France: more than just Burgundians

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Photo of the royal couple viewing some paintings with President Macron and his wife

Our royal couple visited an exhibition about Louise d'Orléans - first Queen of the Belgians and great-great-grandmother of King Philippe - together with President Macron and his wife (© FPS Foreign Affairs).

The state visit to France (from 14 to 16 October 2024) has strengthened ties with our neighbour to the south. High-level political contacts took place in a cordial atmosphere and much attention was paid to defence, industrial policy and the energy transition.

Belgium and France share a long common history. Recently, the author Bart Van Loo enthusiastically brought to light the ties that existed between us in the Burgundian era (14th and 15th centuries). That was the reason why the popular writer was one of the guests at the state banquet offered by French President Macron in honour of the Belgian royal couple.
 

Louise d'Orléans


But ties that bind the two countries together go back much further than that. The first example that comes to mind is Clovis (465-511), the first king of the Franks, who, from his power base in the Tournai region, successfully united all of the Frankish tribes under one ruler.

And did you know that the very first Queen of the Belgians, Louise d'Orléans, was a daughter of the French king? During the state visit, our royal couple had the honour of visiting the pre-première of an exhibition at the Château de Chantilly that was dedicated to Louise, the great-great-great-grandmother of King Philippe.

Both Belgium and France also suffered immensely as a result of the two World Wars. The two heads of state therefore laid a wreath of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe. In doing so, they wanted to pay tribute to all members of the armed forces who, throughout history, have died to uphold our freedom and democracy.

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Photo of King Philip and President Macron laying a floral wreath while numerous military personnel look on

King Philippe and President Macron pay tribute to all the soldiers who have died for our freedom and democracy throughout history (© FPS Foreign Affairs).

A natural alliance


France and Belgium have such a natural, self-evident alliance that it can seem all too obvious at times. Still, it remains necessary – as with any good friendship – to regularly tighten and further strengthen the ties. A state visit therefore provides an excellent opportunity to cement that alliance.

After all, the last time that a Belgian royal couple – on that occasion, King Albert and Queen Paola – made an official visit to our southern neighbour was back in 2003. President Macron and his wife visited our country in 2018.
 

Regions and communities


During a state visit, the focus primarily lies upon the heads of state and political contacts. Obviously, meetings took place with the French president, but equally with figures such as the French Prime Minister Michel Barnier, the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo and the Mayor of Lille Martine Aubry.

But as during all state visits, the royal couple is always accompanied by other leading figures from Belgium. In this case, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib and the minister-presidents of the various community and regional governments, among others. The federal government and the communities and regions therefore also have the opportunity to establish contacts. This is certainly useful, not least with regard to the economic, academic and cultural component of a state visit.

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Photo of a large hall with a glass roof in which numerous spectators listen to a man giving a speech at the front

Visit to Euratechnologies, one of the leading incubators for digital start-ups in France and Europe and a good example of cross-border cooperation between Flemish, Walloon and French players (© FPS Foreign Affairs).

Cross-border collaboration


As far as the economy was concerned, the emphasis lay upon ensuring a strong, competitive industrial policy. Innovative solutions for a sustainable energy transition that will allow us to decarbonise our businesses efficiently were also discussed.

In Lille, the delegation visited Euratechnologies, one of the leading incubators for digital start-ups in France and Europe. Since its inception in 2009, the incubator has already created more than 7,000 jobs and supports more than 200 start-ups each year. It is also a nice example of how cross-border cooperation between players from Flanders, Wallonia and France led to the creation of an integrated digital ecosystem that is able to compete with major cities around Europe. At its site in Lille, Euratechnologies focuses on 4 key areas: employment and talent, technological innovation, environmental and energy transition and international expansion. During their visit, the royal couple was shown several presentations by these start-ups.

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Photo of King Philip talking to a soldier near some army vehicles. A group of soldiers look on.

King Philippe at a demonstration of 4 army vehicles of Franco-Belgian manufacture (© FPS Foreign Affairs).

Motorised capacity


Defence also received a lot of attention. After all, Belgium and France cooperate closely in the military field, specifically by means of a ‘Strategic Partnership for Motorised Capacity’ (CaMo). In the presence of the Chiefs of Staff of the Belgian and French Armies, King Philippe was given, among other things, a demonstration of four army vehicles of Franco-Belgian manufacture. They served as an example of the far-reaching coordination that exists between the two national forces. Ultimately, 600 to 800 Belgian and French soldiers should become fully interchangeable. The cooperation is already generating interest in the Netherlands and Luxembourg and it may also inspire the EU.

The state visit to France took place in a cordial atmosphere and was definitely successful in forging stronger ties. Our FPS is always closely involved in the preparations for visits of this type and for the Belgian embassy in Paris, it was also a case of all hands on deck, both before and during the visit. The residence even hosted a press event. The French press covered the visit extensively.

Relations between Belgium and France – a few figures

  • In 2023, France was our 2nd most important customer after Germany and at 70.3 billion euros, accounted for 13.7% of our total exports. The majority of those exports were chemicals, machinery and equipment and base metals.
  • Also in 2023, France was our 3rd most important supplier – after the Netherlands and Germany, but ahead of China and the US – as it accounted for 52 billion euros of imports or 10.2% of our total imports. These mainly consisted of chemical products (drugs...), machinery and equipment and transportation equipment.
  • Belgium, for its part, is France's 3rd most important country for foreign investment: 139 billion euros in 2022 or 10% of the total. This included services in the financial sector (Axa, BNP Paribas Fortis), the commercial sector (Carrefour, Décathlon, Fnac), transport (Eurostar...) and the communications sector (Orange), not forgetting also the energy sector (Engie-Electrabel, EDF Luminus), chemicals (Air Liquide), pharmaceuticals (Sanofi) and transportation equipment (Alstom).
  • In 2022, Belgium was the 6th most important investor in France to the tune of 57 billion dollars or 6.8% of the total. Belgian companies in France employ just under 133,000 people. That makes our country France's 6th largest foreign employer, the main ones being Delhaize, Econocom and Solvay.
  • Belgium and France share 620 km of borders. Every day, 38,000 people from France travel into our country in order to work here. In the opposite direction, around 8,000 Belgians cross the border into France for the same reason.
  • Almost 99,000 Belgians are listed in the consular population registers in Paris, and about 55,000 in the registers in Marseilles. This means that over 154,000 Belgians officially live in France, including the French overseas territories.
  • Among Belgians, France remains a very popular holiday destination and when it comes to travelling abroad, one Belgian in three chooses France. In 2023, Belgians made more than 5 million holiday trips to France: 1.638 million of which for one to three nights and 3.471 million for four nights or more.