Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union of 12 July: conclusions

On Monday 12 July, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sophie Wilmès, and her European counterparts met in Brussels for the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting. Meeting with Yair Lapid, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel In the afternoon, the EU Foreign Ministers also had an exchange of views with their new Israeli counterpart, Mr Yair Lapid, who was on his first visit to Brussels. The discussion focused on EU-Israel bilateral relations, on the regional issues of…


Eighteen countries unite at Belgium's initiative to defend LGBTIQ rights in Europe

18 European Union Member States, at the initiative of Belgium, expressed their deep concern in a joint declaration about the adoption by the Hungarian Parliament of amendments that discriminate against LGBTIQ people and violate the right to freedom of expression under the pretext of protecting children. Member States condemn the new legislation as a blatant form of discrimination and stigmatization of LGBTIQ people based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. The legislation…


Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union of 21 June: conclusions

On Monday 21 June, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sophie Wilmès, met her European counterparts in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for a Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting. The Council was preceded by a working meeting with Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. During the Council, the ministers had the opportunity to discuss developments in Belarus at length. They also discussed the situation in Iraq in the presence of their Iraqi counterparts.…


Report on the bilateral visit to Spain

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès made a bilateral visit to Spain on Wednesday 2 June. In 2021, Belgium and Spain are celebrating the centenary of their respective embassies in Madrid and Brussels. “I am convinced that this momentum will give new impetus to our bilateral relations and further strengthen them,” said Sophie Wilmès. The mission began with a visit to the first (and only) proton therapy centre in Spain, a site belonging to the private…


NATO June Summit Preparatory Ministerial meeting: Conclusions

On Tuesday 1 June, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sophie Wilmès, participated in a video conference at the NATO Foreign Affairs Ministerial meeting, which sought to prepare the discussions of the Summit of Heads of State and Government on 14 June in Brussels, and in particular the actions that will be implemented within the framework of the NATO 2030 initiative to strengthen the alliance and prepare it for the security challenges of the future. As a reminder, last…


Informal Council of the European Foreign Affairs Ministers of 27 May: conclusions

This Thursday 27 May, at the invitation of the Portuguese Presidency, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sophie Wilmès, joined her European colleagues at the informal half-yearly Council (Gymnich) in Lisbon. The ministers had the opportunity – in the presence of their Jordanian counterpart – to discuss topical issues such as the Middle East peace process and the situation in Belarus. Other issues discussed included relations between the European Union…


Meeting with Honduran Ministers H.E. Lisandro Rosales Banegas and H.E. Carlos Alberto Madero Erazo, and Deputy Minister H.E. Karen Alejandra Najarro Bonilla

This Wednesday 26 May, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sophie Wilmès, met three Honduran Ministers during their visit to Europe: the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Lisandro Rosales Banegas, the Minister for General Governmental Coordination of the Republic of Honduras, Mr Carlos Alberto Madero Erazo, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ms Karen Alejandra Najarro Bonilla. The meeting was marked by the…


Meeting with the President of Niger, H.E. Mohamed Bazoum

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès, Minister of Defence Ludivine Dedonder and Minister of Development Co-operation Meryame Kitir held a meeting today, Thursday 20 May, with the president of the Republic of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, who is currently visiting our country. The meeting was attended by Nigerian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Development Co-operation, Mr Hassoumi Massaoudou, and the Nigerian Finance minister, Mr Ahmat Jidoud. The meeting was an…


Israel/Palestine conflict: Belgium is demanding an immediate cessation of the hostilities and a more proactive Europe with respect to resolving the conflict

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sophie Wilmès attended the extraordinary sitting of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) on 18 May which was organised as a result of the escalation in violence in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. This topic was discussed with High Representative Borrell last Saturday. This meeting offered Belgium an opportunity to express its profound concern regarding the intense escalation in violence, which has resulted in civilian deaths, including…


Declaration of fourteen European Member States on the protection of LGBTIQ persons in the European Union

Declaration of Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden.   On this International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, we could not be gathered without strongly expressing our attachment to what is the bedrock of the European Union: our common fundamental values, enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union. Among them, the principle of equality prohibits any form of discrimination or…