Belgium's first general strike in almost two decades brought the country to a near halt in an anti-austerity protest.
The entire rail network was closed, buses and trams idle, many schools were shut and production at the Audi and Volvo car plants stopped.
Charleroi Airport, a hub for Ryanair and other low-cost carriers, was forced to scrap all flights due to union plans to block the access road.
High-speed international train services, such as the Eurostar from London and Thalys from Paris, did not run into or out of the country.
Unions called Belgium's first general strike since 1993 over government plans to raise the effective retirement age along with other measures designed to save €11.3bn.
The government also froze €1.3bn of spending at the start of the year after a warning from the European Commission that it was not on track to meet its targets.
Belgium has pledged to bring its public sector deficit below the EU limit of 3% of gross domestic product this year to avoid an EU fine and to reassure investors that it has its finances under control.
Credit agency Fitch followed Standard & Poor's and Moody's on Friday in cutting Belgium's rating with a negative outlook, citing concerns of a worsening debt crisis and a recession that could undermine the commitment to reform.
The strike coincided with the 17th EU summit in two years as the union battles to resolve its sovereign debt problems.
The EU leaders signed off on a permanent rescue fund for the eurozone.
