Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium, Representative of His Majesty the King, and a delegation of more than 200 representatives of business and state are in British Columbia Oct. 24-28 for a Western Canada Belgian Economic Mission, Minister of International Trade Teresa Wat announced today.

“It is an honour and a privilege to welcome Her Royal Highness and this entire delegation,” said Wat. “We enjoy excellent bilateral relations with Belgium, and I’m confident this visit will only strengthen those ties and foster even greater cooperation between us.”

“I am really looking forward to our visit in British Columbia,” said His Excellency Raoul Delcorde, Belgian Ambassador to Canada. “This is a very timely economic mission because of the new perspectives that the Canada-EU free trade agreement is going to open. British Columbia could become a bridge for our Belgian companies wanting to develop their operations in the Asia-Pacific region, and Belgium could become a bridge to Europe’s large market for many companies from British Columbia.”

(flickr.com)

The delegation includes Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs, Didier Reynders, as well as ministerial representatives from the regional governments of Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels-Capital Region. The mission also includes representation from Belgian ports, chambers of commerce and more than 100 businesses ranging from LNG shipping and infrastructure, high technology, film, biopharmaceutical research and development, agriculture and manufacturing.

The mission is organized by Belgium’s Foreign Trade Agency with the purpose of expanding trade and investment opportunities with B.C. industry. The delegation will participate in a number of sector-based seminars and workshops including visits to local enterprises such as the Vancouver Aquarium, Ballard Power Systems, Alpha Technologies and ASCO Aerospace Canada.  

“British Columbia continues to attract significant interest from investors around the world,” said Wat. “We are an important gateway to North America, and combined with our strong fiscal management and stable economic outlook, we offer the diversity, discipline and potential for growth that investors demand.”

During the mission Princess Astrid will also bestow Wat with the Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown, one of the highest decorations from the Kingdom of Belgium.

Quick Facts:

• The mission includes stops in Vancouver and Calgary.
• The European Union is B.C.’s fifth-largest export market and the Port of Antwerp is a major point of entry for Canadian goods in Europe.
• Belgium is a strong supporter of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and its strategic location at the political heart of Europe gives access to a potential market of 500 million people.
• Canadian and Belgian ties are rooted in history as Canada took an active role in the liberation of Belgium during the First and Second World Wars.
• According to the 2011 census, about 19,000 British Columbians identify as having Belgian ancestry.

Learn More:

For more information on the Belgian Economic Mission visit http://www.belgianeconomicmission.be, follow along on Twitter using #BEmissionCAN or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/belgianeconomicmission   

Belgian Embassy in Ottawa: http://countries.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/canada/

Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/organizational-structure/ministries-organizations/central-government-agencies/intergovernmental-relations-secretariat