2007 (PDF, 2.81 MB) - Belgium

June 2007. The countries’ representatives were delighted
with the renewed attention being paid to
their region.
As a follow-up to the first – general – round table,
a series of bilateral round-table discussions were
launched. A scoreboard with all the actions and initiatives
in progress in all areas was developed for
each of the 33 countries. The conclusions included
in the scoreboards were used as the basis for an
action plan for Belgian relations with the LAC countries
that was developed in late 2007.
More proof of Belgium’s intensified relations with
Latin America and the Caribbean was provided by
Minister De Gucht’s trip to Argentina, Brazil and
Colombia in November 2006. The minister aims to
be an advocate of the new policy for the region and
was particularly well received. The Chairman of the
Executive Committee and the director of the directorate
concerned visited Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.
Belgium also devoted special attention to the evolution
of European Union-Latin-America/Caribbean (EU-LAC)
relations. Belgium thus took part in numerous EU-LAC
meetings at all levels and is currently making preparations
for the summit of the two regions’ heads of
state that will be held in Lima in May 2008.
Diplomacy and business
Economic missions
HRH Prince Philippe led two economic missions in 2007.
The mission to China in June saw Prince Philippe
and Princess Mathilde accompanied by around 345
VIPs, business people and journalists. The mission
visited five cities: Beijing, Shenyang, Chengdu, Hong
Kong and Shanghai.
The second mission, in early November, took Prince
Philippe and Princess Mathilde and the other 180 participants
– VIPs, business people and journalists – to
Bahrain and Qatar.
The Economic Interests Directorate also helped to
take care of the economic aspects of Prime Minister
Verhofstadt’s visit to Moscow in March 2007.
Belgium’s image as a provider of quality
The budget for strengthening Belgium’s image as a
provider of quality products and services was mainly
used on events connected with the celebrations to
mark the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the
Treaty of Rome, exhibitions and concerts abroad organised
by prestigious Belgian institutions such as
the Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie, the Centre for Fine
Arts - Brussels, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts and the
Royal Museum for Central Africa.
Why? What’s the point?
To invest in good relations with other
countries to:
■■ guarantee peace – for ourselves and for our
children;
■■ enable trade, which is vital for an export
country like Belgium;
■■ make the world a more liveable place for all.
The budget was also used on the fiftieth anniversary
of Belgian diplomatic relations with Ukraine, half a
century of Belgian relations with Malaysia, a conference
in Tel Aviv about Jewish children who were
hidden during the Second World War, the costs for
inviting Japanese journalists to Belgium and international
congresses in Brussels.
Finexpo
Finexpo makes use of three financial instruments to
support Belgian companies that export capital goods
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