Flanders in Europe and the world (2019)

Flanders in
Europe and
the world

Preface 3
The European and international role 5
of the Flemish Parliament
Committee on Foreign Policy, 11
European Affairs, International
Cooperation, Tourism and
Immovable heritage
International strategy resolution 13
of Flanders
Foreign visits and receptions of
foreign guests 21
International budget Flanders 30
Flanders in Europe and the world 31
4

Preface
“Flanders will be international or
nothing at all”. Rightly so. Flanders
must, as a small, densely populated
region with an open economy, maintain
itself in an increasingly globalised
world. Moreover, Flanders can play a
significant political role on the international
scene, not least within the European
framework.
After all, Flanders has been able to
develop an independent foreign policy
for 25 years. In 1993, the principle of "in
foro interno, in foro externo" was added
to the Constitution. Flanders has the
authority to conclude autonomous treaties
and to post its own diplomats abroad.
Foreign trade and the attraction of
foreign investments are regional competencies.
To this end, a worldwide
diplomatic network has been developed
with thirteen general delegations - Flemish
diplomats - and over 100 economic
representatives.
In order to safeguard the economic interests
of Flemish businesses and the
social welfare of the citizens of Flanders,
it is therefore essential that all
Flemish policy levels are fully aware of
the immense importance of foreign
countries for Flanders.
In the first place Europe, but also the
growing influence of protectionism and
the pressure on multi-lateralism mean
that it is extremely important for Flanders
to have its own foreign policy.
Not least for Flanders itself, which as
one of the most open economies in the
world benefits from a stable trade climate
and a decisive European Union on
a global level.
The federated state of Flanders has unique
tools and resources within the Belgian
federal system to develop its own
foreign policy for the benefit of its population
and its businesses.
In this publication we examine the possibilities,
instruments and networks
possessed by Flanders and we also pay
extensive attention to the role that the
Flemish Parliament and its Committee
on Foreign Policy, European Affairs, and
International Cooperation can and
should play in this.
It is of inestimable value that our Flemish
Parliament is located in Brussels,
not only the capital of Flanders, but also
of the European Union, and one of the
cities with the highest concentrations
of diplomats and embassies in the world.
3

The Government of Flanders, the Flemish
Minister of Foreign Affairs and the
Department of Foreign Affairs naturally
play a pioneering role in this, but the
Flemish Parliament and the competent
committee also help shape the foreign
policy of Flanders, and develop their
own Flemish parliamentary diplomacy.
Ambassadors and foreign delegations
are received in the Flemish Parliament
on an almost weekly basis. Foreign or
international dignitaries regularly
address the plenary session and the
committees; otherwise hearings or discussions
with foreign guests are organised
in committees. The aim, among
other things, is to carry out "benchmarking"
and adopt "best practices". In
this sense, the regulations of the Parliament
are adapted to enable structurally
collaborative specialist committees.
for an evaluation mission within one
legislature. All of which increases the
visibility and impact of Flanders on
international affairs.
One thing that is certainly unique is the
fact that 21 Flemish regionally elected
representatives are members of international
parliamentary assemblies and
associations such as the Council of
Europe, Inter-Parliamentary Union
(IPU), Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Conference
of Parliamentary Committees for
Union Affairs or Parliaments of the
European Union (COSAC).
Flanders will be international or nothing
at all.
The Chair and the Bureau as well as the
committees regularly travel abroad to
represent Flanders and to develop networks.
Within the existing budget, the
Foreign Policy Committee has managed
to visit all Flemish Delegations in situ
Rik Daems
chair
Committee on Foreign Policy,
European Affairs and International
Cooperation
Jan Peumans
speaker
Flemish Parliament
4

The European and international
role of the Flemish Parliament
Europe: increasingly important for Flanders
In order to influence European
legislation, it is necessary
to follow the legislative
process from the outset and
to try to exercise influence
at every stage and at every
level.
Europe plays an increasingly important role in
the daily life of Flemish citizens.
The introduction of the euro and the disappearance
of border controls are perhaps the bestknown
examples. A lot of Flemish legislation
was also born out of European legislation. The
much-discussed Flemish Manure Action Plan is
the implementation of the European Nitrates
Directive, the European Habitats Directive is at
the basis of the Flemish rules on the protection
of bird sanctuaries and numerous Flemish quality
standards (e.g. quality of bathing water) are
in fact established at European level.
Depending on the policy domain, a large part of
Flemish legislation originates from European
legislation. Every year, the European Union
issues numerous directives and regulations that
have major consequences for Flemish policy
areas such as the environment, agriculture and
fisheries, research and development, infrastructure
and economy. This European legislation
must be transposed into Flemish legislation. If
not, the European Court of Justice may impose a
high fine or penalty. The mandatory transposition
is the final phase in a long process and leaves little
room for individual accents.
5

How are international powers regulated in Belgian
federalism?
The Belgian federal system
has a strict division of
powers between the federal
government, the communities
and the regions. A
policy domain (e.g. spatial
planning) is always the
exclusive competence of a
certain authority (e.g.
region). This exclusivity
principle excludes a hierarchy
of norms, so that a
federal law and a regional
decree are completely
on par.
The principle of "in foro interno, in foro externo"
is specific to the Belgian federal system.
It states that an authority that has a certain
authority at the Belgian level also exercises that
authority at an international level. For example,
at the Belgian level, the communities are competent
with regard to education and only they
may conclude international treaties on education.
This arrangement is unique. In other federal
countries such as Germany or the United
States of America, only the federal level is competent
for negotiating, concluding and ratifying
international treaties. If the Government of Flanders
concludes international treaties, those treaties
must be discussed and approved in the Flemish
Parliament. The principle of "in foro
interno, in foro externo" also applies to the European
decision-making process.
Belgian federal system
EUROPE
Traditional federal system
EUROPE
Belgian Federation
Region Community
Federal State
Federal state
Region
Spatial
Planning
Education Defence Spatial
Planning
Education
Defence
6

The Belgian federal system and the Council of Ministers
of the EU
The Cooperation Agreement
of 8 March 1994 stipulates
how and under what conditions
the Belgian position
in the Council of Ministers
is implemented and establishes
a rotation between
the federal and regional
ministers, and between the
regional ministers themselves,
concerning the representation
of Belgium in the
Council of Ministers. The
Belgian position in the
Council of Ministers is the
result of a long and intense
multi-phase consultation,
between representatives or
ministers of the various
competent authorities
(federal and regional). In
this consultation, a consensus
is always sought that
takes into account the
sometimes differing interests
of the various authorities.
If a consensus fails to
be reached, the representative
of Belgium in the Council
of Ministers abstains
from the vote.
The region or community that participates in
the Council of Ministers on behalf of Belgium is
determined by the Cooperation Agreement of 8
March 1994 between the federal state, the communities
and the regions concerning the representation
of Belgium in the European Council of
Ministers. The European Union is primarily a
partnership between national states and not
between regions.
The Council of Ministers plays a central role in
the European decision-making process. This
Council of Ministers is formed by the ministers
of the 28 member states who have a particular
subject competence (e.g. environment). Decisions
are taken by absolute majority (on procedural
issues), qualified majority or unanimity.
These decisions apply to the entire European
Union. In Belgium, however, certain policy areas
are the exclusive competence of communities
and regions.
The Maastricht Treaty (1992) also allows regional
ministers in the Council of Ministers to
represent their Member State
(Article 16 of the Treaty on European Union).
A Flemish regional minister responsible for the
environment can therefore participate in the EU
council of environmental ministers. He can
speak and vote there, but he does so on behalf of
Belgium (and not on behalf of Flanders).
7

The subsidiarity test
The principle of subsidiarity
stipulates that the
European Union can only
act if it delivers better
results through economies
of scale, and that the same
results could not be achieved
through individual
action by the Member
States.
European decisionmaking
process
The Lisbon Treaty, signed in December 2007, has
two protocols which significantly increase the
options for parliaments to play a role in the
European decision-making process. Both the
protocol on the role of national parliaments in
the European Union and the protocol on the
application of the principles of subsidiarity and
proportionality, state that national parliaments
can check whether European legislative proposals
respect the principle of subsidiarity. The
principle of subsidiarity does not apply to areas
under the exclusive competence of the EU.
European Commission
The subsidiarity test
European Parliament
Council of Ministers
European directive or
regulation
The subsidiarity test
European Commission
EU legislative proposal
National Parliaments
8 weeks
The European Commission sends its legislative
proposals to the national parliaments of the
Member States. The latter have eight weeks to
examine whether the legislative proposals respect
the principle of subsidiarity. If a national
parliament decides that this is not the case, it
can provide its reasoned opinion with objections
to the European Commission. If at least one third
of the parliaments of the EU Member States
issue a negative opinion, the European Commission
must reconsider its legislative proposal
(yellow card). If at least half of the parliaments
are involved, the European Commission must
justify its legislative proposal in a reasoned opinion
in order to maintain it. Moreover, the European
legislator (European Parliament and Council)
must approve the proposal (orange card).
Motivated advice
European Commission
8

The Flemish Parliament is a national parliament
In order to allow the parliaments
of the federated
states to play a part in the
principle of subsidiarity
procedure, Declaration 51
stipulates that, as far as its
competences are concerned,
every parliament in
Belgium is a national parliament.
Declaration 51, which Belgium concluded upon
signing the Treaty of Lisbon, is in line with the
unique Belgian regulation on international relations
("in foro interno, in foro externo"): “The
Kingdom of Belgium wishes to make clear that,
in accordance with its constitutional law, not
only the Chamber of Representatives and Senate
of the Federal Parliament but also the parliamentary
assemblies of the Communities and the
Regions act, in terms of the competences exercised
by the Union, as components of the national
parliamentary system or chambers of the national
Parliament”.
In order to implement Declaration 51, the seven
Belgian parliaments negotiated a cooperation
agreement. In the agreement, all Belgian parliaments
recognise Declaration 51 and the fact
that each of them must be regarded as a national
parliament with regard to their competencies.
The legislative proposals and consultation
documents of the European Commission are
received simultaneously and collectively, and
are checked individually by each parliament
in complete autonomy for a possible breach
of the principle of subsidiarity.
The subsidiarity recommendations are
bundled and returned to the European
Commission on behalf of the Belgian
Parliamentary System.
9

In what ways can the Flemish Parliament influence Europe?
The Flemish Parliament
and its members can
influence the European
decision-making process by
exercising control over the
Government of Flanders
and the Flemish ministers.
The Committee on Foreign Policy, European
Affairs, International Cooperation, Tourism and
Immovable Heritage, a thematic professional
committee of the Flemish Parliament, deals with
the European policy of the Government of Flanders
and general European issues.
The other committees discuss important European
issues in their policy domain(s). For example,
the Committee for Environmental and Nature
Conservation Issues monitors the European
environmental policy and the positions of the
Government of Flanders in that respect. The professional
committees provide a systematic and
accurate debriefing of the European Council of
Ministers, where EU issues that are important for
Flanders are discussed.
This is performed by the competent minister or
the competent attaché of the General Representation
of the Government of Flanders at the Permanent
Representation of Belgium at the EU.
Flemish Members of Parliament
can check and influence
the European decision-making
process by:
> written or oral questions to the
competent minister
> parliamentary questions, mo -
tions and resolutions
> subsidiarity opinions
> exchanges of views or hearings
with the competent
minister(s), officials of the
European Commission or
other players in the European
decision-making process
The Flemish Members of Parliament
have a number of specific tools to monitor
the European decision-making
process:
> "Overview of EU issues", a six-monthly
publication of the Government of
Flanders
> monthly report on EU issues by the
Flemish Minister for Foreign Affairs
> legislative proposals and consultation
documents of the European
Commission
> participation in the Joint Parliamentary
Meetings and Joint Committee
Meetings, organised by the European
Parliament
10

Committee on Foreign Policy, European
Affairs, International Cooperation, Tourism
and Immovable Heritage
The committee wants to
make a significant
contribution so that
Flanders can take its
rightful place within Europe
and the world.
Mission statement
The Committee on Foreign Policy, European
Affairs, International Cooperation, Tourism
and Immovable Heritage aims to ensure the
impact of its operation by:
1. focussing on an efficient and effective
interpretation of the classic parliamentary
work, in close contact with the field of activity
2. assessing work trips based on their added
value, with a parliamentary follow-up process
3. giving shape to judicious parliamentary
diplomacy
Members of the Foreign Policy
Committee
The Foreign Policy Committee was composed
during the 2014-2019 legislature from:
Chair and vice-chairs
> Rik Daems (Open Vld)
> Güler Turan (sp.a)
> Jan Van Esbroeck (N-VA)
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Permanent members
> Sabine de Bethune (CD&V)
> Herman De Croo (Open Vld)
> Ingeborg De Meulemeester (N-VA)
> Marc Hendrickx (N-VA)
> Vera Jans (CD&V)
> Ward Kennes (CD&V)
> Tine Soens (sp.a)
> Karim Van Overmeire (N-VA)
> Manuela Van Werde (N-VA)
> Wouter Van Besien (Groen)
> Karl Vanlouwe (N-VA)
> Johan Verstreken (CD&V)
Substitutes
> Karin Brouwers (CD&V)
> Bart Caron (Groen)
> Griet Coppé (CD&V)
> Cathy Coudyser (N-VA)
> Jean-Jacques De Gucht (Open Vld)
> Marnic De Meulemeester (Open Vld)
> Danielle Godderis-T’Jonck (N-VA)
> Andries Gryffroy (N-VA)
> Sofie Joosen (N-VA)
> Renaat Landuyt (sp.a)
> Joris Poschet (CD&V)
> Elke Sleurs (N-VA)
> Valerie Taeldeman (CD&V)
> Steve Vandenberghe (sp.a)
> Sabine Vermeulen (N-VA)
Assigned members
> Stefaan Sintobin (Vlaams Belang)
> Christian Van Eyken (UF)
Commission secretary
> Luc Van der Borght
Tablers of the motion for a
resolution
The following members of the committee
tabled a motion for a resolution supplementing
the resolution on the international
strategy of Flanders in Europe
and the world on 20 December 2017. The
Committee on Foreign Policy, European
Affairs, International Cooperation, Tourism
and Immovable Heritage discussed
the proposal. The motion for a resolution
was adopted by the plenary session
of the Flemish Parliament on 10 January
2018.
Jan Van Esbroeck
(N-VA)
Güler Turan
(sp.a)
Rik Daems
(Open Vld)
Wouter Van Besien
(Groen)
Ward Kennes
(CD&V)
12

International strategy resolution
of Flanders
Motion for a resolution supplementing the resolution on the international
strategy of Flanders in Europe and the world by Rik Daems, Jan Van
Esbroeck, Ward Kennes, Güler Turan and Wouter Van Besien adopted by
the plenary meeting of the Flemish Parliament on 10 January 2018.
Considerations
In the motion for a resolution, the Foreign Policy Committee has taken
into consideration that:
1. Flemish international policy must be
a fully-fledged policy. International
work trips are an essential part of the
realisation of this policy, both in the
field of Flemish government policy
and in the field of Flemish parliamentary
diplomacy;
2. it is desirable and useful that international
work trips are reported on,
in order to assess them on the reasonable
use of budgetary resources,
and on their effectiveness and
impact;
3. to that end, in the Foreign Policy
Committee, at the start of the new
parliamentary term in October 2014,
a strategic work memorandum was
approved, which was submitted to
the Extended Bureau;
4. the Extended Bureau at the session
of 22 June 2015, within the framework
of the submitted work memorandum,
allowed the required flexibility
for international work visits of
the Foreign Policy Committee after
the necessary adjustments;
5. an international work trip cannot
and must not be without obligations,
and must have a concrete policy-making
consequence. In that
sense, a resolution, including recommendations,
drawn up on the basis of
the work reports of the international
work trips carried out, is a logical,
useful and necessary consequence.
13

Mission statement
The Committee on Foreign Policy, European Affairs, International Cooperation,
Tourism and Immovable Heritage aims to ensure the impact of its
operation by:
1. focussing on an efficient and effective interpretation of classic parliamentary
activities, in close contact with the field of activity
2. assessing work trips based on their added value, with a parliamentary
follow-up process
3. giving shape to judicious parliamentary diplomacy
What does the Foreign Policy Committee do?
The motion for a resolution defines the tasks of the Foreign Policy Committee:
1. Efficient interpretation of classic parliamentary work
2. Close contact with the field of activity
3. Work trips with added value
4. Implementation of parliamentary diplomacy
5. Ancillary protocol presence
Efficient implementation of classic parliamentary work
> Preparation of the Flemish Parliament's
decree-issuing work
> The preparation of the decree-issuing
work takes place at the initiative of
the Government of Flanders - i.e. for
international treaties and cooperation
agreements - or on its own ini–
tiative. Policy documents, policy letters,
resolution proposals and the like
are also discussed thoroughly and
efficiently in committee.
> Monitoring of the policy of the Government
of Flanders
> The committee monitors the policy
of the Government of Flanders
through, among other things, questions
for explanation and parliamentary
questions, in which the positions
of both the majority and the opposition
are fully respected and taken
into consideration.
> Cooperation with the other committees
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The committees regularly discuss
topics with an international or European
dimension. Without wishing to
take the place of the competent committee,
the Foreign Policy Committee
should have the opportunity to be
heard or to form an opinion in such
cases.
Close contact with the field of activity
1. Since the fall of 2014, the committee has been debating its activities with all
organisations that are structurally involved in its operations, and measuring the
impact of this.
2. This is done on the basis of an agenda, expediency and efficiency/effectiveness
of debates either in the Flemish Parliament or on location.
3. Examples of organisations: in a first stage, the committee is in contact with the
General Representation of the Government of Flanders at the Permanent Representation
of Belgium at the EU, F.I.T., Vleva, Flanders International Cooperation
Agency (FICA), Herita, etc. At a later stage, the committee also contacts the European
External Action Service.
4. As far as the EU is concerned, this working method is intended to ensure that
the Flemish Parliament can also act ex ante instead of merely ex post.
Work trips with added value
a. Work trips and, in particular, international
work trips, are a conditio sine
qua non in the context of the mission
statement of the Foreign Policy Committee,
but must always have a
demonstrable added value for the
functioning of the committee and
may lead to a parliamentary follow-up
trajectory.
b. The practice of going abroad on an
international work trip at the end of
the legislature, in combination with
the regulatory provisions, meant that
international work trips in the past
were often quite expensive, did not
or only partially matched the functioning
of the committee and did not
have a follow-up trajectory within
the legislature.
15

c. Budgetary space: the total of the
expenses for foreign trips by the
Foreign Policy Committee during the
previous legislature and the budget
for operational resources of the committee
(total 145,000 euros + 25,000
euros) is an absolute maximum for
the entire legislature. The committee
explicitly requests no budget increase
but rather a flexible implementation
of it.
d. Target: within this budget, more but
shorter international work trips with
fewer participants, concentrated in
the first half of the legislature. Work
trips of 4 days on location (instead of
8), with a maximum of 8 participating
members (instead of 15) and an
administrative secretary.
e. In the case of certain work trips of
exceptional importance, it is desirable
that the Speaker of Parliament be
part of the delegation and serve as
delegation leader. For the other international
work trips, the delegation
leader is the committee chair or, in
his/her absence, a member appointed
by the committee.
Because the international work trips
have to be in line with the activities
of the committee, the committee
wants to see what emphases are
placed in the committee and how the
operation will develop, prior to
agreeing to large work trips. The
objective is one large work trip - new
format - per calendar year, except
during the final year.
h. A maximum of 1 short international
work trip (max. one night) per quarter,
possibly from the end of 2014.
Examples: Flemish Representation in
London, Paris or The Hague; Musée
des Flandres in Cassel, to be linked to
contacts with Nord-Pas-de-Calais.
i. The involvement of a journalist from
the written press for every international
work trip should be considered,
in order to give the necessary
public visibility to the work of the
committee. Preferably without or
with limited additional costs for the
Flemish Parliament.
f. The work trips must be in line with
the work in the committee. The addition
of the fields of tourism and
immovable heritage means that the
programme of international work
trips can also be tailored to this.
g. No major international work trips in
the final year of the legislature.
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Implementation of parliamentary diplomacy
a. Parliamentary diplomacy is the sum of parliamentary activities to increase
mutual understanding between countries, provide mutual assistance for better
oversight of governments and better representation of the people and to increase
the democratic legitimacy of intergovernmental institutions.
b. The diplomatic activities and the activities of the Foreign Policy Committee
complement the efforts of the Government of Flanders within 'traditional' diplomacy.
This complement stems from the more flexible manner in which parliamentarians
can undertake diplomatic activities. Initiatives in this context must
always be taken in consultation with the Government of Flanders, with respect
for the primacy of parliament.
Ancillary protocol presence
a. The committee may receive foreign ambassadors or other dignitaries within the
framework of its activities.
b. Within the framework of its mission statement, the Committee asks to be involved
in official receptions of foreign delegations and dignitaries by the Speaker of
the Flemish Parliament when this is meaningful and/or supportive of the meeting.
c. The Committee also asks for the opportunity to be involved in specific cases, when
a parliamentary component is useful and/or supportive, to be involved in the official
reception or international work trips by and of the prime minister.
17

Environmental analysis and assumptions
The Foreign Policy Committee stated
when drawing up the resolution
that:
1. foreign trips of parliamentarians
allow to gain an objective and realistic
picture of the impact of the Government
of Flanders’ activities in
Europe and the world;
2. parliamentary diplomacy has an
added value in the development,
maintenance and optimisation of
Flanders on the international stage,
where issues can be raised by parliamentarians
in support of Flemish
objectives and concerns;
3. the strength of Flanders abroad
depends to a large extent on the
efforts and quality of our Flemish
representatives, both in the field of
diplomacy, and of trade and tourism,
and the quality of the deployed personnel,
although high, is not always
consistent;
4. the means at the disposal of the Flemish
representatives may be called
rather modest, so that their return
may be estimated as particularly
high;
5. the relationship with Belgian diplomacy
often rests solely on personal
affinities, as a result of which Flemish
diplomacy is often under-appreciated;
6. the means available to the foreign
commercial apparatus may also be
regarded as modest, certainly for a
region that accounts for three-quarters
of the national exports;
7. the funds for bilateral development
cooperation appear to have been efficiently
deployed, while there is insufficient
reporting on multilaterally
deployed resources;
8. Flanders is indeed valued by a number
of international agencies, including
by the European Commission,
the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) and the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD);
9. the work trips of the specialised committees
must, in line with those by
the Foreign Policy Committee, lead to
concrete recommendations that reinforce
Flemish policy and the impact
of Flanders in the world. Through
joint sessions of the Foreign Policy
Committees the internationalisation
of the Flemish Parliament can be
expanded and be given a greater
18

impact by structurally involving the
respective committees in the work;
10. there is no room for international
work trips that do not prove to have
an impact and therefore offer insufficient
returns for the work of the
Flemish Parliament, which makes it
necessary to formulate clear objectives
before the work trip on the
intended results with regard to the
further activities of the Flemish Parliament.
Challenges for the future
In the motion for a resolution, the Foreign Policy Committee asks the the Government
of Flanders to:
1. urge the federal government and the
other federated states to update the
obsolete cooperation agreements in
the short term, as well as the outdated
protocol list, so that Flemish
diplomacy and the members of the
federal government are correctly
classified in the foreign forum;
2. further focus on cooperation between
the federal government and the other
federated states in order to achieve
an optimisation of Flemish foreign
policy, with respect for everyone's
competencies;
3. have every Flemish minister who
has carried out an international work
trip within the framework of his/her
competencies, report to the Flemish
Parliament;
4. continue to work on a full-fledged
Flemish Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
which can fully represent Flanders
on the international scene;
5. make full use of the activities of the
General Representation of the Govern -
ment of Flanders (AAVR) to the EU to
have the greatest possible impact ex
ante on the creation of European
regulations and on specific situations
such as Brexit;
6. to make sufficient resources available
to Flanders Investment & Trade
(FIT) to further stimulate Flemish
foreign trade and attract foreign
investments;
7. to evaluate the resources for foreign
affairs, in particular those for foreign
19

policy, EU policy, international enterprise
and development cooperation,
at regular intervals in order to
achieve the greatest possible impact
of Flemish foreign policy, based on a
zero-base reasoning, where the total
resources for foreign affairs, as
defined above, may not decrease as a
result;
8. to evaluate the quality of foreign personnel
on the basis of concrete
results and to pay attention to specific
problems relating to their operation,
which may vary from country to
country;
9. to involve parliamentary diplomacy
in foreign policy in order to achieve
the greatest possible impact and
maximum results for Flemish foreign
policy.
Working visit by the Foreign Policy Committee to Flanders House London

Foreign visits and receptions of
foreign guests
Working visits
The Foreign Policy Committee
made the following working
visits during the 2014-2019
legislature:
1. Rome/February 2019
2. General Representation of the
Government of Flanders to the
European Union (EU)/June 2017;
3. London - Washington - New York/
May 2017;
4. Budapest - Madrid/March 2017;
5. Warsaw - Geneva - Berlin/June 2016;
6. South Africa/November 2015;
7. Milan Expo/June 2015;
8. Paris/January 2015;
9. The Hague/December 2014;
Visits of the Speaker and
the Extended Bureau of the
Flemish Parliament
VSpeaker Jan Peumans, together
with the Extended Bureau, made
the following international visits
during the 2014-2019 legislature:
> Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans and a
delegation of the Extended Bureau to
Berlin and Potsdam on 14 and 15
February 2019 (Bundestag, Bundesrat
and Landtag of Brandenburg);
> Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans and
the chair of the Committee for Economy
to the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Western
Pomerania on 24 and
25 January 2019;
> Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans to
Düsseldorf and Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
on 13 December 2018;
> Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans and a
delegation of the Extended Bureau to
Magdeburg and the Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt
on 8 and 9 November 2018;
21

Vancouver
Montreal
Chicago
Palo Alto
Los Angeles Atlanta
Houston
New York
Casab
Mexico City
Havana
Panama City
Abidjan
Bogota
Lima
São Paulo
Santiago
Buenos Aires
Montevideo
Flemish foreign network
Flanders Investment & Trade
Offices
Antennas
22

(Source: Flanders Investment & Trade, July 2018)
Moscow
Saint Petersburg
Nizhny Novgorod
Almaty
Istanbul
Tashkent
Tehran
Beirut
Algiers Tel Tel Aviv
blanca
Islamabad
Cairo
Kuwait
Doha
Riyadh
Dubai New Delhi
Abu Dhabi
Mumbai
Bangalore
n
Addis Ababa
Accra
Nairobi
Kinshasa
Luanda
Beijing
Seoul
Tokyo
Shanghai
Guangzhou
Taipei
Hanoi
Hong Kong
Yangon
Manila
Bangkok
Colombo
Kuala Lumpur
Singapore
Jakarta
Johannesburg
Oslo
Helsinki
Stockholm
Edinburgh
Copenhagen
Vilnius
Warsaw
Dublin
Berlin
London
The Hague
Poznan
Lille
Cologne
Kiev
Luxembourg
Prague
Paris
Stuttgart
Zürich
Vienna
Budapest
Lyon
Ljubljana
Bordeaux
Milan
Zagreb
Bucharest
Belgrade
Sofia
Rome
Barcelona
Madrid
Lisbon
Athens
Melbourne
Christchurch
23

Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans and a
delegation of the Extended Bureau to
Stuttgart and the Landtag of
Baden-Württemberg on 28 and 29
June 2018;
> Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans to
Rabat and to the Moroccan Parliament
on 30 May and 1 June 2018;
> Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans and a
delegation of the Extended Bureau to
Stuttgart and the Landtag of
Baden-Württemberg on 19 and 20
June 2018;
> Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans and a
delegation of the Committee on
Foreign Policy and European Affairs
to the Court of Justice of the European
Union in Luxembourg on 27
February 2018;
> Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans and a
delegation of the Extended Bureau to
Cardiff and the National Assembly
for Wales on 9 November 2017;
> Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans and a
delegation of the Extended Bureau to
Vilnius and the Parliament of Lithuania
on 21 and 22 September 2017;
> Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans and a
delegation of the Extended Bureau to
Munich and the Landtag of Bavaria
on 27 and 28 April 2017;
Parliament and the Council of Europe
in Strasbourg on 14 February 2017;
> Participation by Speaker Jan Peumans
in the General Meeting of CALRE (Conference
of European Regional Legislative
Assemblies) on 24 and 25 November
2016 in Varese (Italy);
> Participation by Speaker Jan Peumans
in the General Meeting of CALRE (Conference
of European Regional Legislative
Assemblies) on 23 and 24 November
2015 in Milan (Italy);
> Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans and a
delegation of the Extended Bureau to
Riga and the Parliament of Latvia on
22 and 23 September 2015;
> Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans and
vice-speaker Peter Van Rompuy to
Berlin and the Bundesrat on 9 and 10
July 2015;
> Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans and a
delegation of the Extended Bureau to
Edinburgh and the Scottish Parliament
on 28 and 29 May 2015;
> Participation by Speaker Jan Peumans
in the General Meeting of CALRE (Conference
of European Regional Legislative
Assemblies) on 7 and 8 November
2015 in Santiago de Compostela
(Spain);
> Visit by Speaker Jan Peumans and a
delegation of the Extended Bureau
and of the Committee on Foreign and
European Affairs to the European
24

Reception of foreign guests in the Flemish Parliament
The Flemish Parliament welcomed the following prominent foreign guests
during the 2014-2019 legislature:
Ambassadors welcomed by Speaker Jan Peumans
2015 Ambassador of Serbia,
Ambassador of Rep. of Ireland,
Ambassador of Rep. of Slovakia,
Ambassador of the Philippines,
Ambassador of Ukraine,
Ambassador of Lithuania,
Ambassador of Uzbekistan,
Ambassador of Germany,
Ambassador of Latvia,
Representative of the Palestinian
Authority, Ambassador of
Andorra
2016 Ambassador of Hungary, Ambassador
of Poland, Ambassador of
the Netherlands, Ambassador of
Turkey, Ambassador of Azerbaijan,
Ambassador of Colombia,
Ambassador of Georgia
2017 Ambassador of Australia, Ambassador
of France, Ambassador of
the United Kingdom, Ambassador
of Rwanda, Ambassador of
the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg,
Ambassador of Spain, Ambassador
of Nepal, Ambassador of
Cuba, Ambassador of Morocco,
Ambassador of Slovenia, Ambassador
of South Africa, Ambassador
of Italy
2018 Ambassador of Turkey,
Ambassador of Poland,
Ambassador of Myanmar,
Ambassador of Sweden,
Ambassador of Serbia,
Ambassador of Colombia,
Ambassador of Egypt,
Ambassador of South Korea,
Ambassador of Mozambique,
Ambassador of Denmark
2019 Ambassador of Germany
25

Reception of prominent people in the
plenary meeting of the Flemish Parliament
Mr Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands on 15 October 2015
Mr Markku Markkula, Chairman of the
Committee of the Regions on 18 October 2015
Mrs Marianne Thyssen, European
Commissioner on 27 January 2016
Mrs Irena Bokova, Director-General of
UNESCO on 9 June 2016
Mr Koen Lenaerts, President of the Court of
Justice of the European Union on 29 March 2017
Mr Frans Timmermans, first vice-president
of the European Commission on 10 May 2017
Mr Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of the Grand
Duchy of Luxembourg on 21 March 2018
Mr Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the
European Commission on 9 May 2018
Other important guests of
the Flemish Parliament
> Parliamentary delegation
from Bahrain on 21 April
2015
> Parliamentary delegation
from Morocco on 4 May 2015
> Mr Inigo Urkullu, President
of the Basque Country
(Spain) on 1 June 2015
> Mr Arthur Mas, President of
Catalonia (Spain) on 1 July
2015
> Parliamentary delegation
from Lithuania on 21 September
2015
> Parliamentary delegation
from the Landtag of North
Rhine-Westphalia (Germany)
on 24 September 2015
> Parliamentary delegation
from Bosnia and Herzegovina
on 19 October 2015
> Parliamentary IPU delegation
from Russia on 17
December 2015
> Parliamentary IPU delegation
from Pakistan on 19
January 2016
26

Parliamentary delegation from Aland
(Finland) on 14 March 2016
> Parliamentary delegation from the
Landtag of Hesse (Germany) on 24
April 2016
> Mrs Barbara Stamm, chair of the
Landtag of Bavaria (Germany) with
parliamentary delegation on 22 June
2016
> Mr Uong Chu Luu, Vice-President of
the Parliament of Vietnam with parliamentary
delegation on 28 June
2016
> Parliamentary delegation from
Kenya on 14 October 2016
> Parliamentary delegation from the
Swiss National Parliament on 20
October 2016
> Mr Ken Macintosh, chair of the Scottish
Parliament (UK) on 20 October
2016
> Mrs Khadija Arib, Chair of the 2nd
Chamber of the States General of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands on 10
January 2017
> Parliamentary delegation from the
Landtag of Baden-Württemberg (Germany)
on 31 January 2017
> Mr Gilles Simeoni, Prime Minister of
Corsica (France) on 1 February 2017
> Mr Matthias Rössler, President of the
Landtag of Saxony (Germany) with
parliamentary delegation on 30
March 2017
> Mrs Britta Stark, President of the
Landtag of Brandenburg (Germany)
on 4 April 2017
> Mr Yousif Mohammed Sadiq, President
of the Parliament of the Kurdish
Autonomous Region of Iraq on 9 June
2017
> Mr Habid El Malki, President of the
Parliament of Morocco, with parliamentary
delegation on 12 July 2017
> Mrs Carme Forcadell, Chair of the
Catalan Parliament (Spain) on 26
September 2017
> Mr André Kuper, Chair of the Landtag
of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany)
on 27 November 2017
> Parliamentary IPU delegation from
Serbia on 5 December 2017
> Mrs Muhterem Aras, chair of the
Landtag of Baden-Württemberg (Germany)
with parliamentary delegation
on 6 December 2017
> Parliamentary IPU delegation from
the Bundestag of Germany on 1 February
2017
27

Parliamentary delegation from Iran
on 23 January 2018
> Mrs Gabriele Brakebusch, President
of the Lantag of Saxony-Anhalt (Germany)
with parliamentary delegation
on 15 March 2018
> Parliamentary IPU delegation from
Thailand on 20 March 2018
> Parliamentary delegation from the
Landtag of Mechlenburg-Voorpommeren
(Germany) on 21 March 2018
> Parliamentary IPU delegation from
Palestine on 15 May 2018
> Mr Ali Abdel-Aal, Chair of the Parliament
of Egypt with parliamentary
delegation on 19 June 2018
> Mrs Elin Jones, Chair of the National
Assembly for Wales (UK), with parliamentary
delegation on 28 June 2018
> Parliamentary Delegation from
Kyrgyzstan on 3 July 2018
> Parliamentary delegation from the
Senate of the Czech Republic on 2
October 2018
> Parliamentary IPU delegation from
New Zealand on 9 October 2018
> Mr Roger Torrent, chair of the Catalan
Parliament (Spain) on 3 December
2018
Reception of foreign guests
by the Foreign Policy Committee
The Committee on Foreign Policy,
European Affairs, International
Cooperation, Tourism and Immovable
Heritage invited the following
international speakers during the
2014-2019 legislature:
> 18.04.2018: Paw Lwin Sein, Ambassador
of Myanmar in Belgium
Proposal of resolution on ethnic
cleansing of the Rohingya in Myanmar
> 13.03.2018: Artur Orzechowski,
Ambassador of Poland in Belgium
Proposal of resolution on recent
developments in Poland and the
defence of European values and
foundations, in particular the rule of
law with its separation of powers
> 20.06.2017 (with the Committee on
Budget, Finance and Administration):
Pierre Moscovici, European
Commissioner for Economic and
Financial Affairs, Taxation and
Customs
Discussion about the consequences
of Brexit
> 31.01.2017: Alison H.E. Rose, Ambassador
of the United Kingdom
28

Exchange of opinions about Brexit
and the future relationship between
the EU and the United Kingdom
> 16.11.2016: Jose Rodrigo Rivera Salazar,
Ambassador of Colombia Exchange of
opinions about the Colombian peace
process
> Hearing on the Transatlantic Trade
and Investment Treaty (TTIP)
> 10.11.2015: Howard Gutman, former
US ambassador, managing director
Gutman Group Hearing on the Transatlantic
Trade and Investment Treaty
(TTIP)
> 09.06.2016 (all committees): Irina
Bokova, UNESCO Director-General
> 13.04.2016 (with Committee for Culture,
Youth, Sports and Media):
Hakan Olcay, Ambassador of the
Republic of Turkey
Exchange of opinions about freedom
of the press in Turkey
> 03.02.2016: Artur Harazim, Ambassador
of Poland
Exchange of opinions about the current
situation in Poland following
recent news coverage
> 26.01.2016: Mark C. Storella, Deputy
Chief of Mission US Embassy Brussels,
and Michael Koplovsky, Minister
Counselor for Economic Affairs
United States Mission to the European
Union
Hearing on the Transatlantic Trade
and Investment Treaty (TTIP)
> 12.01.2016: Cecilia Malmstörm, European
Commissioner for Trade
29

International budget of Flanders
International budget of Flanders 2019
per programme (x1000 euro)
€ 54 719 (32,04%)
International
advocacy
€ 23 220 (13,60%)
Development
cooperation
TOTAL
€ 170 766
2019
€ 22 882 (13,40%)
International
enterprise
€ 69 945 (40,96%)
Tourism
30

Flanders in Europe and the world
The Government of Flanders has a network of approximately 120 delegations
abroad:
Representatives of the Government of Flanders
The Representatives of the Government
of Flanders are diplomatic representatives
for general political interests.
They are staff members of the Foreign
Affairs Department of the Government
of Flanders.
The Representatives of the Government
of Flanders and the Flemish Economic
Representatives (Flanders Investment &
Trade) work closely together and coordinate
their activities on location. They
also work closely with the representatives
of the other federated states and
with the Belgian ambassador.
Brussels - European Union
The Permanent Representations
(Ambassadors) of the Member States
play a crucial role in the European legislative
process. COREPER (Committee of
Permanent Representatives) and many
other committees and working groups
meet weekly in Brussels. They prepare
the meetings of the Council of Ministers
and look to achieve agreement and compromise
between the 28 Member States.
A Flemish delegation, led by the General
Representation of the Government of
Flanders at the Permanent Representation
of Belgium at the EU, is formally
part of the Belgian Permanent Representation
and plays an essential role for
the participation of Flanders in the
European decision-making process.
The team monitors all issues that are
important to Flanders and participates
in the meetings of the committees and
working groups where these issues are
discussed.
Axel Buyse
General Representative of the Government
of Flanders at the Permanent
Representation of Belgium at the European
Union
Belliardstraat 65, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
vlaanderen@diplobel.be
www.flandersineu.be
31

Paris - Multilateral
Dries Willems (until 1/9/2019)
Kris Dierckx (from 1/9/2019)
General Representative of the Government
of Flanders to OECD, UNESCO and
Council of Europe
Rue Euler 6
75008 Paris
France
info@delegationflamande.org
flandersinfrance.be
Geneva – Multilateral
Kris Dierckx (until 1/9/2019)
David Maenaut (from 1/9/2019)
General Representative of the Government
of Flanders to the United Nations
in Geneva
Rue de Moillebeau 56
8F 1209 Geneva
Switzerland
geneva@flanders.eu
Berlin
Koen Haverbeke (until 1/9/2019)
Nic Van der Marliere (from 1/9/2019)
General Representative of the Government
of Flanders in Germany
Belgian Embassy
Jägerstraße 52-53
10117 Berlin
Germany
berlin@flanders.eu
flandersingermany.be
The Hague
Filip D’havé
General Representative of the Government
of Flanders in the Netherlands
Koninginnegracht 86
2514 AJ The Hague
The Netherlands
denhaag@flanders.eu
vlaandereninnederland.be
London
Nic Van der Marliere (until 1/9/2019)
André Hebbelinck (from 1/9/2019)
General Representative of the Government
of Flanders in the United Kingdom
Flanders House
1A, Cavendish Square
London
W1G 0LD
Great Britain
info@flandershouse.co.uk
flandersintheuk.be
New York
Nicolas Polet (a.i.) (until 1/3/2019)
Yves Wantens (from 1/3/2019)
General Representative of the Government
of Flanders in the United States
Flanders House New York
The New York Times Building
620 Eighth Avenue 38th floor
New York, NY 10018
United States
newyork@flanders.eu
www.flandersintheusa.org
32

Madrid
Temporarily vacant
General Representation of the Government
of Flanders in Spain
madrid@buza.vlaanderen
www.vlaanderen.es
Paris
Gaëtan Poelman
General Representative of the Government
of Flanders in France
Rue Euler 6
75008 Paris
France
info@delegationflamande.org
flandersinfrance.be
Pretoria
Geraldine Reymenants
General Delegation from the Government
of Flanders in southern Africa
497 Cameron Street
Bailey’s Muckleneuk, 0181
Pretoria
South Africa
pretoria@flanders.org.za
www.flanders.org.za
Rome (2019)
Geert De Proost
General Delegation from the Government
of Flanders in Italy and Substitute to the
Permanent Representative at the FAO and
Specialised Agencies of the UN.
Via Nazionale, 54 int 7
00184 Rome, Italy
roma@flanders.eu
www.fdfa.be/en
Warsaw
Yves Wantens (until 1/3/2019)
Dries Willems (from 1/9/2019)
General Representative of the Government
of Flanders in Poland and the Baltic
States
Belgian Embassy
Al. Ujazdowskie 51
00-536 Warschau
Poland
warsaw@flanders.pl
flandersinpoland.be
Vienna
David Maenaut (until 1/9/2019)
Koen Haverbeke (from 1/9/2019)
General Representative of the Government
of Flanders in Central and South-
Eastern Europe
Elisabethstrasse 16, Tür 11
1010 Vienna
Austria
david.maenaut@flanders.eu
vienna@flanders.eu
www.flanders.cz | www.flanders.at
www.flanders.hu
For further details: www.fdfa.be/nl/diplomatie
33

Flemish houses
Flanders also has two Flemish Houses and several offices abroad. These houses and
offices are at the service of Flemish people and companies, and promote Flanders
abroad as a tourist and economically important region.
Flanders House New York
The New York Times Building
620 Eighth Avenue, 44th Floor
New York, NY 10018
info@flandershouse.org
flandersintheusa.org
Flanders Arts Japan
www.facebook.com/ArtsFlandersJapan
In these Flemish Houses there is no
political representation but only a cultural
representation.
Saint Petersburg
Vancouver
Montreal
Chicago
Palo Alto
New York
Los Angeles Atlanta
Houston
Mexico City
Havana
Panama City
Bogota
Lima
Moscow Nizhny Novgorod
Almaty
Istanbul
Tashkent
Tehran
Beijing
Beirut
Seoul
Algiers Tel Aviv
Tokyo
Casablanca
Islamabad
Cairo
Kuwait
Shanghai
Doha
Riyadh Dubai New Delhi Guangzhou
Taipei
Abu Dhabi
Mumbai Hanoi Hong Kong
Yangon
Manila
Bangalore
Bangkok
Abidjan
Addis Ababa
Accra
Colombo
Kuala Lumpur
Nairobi
Singapore
Kinshasa
Jakarta
Luanda
São Paulo
Johannesburg
Oslo
Helsinki
Santiago
Stockholm
Buenos Aires
Montevideo
Edinburgh
Copenhagen
Dublin
Berlin
London The Hague
Lille
Cologne
Luxembourg
Paris
Stuttgart
Zürich
Lyon
Bordeaux Milan
Barcelona
Madrid
Lisbon
Warsaw
Poznan
Prague
Vilnius
Kiev
Vienna Budapest
Ljubljana
Zagreb
Bucharest
Belgrade
Sofia
Rome
Athens
Melbourne
Christchurch
34

Offices abroad
Flanders has more than 90 offices abroad.
Do not hesitate to drop by if you are in the area.
VISITFLANDERS Offices
VISITFLANDERS has 14 foreign
offices in 'focus markets' and
in 'future markets'.
The Netherlands
Toerisme Vlaanderen-Brussel
Koninginnegracht 86
2514 AJ The Hague
info@toerismevlaanderen.nl
www.toerismevlaanderen.nl
Germany
VISITFLANDERS
Stolkgasse 25 – 45
50667 Cologne
info.de@visitflanders.com
www.visitflanders.de
France
Tourisme Belgique Flandre-Bruxelles
6, rue Euler
75008 Paris
france@visitflanders.com
www.tourismebelgique.com
United Kingdom
Tourism Flanders Brussels
Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden,
Norway)
Belgian Tourist Office Flanders-Brussels
Grasmarkt 61
1000 Brussel
danmark@visitflanders.com
sverige@visitflanders.com
www.belgien.dk (Denmark)
www.belgien.nu (Sweden)
Italy
Turismo Fiandre, Bruxelles, Belgio
Piazza Santa Maria Beltrade 2
20123 Milano
italia@visitflanders.com
www.turismofiandre.it
Spain
Turismo de Bélgica: Flandes y Bruselas
World Trade Center
Moll de Barcelona
Edificio Este, Planta 6°
08039 Barcelona
espana@visitflanders.com
www.flandes.net
Flanders House
1a Cavendish Square
London W1G OLD
enquiries@visitflanders.com
www.visitflanders.co.uk
35

Central Europe
Tourismuswerbung Flandern-Brüssel
Elisabethstrasse 16 / 11
1010 Vienna
office.at@visitflanders.com
www.flandern.at
United States
Tourist Office for Flanders,
Belgium – New York Office
The New York Times Building
620 Eight Avenue
44th Floor
New York, NY 10018
us@visitflanders.com
www.visitflanders.com
Canada
Toerism Office of Flanders & Brussels
(Belgium)
Represented by Group ATN Consulting
814-77 Finch Ave. East
Toronto, ONT M2N6H8
Canada
www.visitflanders.com
Japan
Tourist Office for Flanders,
Belgium – Tokyo Office
NK Shinwa Bldg. 5F
5-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 102-0083
japan@visitflanders.com
www.visitflanders.jp
China
Tourist Office for Flanders & Brussels |
Belgium
Unit 1-1107
No. 21 Gong Ti Bei Lu
Chaoyang District
Beijing 100027
PR China
www.visitflanders.com
Russia
Tourist Office for Flanders and Brussels
Represented by TMI Consultancy
Trubnaya 12
107045 Moscow
Russia
flanders@tmiconsultancy.com
www.visitflanders.ru
India
Tourist Office for Flanders – New Delhi
Office
Represented by Mileage Communications
Pvt. Ltd
261 (First Floor) Lane 5
Westend Marg, Said-Ul-Ajaib
New Delhi 110030 INDIA
india@visitflanders.com
www.visitflanders.in
Tourist Office for Flanders – Mumbai
Office
Represented by Mileage Communications
Pvt. Ltd
306, Morya Estate,
Opposite Infinity Mall,
New Link Road,
Veer Desai Industrial Estate,
Andheri (West)
Mumbai - 400 053
india@visitflanders.com
www.visitflanders.in
36

Offices of the Flemish Centre for Agro and Fisheries Marketing
The Flemish Center for Agro and Fisheries Marketing (VLAM) has two offices:
VLAM - Germany, Northern and Eastern Europe
Koen Vanswijgenhoven
Regional manager
koen.vanswijgenhoven@vlam.be
www.vlam.be
VLAM - France and Southern Europe
Vanessa Ringler
Regional manager
vanessa.ringler@vlam.be
www.vlam.be
Offices of the Department of Foreign Affairs
The Department of Foreign Affairs operates foreign offices in Prague (Czech Republic),
Budapest (Hungary), Lilongwe (Malawi) and Maputo (Mozambique).
Flemish Culture House De Brakke Grond
Flemish Cultural House De Brakke Grond brings contemporary, distinctive art from
Flanders to Amsterdam and the rest of the Netherlands. Innovation, cultural crossover,
making connections and artistic daring are its driving forces. From visual art,
literature, dance and theatre to music, performance, film, design, fashion, architecture,
documentary and new media. Anything that’s on the mind of the Low Countries
is on the schedule of de Brakke Grond.
Flemish Cultural House De Brakke Grond
Nes 45
1012 KD Amsterdam
the Netherlands
www.brakkegrond.nl
37

Offices of Flanders Investment & Trade
Flanders Investment & Trade is an important player in the international economic
policy of Flanders in Europe and the world. The agency has more than 70 offices
around the world (supplemented by some 20 offices of Wallonia and Brussels),
where Flemish Economic Representatives and technology attachés provide
assistance.
View the worldwide network of offices on the overview map in the middle of this
publication and on page 34.
For further details: www.flandersinvestmentandtrade.com
The offices of Flanders Investment & Trade are located in the
following countries:
A
Botswana
Cuba
G
Afghanistan
Brazil
Cyprus
Gabon
Albania
Brunei
Czech Republic
Gambia
Algeria
Andorra
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
D
Georgia
Germany
Angola
Burundi
Denmark
Ghana
Argentina
Armenia
C
Djibouti
Dominican
Greece
Guatemala
Australia
Austria
Cambodia
Canada
E
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Azerbaijan
Central African
Ecuador
Guyana
B
Republic
Cameroon
Egypt
El Salvador
H
Bahamas
Cape Verde
Eritrea
Haiti
Bahrain
Chad
Estonia
Honduras
Bangladesh
Chili
Ethiopia
Hungary
Belarus
Benin
Bhutan
China
Colombia
Congo
F
Fiji
Hong Kong
I
Bolivia
Cook Islands
Finland
Ireland
Bosnia and Herzego-
Costa Rica
France
Iceland
vina
Croatia
India
38

Indonesia
Morocco
R
Trinidad and Tobago
Iraq
Mauritania
Republic of the
Tunisia
Iran
Mauritius
Congo
Turkey
Israel
Mexico
Romania
Turkmenistan
Italy
Ivory Coast
Moldova
Monaco
Russia
Rwanda
U
J
Mongolia
Montenegro
S
Uganda
Ukraine
Jamaica
Mozambique
San Marino
United Arab Emi-
Japan
Myanmar
Sao Tomé and Prin-
rates
Jordan
K
N
Namibia
cipe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Kazakhstan
Nepal
Serbia
Uzbekistan
Kenya
Kyrgyzstan
Nicaragua
New Zealand
Sierra Leone
Singapore
V
Kuwait
Niger
Slovakia
Vatican City
Kosovo
Nigeria
Slovenia
Venezuela
L
Laos
Lesotho
North Korea
Norway
O
Sudan
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
Vietnam
Y
Yemen
Latvia
Lebanon
Liberia
Oman
P
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
Z
Zambia
Libya
Pakistan
Surinam
Zimbabwe
Liechtenstein
Palau
Swaziland
Lithuania
Palestine
Sweden
Luxembourg
Panama
Switzerland
M
Macau
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Syria
T
Macedonia
Philippines
Tajikistan
Madagascar
Poland
Taiwan
Malawi
Portugal
Tanzania
Maldives
Malaysia
Q
Thailand
The Netherlands
Mali
Qatar
Timor-Leste
Malta
Togo
39

40

41

Colophon
Editors: Directorate for Public Relations, Information
and Communication
Coordination and final editing: Dries Bergen,
Gert Van Tittelboom
Design: Karakters, Ghent
Printing: Artoos, Kampenhout
Date of publication: 21 January 2019
Publisher: Secretary General Martine Goossens
Legal Deposit: D/2019/3933/8
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