The Belgo-British Conference is a recurring conference organised by the Belgian Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Egmont Institute and the British Council.Belgo-British Conference Programme 2012
The aim of the conference is to enrich bilateral relations by bringing together politicians, business people, academics, journalists, and other opinion-formers to debate themes of common and crucial importance to Belgium and the United Kingdom.
History The Belgo-British Conference was first held in 2000, having been an idea discussed by Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, when they met for the first time in Downing Street in November 1999.
The first edition took place in Bruges in 2000. The location of the conference would alternate annually between the United Kingdom and Belgium and takes place under the Chatham House Rule. After the fifteenth edition in 2014, the conference was stopped being held until it was reinvigorated in 2022.
The Belgo-British Conference is currently chaired by Sir Robin Niblett (Director and Chief Executive of Chatham House) and Ambassador Johan Verbeke (former Belgian Ambassador to the UK), who preside over a board which agrees the theme of the conference. Previous chairs include Sir Stephen Wall, Ambassador Lode Willems, André Villeneuve, Count Georges Jacobs de Hagen, Baron Paul Buysse and Lord Simon of Highbury.
Editions Year Date Location Theme 2000 19–21 October Bruges None 2001 25–26 October London None 2002 3–5 October Val-Duchesse Castle, Brussels None 2003 16–18 October Royal Society, Edinburgh Changing Europe in a Changing World 2004 25–27 November Royal Theatre, Namur Ensuring Europe's Prosperity – Building Bridges 2005 20–22 October Locarno Rooms, London 2020 – A new horizon for Europe 2006 16–17 October Val-Duchesse Castle, Brussels Globalisation and the Citizen 2007 13–14 November Lancaster House, London Bridges Across The Channel 2008 12–13 November Egmont Palace, Brussels Natural Resources: Challenges and Opportunities 2009 18–19 November British Council, London Innovating our Way out of the Crisis 2010 19–20 October Egmont Palace, Brussels Player or Spectator? Europe in Tomorrow's World 2011 17–18 October Lancaster House, London Employment and Growth 2012 8–9 November Egmont Palace, Brussels Two Countries, How many Europes? A Belgo-British Dialogue 2013 10–11 October Lancaster House, London History and Reconciliation: Engaging a New Generation 2014 20–21 November Egmont Palace, Brussels Creation and Business 2022 1 July Locarno Rooms, London The UK-Belgium Relationship in a Changing Geopolitical Context
References
External links Belgian Embassy to the UK Belgian Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs Egmont Institute British Embassy to Belgium British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office British Council in Brussels