International

Belgium, the 18th happiest country in the world

17 March 2016

Compared to 2015, Belgium has gone up one place in the ranking and is now 18th in the World Happiness Report (WHR), compiled by the Earth Institute of the renowned University of Columbia.

KU Leuven, 12th best European university

11 March 2016

Seven Belgian universities appear in the list of the 200 best universities in Europe, according to the British Times Higher Education (THE) ranking 2015-2016.

Belgian agriculture project in Rwanda in top 10

10 March 2016

An agriculture project of the Belgian development cooperation has finished among the ten best projects in the international OECD contest 'Taking development innovation to scale'.

Belgium retains digital strength

25 February 2016

Belgium has achieved for the second year running 5th place in the European Commission's 'Digital Economy & Society Index' (DESI).

Brussels ensures a good quality of life (for expatriates)

24 February 2016

A recent study presented by the consultancy company Mercer shows that Brussels ensures an excellent quality of life. Among 230 examined cities all over the world, the Belgian capital ranks 21st.

A small country with big ambitions!

Covering some 30,000 km², Belgium is not a big country but through its history and its geographic location it has always held an important place in the world, aware that without bridges to others, it would be unrealistic to want to build a fairer and more prosperous world.

For Belgium, effective action on crucial issues such as peace and security, human rights and the promotion of the rule of law, can only be carried out in a multilateral context. Belgium is therefore a founding Member State of many of the great international institutions such as the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the Council of Europe.

Belgium makes a significant contribution to the work of these institutions, while Brussels is home to the headquarters of several of them and many Belgian politicians have assumed important responsibilities while heading up such organisations.

Minister Hadja Lahbib

Based on the open and pragmatic Belgian character, Belgian foreign policy covers universal values, focused on democracy, dialogue and regional integration between countries that may have been in conflict. So as human rights improve and poverty declines and a country opens up to a democratic process, if the economy picks up, development cooperation and economic action can be complementary!

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