On 12 May 2026, the Henry Le Boeuf Hall was packed to the rafters for French economist Gabriel Zucman, 39, who had come to present his book We Need to Tax Billionaires. Two thousand people listened intently to his ideas on a wealth tax. The timing of this ‘Meet the Thinker’ event was perfect: the Belgian government was preparing to draw up its budget.
Zucman’s proposals are dominating the debate in France and French-speaking Belgium. It was striking to see how eagerly the French-language media interviewed him, while he received scant attention in Flanders, despite his international reputation and status as a potential Nobel Prize winner.
This illustrates the deep divide between the Flemish and French-speaking public spheres. Flemish and French-speaking people each follow their own media. Who in Flanders reads Le Soir? Who in Wallonia reads De Standaard? Young people get their news from TikTok and other social media.
Brussels is also one of the most diverse cities in Europe. More than eighty per cent of its residents have a migrant background. Flemish and French-speaking residents, European and non-European Brussels residents, and staff at international organisations such as the EU and NATO all follow the news through different channels and from different perspectives. This makes it increasingly difficult to sustain a shared public debate.
As a federal institution, Bozar aims to bring people together. That is why we are launching Checkpoint Brussels this autumn: a live news programme designed to stimulate curiosity across communities. The title is a deliberate reference to Checkpoint Charlie, the border crossing that linked East and West Berlin. At the same time, ‘checkpoint’ suggests fact-checking, a core function of journalism. ‘Brussels’ – in English – refers not only to the capital of Flanders and Belgium, but also to the capital of Europe.
Checkpoint Brussels features a main discussion and an interview, supplemented by short current affairs segments, in-house news and music. We provide translation so that everyone can speak in their own language.
