News

This Thursday 21 January, Dorien Nijs will travel to Strasbourg and the European Parliament where she will present Belgium's citizens' panel recommendations at the plenary session (21 and 22 January) of the Conference on the future of Europe. Sophie Wilmès, in her capacity as Minister for European Affairs, was  present at the Brussels-Midi railway station this morning to express her support and wish her good luck.

Faced with its colonial past in Central Africa, Belgium has decided to embark on a necessary journey of research, truth and memory. The research project concerning the segregation suffered by the metis from Belgian colonization for the implementation of the parliamentary resolution 'Metis' is taking place in two phases. After a first phase, which started on September 1, 2019, a cooperation agreement has just been concluded between the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development…

On Tuesday 14 December, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of European Affairs Sophie Wilmès and her counterparts met for a General Affairs Council (GAC). In particular, they prepared the agenda for the European Council (16 December) and discussed the extension, stabilisation and association process as well as the Article 7 procedure in progress against Poland and Hungary.

On Monday 13 December, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sophie Wilmès, met with her European counterparts in Brussels for a Foreign Affairs Council (FAC).

On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès and Minister for Development Cooperation Meryame Kitir reiterate Belgium's commitment to the protection and promotion of all human rights for everyone.

Intervention by Sophie Wilmès, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade during the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2021, hosted by the Republic of Korea on 7-8 December 2021. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès visited Riga (Latvia) for a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers. The ministerial meeting lasted two days (see press release NATO Riga Ministerial meeting: conclusions (Day 1)). 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès visited Riga (Latvia) for a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers. This political consultation between the Allies was necessary in view of the recent deployment of Russian forces close to Ukraine's borders, but also given the current situation in Belarus, where the Lukashenko regime is using migration as a tool to put pressure on the European Union. 

25 November 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the international campaign '16 days of activism against gender-based violence'. This campaign runs from 25 November (International Day against Violence against Women) to 10 December (International Human Rights Day) and aims at eradicating violence against women and girls worldwide.

The European Union Ministers for Defence and Foreign Affairs discussed the first version of the European Union Strategic Compass on Monday evening. In the face of increasing global competition and growing threats, the EU must develop into a reliable and credible security player, which takes greater responsibility and is able to act autonomously in cooperation with partners and where necessary.