Belgium–United Kingdom relations

Belgian-British relations are foreign relations between Belgium and the United Kingdom.

Both states share membership of the European Union, NATO and the United Nations. [http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365&a=KCountryProfile&aid=1019061802191 Belgium Country Profile, Foreign and Commonwealth Office] ]

History

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.

Belgium established its independence in the revolution of 1830. Like the other European Great Powers, Britain was slow to recognise the new state. Even the election of Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, former son-in-law of Britain's King George IV and uncle to the future Queen Victoria, as Belgium's King failed to win diplomatic recognition from London. Belgium's emergence had caused the break-up of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, one of several buffer states established after the end of the Napoleonic Wars as a check against future French expansion, and London feared this newly-formed nation would be unable to survive hostile expansion by its neighbours. A British-organised European Congress produced the Treaty of London of 1839, whereby the Great Powers (and the Netherlands) all formally recognised the independence of Belgium, and (at Britain's insistence) guaranteed its neutrality.

At the Berlin Conference (1884), Britain had recognised the Congo Free State as the personal domain of Belgium's Kings. Britain was subsequently to become a centre for opposition to Leopold II's personal rule in the territory through organisations such as the Congo Reform Association. At one point, Britain even demanded that the 14 signatories to the Berlin Conference meet again to discuss the situation. In 1908, Belgium's parliament took control of the Congo, which became a conventional European colony.

Those guarantees of neutrality of 1839 failed to prevent the invasion of Belgium by Germany in 1914, leading Britain to enter the First World War. British troops would continue fighting in Belgium throughout the course of the war (see Western Front (World War I)). During World War II, the Belgian government in exile based itself in London.

Today, there are roughly 30,000 British people living in Belgium, and 30,000 Belgians living in the UK.

See also

* List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to Belgium

References