I wish all of you and all you hold dear, a happy, healthy and successful May you all prosper, both in your private and your professional lives.

Transcription

1 1 Speech by Flemish Minister-President Geert BOURGEOIS New Year s reception for the diplomatic corps Brussels, 18 January 2016 Excellencies, Dear Guests, It is a great pleasure, at the start of the new year, to welcome you in such large numbers to the Academy Palace. I wish all of you and all you hold dear, a happy, healthy and successful May you all prosper, both in your private and your professional lives.

2 2 The year that the homeland disappeared. This is how the Flemish magazine Knack described 2015 in its leading article. It is a whimsical title, but it is certainly true that there can be no home without an abroad. It is the international context that increasingly sets the national agenda. Whether the issue is - Syria fighters from our own country, - the Jihad terror in Paris, - a country torn in two like Ukraine, - the civil war in Burundi or - global warming. International organisations, countries and also the federated states must think carefully of their role, both in the short term and the long. Flanders does not participate in military operations, but has the authority and the duty to operate in depth.

3 3 Eliminating the horrific regime of IS is one issue. We will then be faced with the reconstruction of Syria. That will be a long process and one that will attract little media attention, for the broadcasters will be long gone to another part of the world. It will then be about building houses and infrastructure. But also about the social fabric, healthcare and education. And it will also be about a humane repatriation policy. At the same time it will be about individual rights and about social coexistence, about traumas and how we can relate to each other in mutual respect. The Government of Flanders is focusing on a number of issues in its international policy: - a policy on development cooperation, involving 1.7 million euros in emergency aid last year - a memorandum on human rights - a conscientious trade and weapons export policy - the promotion of dialogue and the concept of peace in all our international relationships - an active contribution to Belgian international positions whereby we will add weight to European foreign policy.

4 4 Ladies and gentlemen, With the Schengen Treaty, our internal borders disappeared. If we wish to retain the Schengen zone, we will have to make rapid progress towards a strong communal European migration and external border policy. The European compromise at the end of last year, which is again under review following the violent events in Cologne, is based on a European Corps of Border Guards. Political refugees must be received at hotspots, closed institutions at the external borders. Under the terms of the Geneva Convention, we must provide temporary shelter to war refugees. The last step is a European distribution of the refugees who are allowed to enter. Europe must also work on a humane repatriation policy. Only some of the asylum seekers are fleeing war or persecution. We will only be able to stop the chaotic flows of refugees with structural measures.

5 5 In this way Europe can once again have a controlled grip on our external borders and a clear view of who enters this unique Union of freedom and shared Enlightenment ideals. At Flemish level, our focus lies on the integration and civic integration of newcomers. From this year, the Government of Flanders will no longer consider the integration of newcomers as a best efforts obligation, but rather as a commitment to achieve results. Knowledge of our language, understanding and respect for our society, together with education, are the most essential conditions for a hopeful future, with prospects of work and better civic and social integration. This year, my government will further develop these essential points and others in a vision document on the future of the EU. We must not allow our fundamental rights and freedoms to be affected or attacked. Our European democracy must become more assertive and more resilient.

6 6 Our democracy, -our rule of law, -our fundamental rights and freedoms form the foundation of our society. We require that every newcomer sincerely accepts the values and norms of our society. Social cohesion is impossible without the shared values of the Enlightenment. And without these values a shared society with a divided past is not possible.

7 7 Ladies and gentlemen, At the end of last year, the Government of Flanders developed its future vision The vision assumes a number of strengths, a clear transition for Flanders, linked to a strong optimism in progress. The federated state of Flanders has an interesting geographic position in Europe. It makes this region a logistical hub and the gateway to Europe for international flows of knowledge, people and goods. The open character of the Flemish economy is an important strength. In our small Flanders, companies are located close together. In addition, the various internationally reputed knowledge centres and researchers who collaborate with the companies are a driving force behind innovations.

8 8 We believe in the triple helix, a collaboration between the business community, research centres and government, which should result in a smarter, competitive economy may seem far away, but the children born today will only be 35 years old by then. The ambition is significant, for we want a social, open, resilient and international Flanders that creates prosperity and welfare in a smart, innovative and sustainable way and in which everybody counts. We are setting to work on seven transition projects: - coping with and being ready for disruptive innovations - making the leap to Industry lifelong learning and helping everyone to obtain a job - the development of a demographic strategy and work on care and welfare persisting in the transition to a circular economy - working on a smooth and safe mobility system and - investing in the transition to a low-carbon energy system.

9 9 This vision of the future is focused on Flanders, but is fully in line with the sustainable development objectives for 2030 of the United Nations. Excellencies, I said earlier that there can be no home without an abroad. That is why Flanders is strengthening its international policy. With a view to greater coherence, I am currently preparing the transformation of the Flanders Department of Foreign Affairs into a real Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In recent years, the Government of Flanders has forged a foreign policy step by step with its own Flemish instruments. For example, Flanders has a network of diplomats abroad that will be extended further during this term of office. This year, I will announce the opening of a new post. The Flanders Investment and Trade Agency has its own foreign network with more than a hundred offices. Changes will be taking place there too.

10 10 I will make use of my visit to the three Baltic states between 9 and 12 May to open a new office in Vilnius. In the Americas, new offices will be established in Lima (Peru) and Houston in the United States, together with satellite offices in Vancouver (Canada) and Panama or San José (Costa Rica). In Africa, Flanders Investment and Trade will be strengthening its presence with a new office in Lagos (Nigeria). And finally, in Asia, a new office will be established in Yangon (Myanmar) and satellite offices in Kuwait and in Chongqing or Shenzhen in China. Ladies and gentlemen, The internationalisation of the Flemish economy is a top priority for the Government of Flanders. Internationalisation is the lifeline of the Flemish economy, not just for companies that do business internationally, but also for the Flemish economy that needs foreign investors.

11 11 We fully realise that, in the current global context in which Europe is becoming an increasingly smaller trade zone, we have to move up a gear if we are to remain competitive. We must anticipate future trends. How, for example, can we participate in the circular economy or bio-economy? What strengths can we deploy to make us leaders in the manufacturing industry? What will our logistics look like in 2050? We must take our strengths to a higher level and bring in the missing links. We must remove as many obstacles as possible for the business community, whether in Flanders, in Belgium or internationally. The internationalisation of our federated state must be given added impetus. In recent months we have brought together civil society associations, strategic research centres, industrial fora and companies in order to identify themes and ways of accelerating internationalisation. On 25 January we are holding the Flanders International Economic Summit in the Flemish Parliament with everybody who has participated in this process.

12 12 There I will propose the strategy and give the starting signal for a closer collaboration between the many partners in order to place Flanders even more firmly on the international map. Excellencies, Just as I did last year, I will again accompany a number of missions in I will, for example, visit India between 24 and 29 April. The programme includes the cities of Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore, with a special focus on clean technology, smart city infrastructure and hightech. This week there is the World Economic Forum in Davos. I am looking forward to attending the seminars, but also to meeting the many CEOs of companies that have links with Flanders. In October last year, together with the Dutch Minister- President Mark Rutte, I led an economic mission to Atlanta and the State of Georgia. The Government of Flanders desires an ambitious trade agreement between the European Union and the United States.

13 13 We are closely monitoring the negotiations and are hoping for a satisfactory result at the end of this year. It is important to show sufficient openness and not only promote the defensive European interests but especially the offensive ones. Last Tuesday I had a meeting about this with Trade Commissioner Malmström. The content and the implementation of the agreement are more important here than the speed of the negotiations. - Improvement of market access, - curbing trade obstacles, - common rules and - making regulatory systems compatible will form a win-win situation. These are things we cannot afford to neglect in the interests of our companies - in particular our small and medium-sized enterprises - and our citizens. At the same time, Flanders wishes to continue to regulate the social and environmental policy through its own legislation, and will adhere to its standpoint concerning audiovisual services, cultural diversity and language diversity.

14 14 Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, I want to express my great appreciation of your activities in our country. The demands made of diplomats in this volatile world are high and will undoubtedly increase. In that sense I look back with a certain nostalgia to an instruction that was issued more than a hundred years ago by a European Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The councellors and assistants of the foreign office are kindly requested to structure their working hours so as to be able to enter their offices no later than by noon. I should like to raise my glass with you to our collaboration and friendship and to a happy and prosperous 2016.