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NEWS & PUBLICATIONSBelgium Today April 2011SUPPORT TO COALITION EFFORT IN LIBYA When the Libyan revolution turned violent and Libyan leader Muammar Kadhafi decided to use unlawful force against his own people, Belgium immediately decided to be part of the international coalition in support of the people of Libya and their democratic right to protest. Belgium is providing political, financial and military support. After the adoption of Resolution 1970 by the United Nations Security Council on February 26, the EU decided to impose sanctions on Colonel Kadhafi, his entourage and those involved in seriously violating human rights in Libya. Belgium, together with the other member states of the EU, agreed to expand the sanctions adopted by the UN (travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo) with autonomous European measures. The Belgian institutions have in the meantime taken the necessary measures to ensure that the UN and EU sanctions are strictly applied in Belgium. On March 7, in an effort coordinated by UNHCR, Belgium dispatched its Airbus A330-300 to Djerba, Tunisia, to help repatriate refugees who fled Libya. With this initiative, Belgium reacted to a request by the European Union to help the thousands of refugees who fled Libya after the Libyan government’s violent crackdown on demonstrations. The Belgian government also made a contribution of 1 million Euros to the International Red Cross. “Kadhafi has to relinguish power,” says Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Steven Vanackere; “We wish to see the installation of democracy and rule of law in Libya. ” Belgium welcomes the declaration of the Libyan Transitional National Council of March 22nd and the promise to build a democratic state based on ‘rule of law’ with respect for human rights, gender equality and religious tolerance. Together with the other nations of the coalition of the willing, the Belgian parliament has unanimously (except for one abstention) decided to support the international effort to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya. In accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1973, Belgium has deployed six F-16 fighter planes. These F-16’s flew their first mission to enforce the no-fly zone over Libya on March 21st. Their operating base is Araxos, Greece. In addition, the Belgian Naval component deployed the minehunter Narcis (M923) to the Mediterranean to provide support to the coalition effort. The goal of this international mission is clear: the protection of the Libyan civilian population by putting in practice the principle of ‘responsibility to protect.’ Horses are not a very common sight on the front lawn of Ambassadors' residences, at least not in Washington, not in the 21st century, and certainly not draft horses. But there it was on March 8, a beautiful Clydesdale proudly standing outside the Belgian residence. Coming from nearby stables, the well mannered equine gallantly allowed many reception-goers to be photographed next to it, not letting itself be impressed by the evening's guests, which included Members of Congress, familiar faces of the Washington pro sports scene (Redskins, Wizards, Capitals!) and the crème de la crème of local public affairs, advertising and distribution. What was the occasion behind this rather unusual presence? Anheuser-Busch and St Louis, Missouri, of course… The Ambassador and Mrs. Matthysen were that night welcoming Carlos Brito, CEO of A-B InBev, and his guests, for what one of the participants aptly called the “very happy marriage of Bud and Stella”! As Mr. Brito reminded the guests in his address, A-B and Belgium’s InBev has indeed been an unmitigated success on both sides of the Atlantic, giving birth to the world’s largest brewer, one of the planet’s top 5 consumer brands, and a stronger and stronger single enterprise culture. And, if he did not give away the secret recipes of some of the group’s most admired brews (Belle-Vue, Leffe, Hoegaarden…), he at least revealed some of the recipes of the merger’s success, including the blend of Belgian tradition - with Stella’s origins going back to 1366-- and the American corporate responsibility record and global consumer appeal - with Budweiser Lager currently groomed to become A-B InBev’s global signature brand. Having been greeted by Ambassador Matthysen as one of the world’s captains of industry, and having humorously rejoiced at having 100% of market share in the Residence that evening, Mr. Brito went on to praise both the yeasty beverage (“beer has 600 aromas and flavors, wine only 400”) and his adoptive country, where Leuven remains the global headquarters of the group, with New York and St. Louis as major U.S. centers. Beer and Belgium are very often identified with one another. And quite rightly so. According to a recent article in the Brussels paper La Dernière Heure, the sector employs 10,900 workers. It represents a domestic market of circa €1 billion, and is one of the country’s most successful exports, with 38% going to France, 18% to the Netherlands, and 13% to the U.S. in 2009. BELGIUM SIGNS INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT WITH WORLD BANK On March 17, Belgian Ambassador Jan Matthysen and World Bank Institute (WBI) Vice President Sandjay Pradhan signed a new partnership agreement through which Belgium will contribute 1.7 million euros towards the implementation of WBI's new strategy. This strategy defines the new role of WBI as a global connector for knowledge, learning and innovation and a local enabler of change for results. In his remarks, Ambassador Matthysen said that he considered this innovative approach as a possible example for future collaboration with the World Bank. In reply, Vice President Pradhan stressed that Belgium and the WBI have an historic relationship and announced an upcoming event, in collaboration with the Belgian government, to entice other donors to join the strategic funding initiative. BIOMETRIC DATA NOW REQUIRED FOR VISA Beginning in April, the Embassy and Consulates general will require biometric data (digital fingerprints and a digital photograph) of all Schengen visa applicants, irrespective of their place of residence or nationality. To comply with this new identification procedure, applicants must present their visa application in person and be fingerprinted and photographed at that time. The visa process will be based on the same documents as in the past. The new identification process will have no effect on the issuance or the date of delivery of the visa. This new measure is part of a more extensive European project which aims to create a database containing biometric and alphanumeric information on visa applicants that will be shared by the Schengen Member States. Children under the age of 12 and persons for whom fingerprinting is physically impossible will be exempt from the fingerprint requirement. For all others, a refusal to provide the requested biometric data will lead to the visa application being put on hold, or even rejected. Read the brochure In 2010, Belgian Embassy Chef Jan Van Haute was the winner of Cultural Tourism DC's Embassy Chef Challenge, earning him the privilege to judge this year's Embassy Chef Challenge, scheduled on April 12 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Leading up to that event was another friendly chef competition, "Challenge Belgium," a cook-off that took place in the kitchens of the World Bank on March 26. Ten competing chefs each received a salmon and a basket of surprise ingredients drawn from Belgian cuisine, including North Sea shrimp, Tierenteyn mustard, Brussels sprouts, endives, mussels and beer. Van Haute was impressed with the results: "It was very nice to see other chefs adapting Belgian ingredients to the cuisine of their own culture." The winner of Challenge Belgium will be announced on the night of the Embassy Chef Challenge.
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