Belgium Heatwave: Hospitals Overwhelmed, Economy Loses €500M as EU Staff Decry ‘Feudal’ Conditions
A severe and historic heatwave has gripped Belgium since mid-June, with temperatures reaching 39°C (102°F) and breaking decades-old records. The extreme weather has overwhelmed hospital emergency departments, caused an estimated €500 million in economic losses, reduced cognitive function across the population, and sparked a controversy at the European Commission over unequal access to air conditioning.
Record-Breaking Temperatures
The heatwave, part of a broader European heat dome affecting at least 23 countries, saw Belgium’s Royal Meteorological Institute (KMI) record 34.2°C at Uccle on 25 June — breaking the previous record of 33.6°C set in 1976, as confirmed by meteorologist David Dehenauw. The preceding day, 24 June, was the hottest 24 June since records began at 33.2°C. A red heat warning was issued for Liege and Limburg provinces, and Belgium’s National Crisis Centre declared a national heatwave alert phase, according to VRT NWS.
Hospitals at Breaking Point
Belgium’s healthcare system has come under severe strain. The emergency department at Braine-l’Alleud Hospital (CHIREC) was overwhelmed on Saturday 27 June, with Dr. Frederic Cavallotto telling La Libre Belgique that staff were “overwhelmed from 10:00 to around 17:00, essentially for heat stroke, malaise, or dehydration.” Normally handling 105 patients daily, the department had already exceeded 70 admissions by midday, forcing the 112 emergency center to redirect patients to Brussels hospitals.
At AZ Sint-Lucas Hospital in Ghent, at least 50 planned operations were cancelled after the electronic patient record system failed due to an overheated server in Paris. The University Hospital Antwerp (UZA) also faced delays in appointments and procedures due to IT issues. Liege University Hospital reported a 15-20% increase in A&E patients since the heatwave began, while Nivelles also reported saturation of emergency services, as reported by Brussels Times.
The Cognitive Toll: ‘Heat Makes Us Dumber’
Beyond the physical health impacts, the heatwave is taking a measurable toll on mental function. Behavioral psychologist Mathias Celis of Ghent University (UGent) told VRT NWS that “the heat measurably makes us dumber, more irritable, and more aggressive. Our brain is the most heat-sensitive organ of our body. It produces about 20% of our body heat.”
Celis explained that the ideal temperature for the brain is 21-22°C. “From 26 degrees, our concentration plummets, we make worse decisions, and we become cognitively handicapped,” he said. The prefrontal cortex — responsible for decision-making, impulse control, and emotional regulation — is particularly affected. Poor sleep caused by the heat further degrades cognitive function.
Neurologist Guy Nagels of UZ Brussel added that according to the WHO, “when the temperature rises above 20 degrees, we work 2 to 3 percent less efficiently for each additional degree.”
Economic Damage: Over €500 Million Lost
The economic impact has been severe. Credit insurer Allianz Trade estimates the heatwave has cost the Belgian economy more than €500 million in a single week, according to Het Laatste Nieuws. At 39°C, productivity drops by up to 75%. For the three hottest workdays alone — Wednesday through Friday — lost productivity reached approximately €480 million.
“Heatwaves are no longer temporary incidents. They have become a structural growth inhibitor for our economy,” said Johan Geeroms, Head of Risk Acceptance at Allianz Trade. “You can compare a scorching hot day to half a strike day.”
The hardest-hit sectors include construction, logistics, agriculture, and transport. Infrastructure impacts — buckling asphalt, expanding rail tracks, and low river water levels affecting shipping — compound the losses. Evening electricity rates have spiked to up to 10 times normal levels as cooling systems run at full capacity.
Allianz Trade warns that if future years remain as warm as the hottest years since 2014, large European economies could lose 5-7% of GDP growth by 2030.
EU Staff Controversy: ‘This Looks Like Feudalism’
The heatwave has also exposed social inequalities at the highest levels of European governance. At the European Commission’s Berlaymont building in Brussels, the cooling system on floors 1 through 7 was shut down on Friday due to extreme weather conditions. However, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the 13th floor and commissioners on the 8th floor and above kept their air conditioning running.
“This looks like feudalism,” one staff member told Politico, as reported by Het Laatste Nieuws. Another employee called it “a disgrace.” Even on the 8th floor where AC remained operational, indoor temperatures reached 25.7°C.
The Commission’s advice to staff — avoid the hottest hours, drink water, and start work earlier — angered employees in buildings without air conditioning, such as those at DG Agriculture. The European Parliament also experienced power outages as cooling systems ran at full capacity.
A Looming Public Health Crisis
Professor Nicole Van Lipzig, a climate scientist at KU Leuven, warned that “the absolute maximum temperature at which the mortality rate in our country does NOT increase is 23 degrees. Everything above that increases medical risks.” During the 2019 Brussels heatwave, 47 heat-related deaths were recorded by Sciensano. Across Europe, more than 534 deaths have been reported during the current heatwave, with 327 in Spain, 182 in France, and 25 in the UK.
What’s Next
Temperatures are expected to drop after Sunday 28 June, with a cooldown to 22-25°C forecast for around 30 June to 1 July. However, the broader implications are clear: as climate researchers note that human-caused climate change has intensified this heatwave by as much as 4°C, Belgium and Europe face a future where extreme heat is no longer an anomaly but a recurring challenge requiring systemic adaptation in healthcare, infrastructure, workplace regulations, and social equity.