals were in a shelter near Kyiv, which they had to leave because of the war," said biologist Frederik Thoelen of the Natuurhulpcentrum. "They initially stayed in a zoo in Poznań (Poland) while waiting for a solution."

The Brussels Times with Belga

Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of continued support during their meeting in Brussels. Ahead of the European summit, he called US President Donald Trump "a real bully."

De Wever and Zelenskyy met in person for the first time on Thursday morning, after having already spoken over the phone at the end of February. The talks took place in the Prime Minister's office at Rue de la Loi 16, before the start of the extra European summit in Brussels.

"What Trump is doing is very un-European. He is also a real bully," said De Wever, after the events of the past few weeks.

However, he added that Belgium will not be cutting ties with the US. "The US remains historically our most important ally within NATO. That will not change with one president." Trump's policies therefore "does not mean that we have to tear up decades-old treaties. We are explicitly not going to do that," De Wever stressed.

Continuing support

Still, De Wever stressed that Ukraine can continue to count on Belgian support, emphasising that the invaded country must be at the table when peace talks with Russia take place. Additionally, "no decisions about Europe may be taken without European representation."

During the conversation with Zelenskyy, De Wever emphasised that Russia is the aggressor in the conflict, and Ukraine the victim. In February, Trump suggested that Kyiv itself had started the war.

The Ukrainian delegation thanked Belgium for its continued political, financial and military support. When asked, Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukraine hopes to be able to elicit additional European support at the special summit today. "Today, we are in Europe, and it is important that the support of our European partners continues," he said.

De Wever and Zelenskyy first sat together in private in the Prime Minister's office. This was followed by broader consultations with, among others, Defence Minister Theo Francken (N-VA), as well as Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha and Zelenskyy's chief of staff Andrii Yermak.

During their telephone conversation on 25 February, Zelenskyy invited De Wever to visit Kyiv. Now, it was agreed that he "and members of his government" will accept this invitation "as soon as possible.

" While there is therefore no specific date, the trip should be possible "within a few weeks," said Francken.

F-16s and 2% defence spending

Before entering the European summit, De Wever told reporters that he was not ruling out that Belgian F-16s would be delivered to Ukraine this year. "But they would be used to deliver spare parts." Next year, combat-ready F-16s could possibly be delivered, he added.

De Wever also told journalists that the European Commission’s ReArm Europe plan should enable Belgium to reach its target of spending 2% of its GDP on defence sooner than expected, "without too much damage" to other sectors.

"2029 is far too late," he added, referring to the deadline set in the Federal Government agreement. "We are a poor performer in NATO, and we are not even invited to certain meetings." Belgium was not invited to the initial meetings in Paris and London of a potential coalition of countries willing to ensure a possible peace agreement in Ukraine.

The Commission’s proposals include greater flexibility in European budgetary rules, which the Belgian Prime Minister has also welcomed it as "necessary", but added that "like the Dutch, I worry that it may become a habit."

brusselstimes.com

A long-lost painting by Flemish Renaissance artist Abel Grimmer has resurfaced after nearly a century in obscurity.

The artwork, titled 'A Landscape with Peasants near a Lakeside Castle', was discovered in a private collection. It is set to be auctioned by UK-based auction house Woolley & Wallis on Wednesday 5 March, with an estimated value of £20,000 (€24,000).

His paintings are housed in institutions such as the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels, the Groeningemuseum in Bruges, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.

The rediscovered painting is a quintessential example of Grimmer's small-scale landscapes, featuring charming scenes of rural life. Many of his works formed series, such as 'The Four Seasons' or 'The Twelve Months', and it is believed this painting was likely part of a pair depicting seasonal contrasts.

brusselstimes.com

The availability of critical medicines is under pressure within the European Union (EU) and globally. In recent years, shortages have become increasingly visible, partly because of geopolitical tensions and a heavy dependence on Asian countries for raw materials. To address this challenge, the Critical Medicines Alliance was established in April 2024 under the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council. This Alliance consists of stakeholders from healthcare, industry and civil society and works with representatives from European Member States to formulate sustainable solutions. The primary goal of the Alliance is to identify bottlenecks in the supply of medicines and formulate recommendations.

The result is impressive: the past year of intensive discussions with all stakeholders has led to the development of an ambitious strategic report. The report provides concrete recommendations to the European Commission, EU Member States and other stakeholders on how to strengthen the production of critical medicines within the EU and ensure strategic partnerships with non-EU countries.

news.belgium.be

Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Ghent’s Orsi Academy (Merelbeke-Melle) and Nvidia developed an AI tool for surgical training, analyzing real-time images and aiding surgeons. A Belgian first remote surgery from Ghent to Shanghai (9,000 km). Pieter De Backer was involved.

The Ghent’s Orsi Academy, located in Belgium, has teamed up with Nvidia to create a cutting-edge AI tool for surgical training. This technology first appeared at a major international conference and allows surgeons and medical professionals to interact with an AI-powered chatbot during live operations. Officials mentioned that this intelligent system can analyze real-time surgical images and provide tailored explanations to users of all expertise levels.

brusselsmorning.com

Researchers at Leuven University (KU Leuven) have discovered the existence of millions of poorly secured so-called ‘tunnelling hosts’. Tunnelling hosts are servers or computers that act as intermediaries to connect computer networks. A total of more than four million vulnerable tunnelling hosts were found.

vrt.be

The Atomium on the Heizel Plateau in Brussels has welcomed its 11,000,000th since it reopened in 2006. The icon structure that was built for the 1958 World’s Fair continues to pull in the crowds. The 11,000,000th visitor receive a festive welcome from the Atomium’s staff earlier on Wednesday.

vrt.be

Belgium’s defence minister Theo Francken is considering a voluntary military service programme aimed at increasing the amount of young people working in defence.

Belgium abolished its compulsory military service in 1995 and has no intention of reinstating a mandatory initiative, RTBF reports, but Francken sees a voluntary programme as a means of recruitment and plans to launch it "as soon as possible".

“All young men and women aged 18 will receive a letter from me inviting them to join the defence for one year,” said Francken.

thebulletin.be

Since the introduction of the NIS2 legislation in October last year, 1224 organisations from critical sectors have already registered with the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB). During this period, the number of reports of cyber incidents increased by 50%.

Cybercrime is set to explode in the coming years. The new European Network and Information Security Directive (NIS2) aims to improve the cyber security and resilience of essential and key services in well-defined sectors in the EU.

Pioneering role Belgium was the first European member state to fully implement the new NIS2 directive. Meanwhile, half of the EU member states still need to transpose it into national law

news.belgium.be

Earlier this week a painting by the artist Jacob Jordaens that was stolen by the Nazis from a flat in Mechelen (Antwerp Province) 85 years ago was returned to the descendants of its rightful owners. The painting was handed back at the Dossin Barracks Holocaust Memorial and Information Centre in Mechelen.

vrt.be

The winners of this year’s Oscars, the Academy Awards that recognise technical and artistic merit in the film industry, are being announced on 2 March. With 13 Oscar nominations, a record for a movie in the category ‘Best International Feature Film’, Belgian coproduction 'Emilia Pérez' is one of the favourites. But several other nominated films have Belgian input.

vrt.be

These three prepaid GSM providers will not allow you service unless you have a bank account which you must use for the initial payment before activation:

• Mobile Vikings
• JIM Mobile (same ownership as Mobile Vikings)
• Scarlet
• (edit) Ello? They might have the same issue as the above three

At the same time, some banks will not allow you to open an account unless you provide to them a mobile phone number registered in your name with proof of that registration.

You open a “basic” bank account at a bank that offers those kind of accounts just for the one-time purpose of getting a sim chip from one of the 3 MVNOs, but Belgium has a separate rule that blocks basic accounts from receiving cash, even a small amount like €10.

So you must obtain a sim from a mobile carrier other than the three to get a normal bank account open which accepts cash. Then use that bank account to buy the Jim or Scarlet sim card. Then credit is trapped on the 1st sim card. You can do a phone number transfer to get it credited back, after they siphon off €5 for the porting effort.