Foreign relations of Belgium

Belgium

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Belgium

Constitution Monarchy King Albert II Prince Philippe Federal Parliament Senate Chamber of Representatives Cabinet Federal Government Prime Minister Yves Leterme Federal Judiciary Highest Courts: Constitutional Court Court of Cassation Council of State Court of Assize Appeal level courts: Court of Appeal Court of Labour First Instance level courts: Court of First Instance Labour Court Commercial Court Small claims and small crimes courts: Police Court Justice of the peace Elections 2009 European 2009 regional 2010 federal 2006 municipal Subdivisions Communities and regions Provinces Related subjects Politics of the European Union Foreign relations Political parties

Other countries · Atlas Politics portal view · talk · edit

Initial neutrality

Because of its location at the crossroads of Western Europe, Belgium has historically been the route of invading armies from its larger neighbours. With virtually defenceless borders, Belgium has traditionally sought to avoid domination by the more powerful nations which surround it through a policy of mediation. The Concert of Europe sanctioned the creation of Belgium in 1831 on the condition that the country remain strictly neutral. This policy of neutrality ended after the experience of German occupation during World War I. In the years preceding World War II, Belgium tried to return to a policy of neutrality, but once again, Germany invaded the country. In 1948, Belgium signed the Treaty of Brussels with the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and one year later became one of the founding members of the Atlantic Alliance.

European integration

The Belgians have been strong advocates of European integration, and most aspects of their foreign, economic, and trade policies are coordinated through the European Union (EU), which has its main headquarters (the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and sessions of the European Parliament) in Brussels. Belgium's postwar customs union with the Netherlands and Luxembourg paved the way for the formation of the European Community (precursor to the EU), of which Belgium was a founding member. Likewise, the Benelux abolition of internal border controls was a model for the wider Schengen Accord, which today is integrated in the acquis communautaire and aims at common visa policies and free movement of people across common borders. At the same time the Belgians, perceiving their diminutive role on the international scene, are strong advocates of strengthening economic and political integration within the EU. Recently, having federalised their own country, many Belgians view themselves as the ultimate "European federalists". Belgium actively seeks improved relations with the new democracies of central and eastern Europe through such fora as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, EU association agreements, and NATO's Partnership for Peace with the former Warsaw Pact countries and several others.

NATO

Belgium remains a strong proponent of NATO. It cooperates closely with the United States within the alliance framework, in addition to supporting European defense efforts through the Western European Union (WEU). Both NATO (since 1966) and the EU have their headquarters in Brussels; SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) is in the south of the country, near Mons. Since January 1993, the WEU has been headquartered in Brussels.

Subregional integration with the Netherlands and Luxembourg

Belgium has been involved in (sub)regional integration since the first half of the twentieth century, first with the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union, founded in 1925, and then, since 1944, with the Netherlands and Luxembourg in the Benelux.

Belgium's federalism and international relations

A peculiar feature of Belgian federalism is the fact that the country's Communities and Regions maintain their own international relations, including the conclusion of treaties. Thus, there are a number of bilateral Dutch-Flemish international institutions, such as the Dutch Language Union or the institutions for the control of the river Scheldt, in which only Flanders takes part. Likewise, only the French Community of Belgium takes part in La Francophonie. Ministers of the Communities and the Regions represent Belgium in the Council of the European Union when their competencies are dealt with.

Former colonies

Belgium retains special (important) but often stormy relationships with its former colonies, Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. The current constitution of Democratic Republic of the Congo was designed with the assistance of Belgian legal scholars.

International disputes

Belgium has resorted several times to international dispute settlement, notably in cases at both the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration with the Netherlands concerning the diversion of water from the Meuse (1937) the frontier at the enclave of Baarle-Hertog (1959) and the revitalisation of the so called Iron Rhine railroad (2005). There have been other points of contention with the Netherlands, such as the deepening of the river Scheldt or the route for the high speed rail link between Brussels and Amsterdam. This does however not influence the overall amicable character of Belgo-Dutch relationship. Other former cases at international courts between Belgium and other countries are — in chronological order — the Oscar Chinn Case of 1934 (with the United Kingdom, the Borghgrave Case of (1937), the cases of the electricity company of Sofia (with Bulgaria) and of the "société commerciale de Belgique" (with Greece) of 1939, the case concerning the Barcelona Traction Company of 1970 (with Spain), the arrest warrant case of 2002 (with the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and the case concerning legality of use of force of 2004 (with Serbia and Montenegro).

The arrest warrant case of 2002 was caused by the application of Belgium's so called genocide law, providing for universal jurisdiction over the gravest international crimes. The same law stirred relations with, amongst others, Israel and the United States, since complaints were filed against high ranking politicians and officials of both countries. The law was therefore repealed in 2003.

Bilateral relationships

Belgium maintains significant bilateral relations with several countries.

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Austria		See Foreign relations of Austria
Azerbaijan	1992-06-17	Belgium has an embassy in Baku.[1] Azerbaijan has an embassy in Brussels.[2] Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Bulgaria	1879	Belgium has an embassy in Sofia.[3] Bulgaria has an embassy in Brussels.[4] Both countries are full members of Francophonie, NATO and of the European Union.
Canada		See Belgium–Canada relations Both are close allies and members of NATO and Francophonie. Both have a stance of multilateralism and both have similar government systems. Both are actively involved in the current war in Afghanistan under ISAF.
Colombia	1973	Belgium has an embassy in Bogota[5] Colombia has an embassy in Brussels.[6]
Czech Republic	1993-01-01	Belgium has an embassy in Prague.[7] The Czech Republic has an embassy in Brussels and 3 honorary consulates (in Antwerp, Liège and Saint-Servais-Namur).[8] Both countries are full members of NATO and of the European Union.
Denmark		Belgium has an embassy in Copenhagen.[9] Denmark has an embassy in Brussels.[10]
Estonia	1991-09-05	Belgium first recognised the independence of Estonia on January 26, 1921. After the end of the Soviet occupation, Belgium re-recognized Estonia on August 27, 1991. Belgium has an embassy in Tallinn.[11] Estonia has an embassy in Brussels and 2 honorary consulates (in Antwerpen and La Louvière).[12] Both countries are full members of NATO and of the European Union. Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Belgium
Finland	191-07-09	Belgium recognised Finland's independence on June 10, 1919. Belgium has an embassy in Helsinki.[13] Finland has an embassy in Brussels, an honorary consulate general in Antwerpen and other honorary consulates in Charleroi, Ghent, Liège and Oostende.[14] Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland about relations with Belgium
Germany		They are both members of the European Union and NATO. Also, the majority of the people in East Belgium speak German. Currently, Belgium has an embassy in Berlin and a consulate-general in Cologne, while Germany has one embassy in Brussels.
Greece	1874	Belgium has an embassy in Athens and 7 honorary consulates in Corfu, Iraklion, Mytilini, Patras, Piraeus, Rhodos and Thessaloniki.[15] Since 1945, Greece has an embassy in Brussels.[16] Both countries are full members of NATO, of the European Union. There are between 15,000 and 26,000 Greeks who live in Belgium. Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation for Development about relations with Greece (in French only) Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Belgium
Hungary		Belgium has an embassy in Budapest.[17] Hungary has an embassy in Brussels and 2 honorary consulates (in Antwerp and Liège).[18] Both countries are full members of NATO and of the European Union.
Ireland		Belgium has an embassy in Dublin.[19] Ireland has an embassy in Brussels and an honorary consulate in Antwerpen. Both countries are full members of the European Union.
Israel		On November 29, 1947, Belgium voted in favour of UN resolution 181. Belgium recognized Israel on January 15, 1950. Belgium has an embassy in Tel Aviv.[20] Israel has an embassy in Brussels.[21] There are 31,200 Jews living in Belgium.
Italy		Belgium has an embassy in Rome and a general consulate in Milan.[22] Italy has an embassy in Brussels, 2 general consulates (in Charleroi and Liège) and 2 consulates (in Genk and Mons).[23][24][25][26][27] Both countries are full members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, of the European Union and of NATO. There are around 172,000 people of Italian descent living in Belgium.
Japan	1866	See Belgium–Japan relations Belgium has an embassy in Tokyo and 5 honorary consulates in Sapporo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and Fukuoka.[28] Japan has an embassy in Brussels.[29] 6,658 Japanese nationals were living in Belgium in October 2006.[30]
Kosovo	2008-02-14	Belgium recognized Kosovo in 24 February 2008.[31] Belgium has a Liaison Office in Pristina.[32] Kosovo has an embassy in Brussels.
Malaysia		See Belgium–Malaysia relations Belgium has an embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia has an embassy in Brussels.
Mexico		See Belgium–Mexico relations Belgium has an embassy in Mexico City and six honorary consulates around Mexico (Cancún, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Chihuahua and Veracruz). Mexico has an embassy in Brussels. In 1836, Belgium—itself newly independent—recognized the independence of Mexico.[33] In 1919, the Belgian chamber of commerce of Mexico was established.[33] Belgium opened its embassy in Mexico on June 5, 1954.[34]
Moldova		Moldova has an embassy in Brussels.[35] Belgium has a non-resident embassy in Bucharest.[36] Trade is modest between Moldova and Belgium .for the year 2005: 44.7 million USD was traded between the two countries increasing by 33.4% compared to the year 2004 [37] Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova Belgian Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
Netherlands		See Belgium–Netherlands relations Both nations are great allies. Both nations have cultural similarities, both governments cooperate, and Belgium has an embassy in The Hague. While Netherlands has an Embassy in Brussels. Both nations are members of the European Union and NATO.
Pakistan		Belgium has an embassy in Islamabad and Consulates in Karachi and Lahore[38] Pakistan has an embassy in Brussels and Consulates in Ghent, Antwerpen and Luxembourg, Belgium[39][40] Belgium is the sixth largest European importer of Pakistani goods, and the bilateral trade between the two is approaching to US $600 million.[41] Former Pakistani president, Pervez Musharraf, has also previously extended a visit to Belgium during his tour of Europe in early 2008, which also included visits to the United Kingdom, France and Sweden. During his stay in Brussels, he met the then-Prime Minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, and the two leaders held significant talks on trade and defence co-operation.[citation needed]
Romania	1880	Both countries were allies during World War I. Belgium has an embassy in Bucharest.[42] Romania has an embassy in Brussels and 3 honorary consulates (in Antwerp, Mechelen and Tournai).[43] Both countries are full members of Francophonie, NATO and of the European Union. Romanian Foreign Ministry about relations with Belgium
Russia		See Belgium–Russia relations Russia has an embassy in Brussels and a consulate-general in Antwerp, whilst Belgium has an embassy in Moscow and an honorary consulate in Saint Petersburg.
Serbia	1886-03-15	Belgium has an embassy in Belgrade.[44] Serbia has an embassy in Brussels. Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Belgium
Slovenia	1991	Belgium has an embassy in Ljubljana.[45] Slovenia has an embassy in Brussels and 2 honorary consulates (in Liège and Mechelen). Both countries are full members of NATO and of the European Union.
Turkey		See Belgium–Turkey relations Belgium has an embassy in Ankara, a consulate–general in Istanbul and two consulates in Antalya and İzmir.[46][47][48] Turkey has an embassy in Brussels and a consulate–general in Antwerp.[49][50]
Ukraine	1992	See Belgium–Ukraine relations Belgium has an embassy in Kiev; Ukraine has an embassy in Brussels and two honorary consulates (in Antwerp and Mons). Although politically the two nations are not closely connected, they have a long history of economic integration and trade, with Belgian investment playing a role in the contemporary Ukrainian economy. As of 2008, trade revenue generated between the two nations accounted for approximately USD1 billion.[51]
United Kingdom		See Belgium – United Kingdom relations Historically, the two countries have trading links going back to the 10th century, especially wool trade from England to the County of Flanders. In the early years of the Hundred Years' War, Edward III allied with the nobles of the Low Countries and the burghers of Flanders against France.
United States		See Belgium – United States relations The United States and Belgium are good friends and allies, despite occasional disagreements on a limited number of foreign policy issues. Good will and affection for Americans continues as a result of the U.S. role during and after the two World Wars, which was exhibited in 2004 during the 60th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of Belgium. Continuing to celebrate cooperative U.S. and Belgian relations, 2007 marks the 175th anniversary of the nations' relationship.

See also

• List of diplomatic missions in Belgium
• List of diplomatic missions of Belgium
• Visa requirements for Belgian citizens

References

1. ^ Belgian embassy Baku
2. ^ Embassy of Azerbaijan in Belgium
3. ^ Belgian embassy Sofia
4. ^ Bulgarian embassy in Brussels (in Bulgarian and French only)
5. ^ Belgian embassy in Bogota (in Spanish)
6. ^ Colombian embassy in Brussels
7. ^ Belgian embassy in Prague
8. ^ Czech embassy in Brussels
9. ^ http://www.diplomatie.be/copenhagen/
10. ^ http://denmark.visahq.com/embassy/Belgium/
11. ^ Belgian embassy in Tallinn
12. ^ Estonian embassy in Brussels
13. ^ Embassy of Belgium in Helsinki
14. ^ Embassy of Finland in Brussels
15. ^ Belgian embassy in Athens
16. ^ Greek embassy in Brussels
17. ^ Belgian embassy in Budapest
18. ^ Hungarian representation to the European Union in Brussels
19. ^ Belgian embassy in Dublin
20. ^ Belgian embassy in Tel Aviv
21. ^ Israeli embassy in Brussels
22. ^ Belgian embassy in Rome (in Dutch, French and Italian only)
23. ^ Italian embassy in Brussels
24. ^ Italian general consulate in Charleroi
25. ^ Italian general consulate in Liège (in French and Italian only)
26. ^ Italian consulate in Genk (in Dutch and Italian only)
27. ^ Italian consulate in Mons (in French and Italian only)
28. ^ Belgian embassy in Tokyo
29. ^ Japanese embassy in Brussels
30. ^ Website Japanese Embassy in Brussels - Japan-Belgium Relations. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
31. ^ "België erkent Kosovo" (in Dutch). Algemeen Dagblad. 2008-02-25. http://www.ad.nl/buitenland/article2082987.ece. 
32. ^ "MFA Belgium". 2008-03-05. http://www.diplomatie.be/nl/addresses/abroad/otherpostsdetail.asp?POSTE_ID=471. 
33. ^ ^{a b} "Geschiedenis van Belgie en de Belgen in Mexico" (in Flemish). Belgium. http://www.diplomatie.be/mexiconl/default.asp?id=36&mnu=36. Retrieved 2009-06-10. "Sommigen zijn matrozen, andere huursoldaten, nog anderen oefenen uiteenlopende beroepen uit: misionarissen, artisanen, handelaars…zonder rekening te houden met drie grote Vlaamse brouwers die in 1537 naar Mexico kwamen op aanvraag van de Vice-Koning, en die beschouwd worden als de pioniers van het brouwen van het Mexicaanse bier." 
34. ^ "Herdenking van de 50e verjaardag van de Belgisch-Mexicaanse diplomatieke relaties op niveau van Ambassadeur" (in Flemish). Belgium. http://diplobel.fgov.be/caironl/posts/nl/press/homedetails.asp?TEXTID=20269. Retrieved 2009-06-09. 
35. ^ Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Belgium
36. ^ Belgian Embassy in Bucharest (French)
37. ^ http://www.ambasadamoldova.be/bilateral/bel_en.htm
38. ^ http://www.embassiesabroad.com/embassies-in/Pakistan
39. ^ http://www.embassiesabroad.com/embassies-in/Belgium
40. ^ http://pakistan.visahq.com/embassy/Belgium/
41. ^ http://www.mofa.gov.pk/Spokesperson/2008/Jan/Spokes_16_01_08.htm
42. ^ Belgian embassy in Bucharest
43. ^ Romanian embassy in Brussels (in French and Romanian only)
44. ^ Belgian embassy in Belgrade
45. ^ Belgian embassy in Ljubljana
46. ^ Embassy of Belgium in Turkey
47. ^ Diplomatic missions of Belgium in Turkey
48. ^ Diplomatic missions of Turkey in Belgium
49. ^ Embassy of Turkey in Brussels
50. ^ Consulate–General of Turkey in Antwerp
51. ^ "The first session of Ukrainian-Belgian Intergovernmental Joint Commission on trade, economic and financial cooperation had taken place". Ministry of the Economy of Ukraine. October 31, 2009. http://www.me.gov.ua/control/en/publish/article?art_id=123754&cat_id=38912. 

•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.
•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State (Background Notes).

External links

• Belgian ministry of foreign affairs
• Belgian directorate-general for development co-operation
• Flemish service for foreign affairs
• Francophone service for foreign affairs