Post inspections ensure that embassies and consulates are operating effectively

Did you know that each of our embassies and consulates is inspected every 4 to 5 years? Carrying out post inspections not only strengthens the connections between the post itself and the Central Administration, but it also enables us to continue setting a high standard to ensure that our posts are operating soundly.

Right from the time Belgium was first created – in 1831 – the fledgling Belgian government established a Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Belgium's very first embassies abroad were located in London and Paris.
 

Far away

Today, our diplomatic network consists of 115 embassies, permanent representations, and consulates general, which are also referred to as ‘posts’ and are located all over the world. Altogether, some 1,800 people work in those posts, compared to the more than 1,200 people employed at the Central Administration in Brussels.

What this means therefore is that a large number of people are working at posts located a long distance away from our country that are very seldom visited by anyone from the Central Administration. We therefore needed a system that would give us a clear picture of how all our posts are functioning, including the ones located far away. That therefore led to the creation of our ‘inspection of posts’ system.
 

Post inspectors

Under our ‘inspection of posts’ system, every post receives a visit, usually from two post inspectors, once every 4 to 5 years. One of the inspectors will be an experienced ambassador and the other will be a diplomat with expertise in consular affairs. In Belgian Development Cooperation partner countries, they will often be accompanied by a colleague with a knowledge of development cooperation.

Anyone who has been made a head of post for the very first time may also receive a post inspection just over one year later. After all, an inspection of that type will provide a series of tips and recommendations that the brand new head of post can start working on in the remaining three years of his or her term of office.
 

Internal circle

A large part of a post inspection consists of interviews. First, inspectors will take a close look at the internal circle within the post itself: the head of post, the diplomats, any other posted staff and the local staff, including domestic staff, such as the gardener, driver, and cook, at the residency in which the head of post is staying. Partners who are at the post will also be invited for an interview, which will be their opportunity to talk about their experiences as a partner at the post.

This means that everyone is able to have their say in the form of a confidential dialogue in which the inspectors will act as objective messengers between the Central Administration and the post. At the same time, they will fulfil the role of coaches for the team.
 

Belgian circle

This next group of people to be interviewed will be the ‘Belgian circle’, if present, such as representatives of the regional trade agencies (FIT, AWEX, hub.brussels), the defence attaché, or the police attaché and so on. They will meet with the post inspectors for a conversation, not an inspection. Because even though they do not report directly to our Central Administration and are not being paid by our FPS, they are in fact contributing towards Belgian foreign policy as a whole.

During those meetings, the post inspectors will gather information about how relations with the embassy or consulate general are going. They do that for a number of reasons, including in order to find out how economic and trade opportunities are being utilised. This is extremely important for a country like Belgium with an open economy that depends on foreign countries for much of its wealth.
 

Ministries and EU embassies

Finally, a third ‘outermost circle’ will also be inspected. To do that, the inspectors will listen to what representatives of the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs: the Head of Protocol, the Director General of European Affairs – who has Belgium under his or her jurisdiction – and possibly of the individual file manager who is monitoring Belgium – have to say.

If useful, other ministries – such as the Ministries of Economy, Defence, and Agriculture – may also be consulted. This may be particularly useful in cases where Belgium has significant economic interests in the country concerned.

During those interviews, the inspectors will be seeking to gauge both the reputation of our post and the visibility and presence of the head of post and the staff. They will also find out to what extent the post is adequately conveying and drawing attention to our foreign policy priorities.

That outer circle also includes a number of other EU embassies and the EU delegation. After all, the other EU Member States are our closest foreign partners. It is important to gain an insight into how robustly the post is promoting Belgium's reputation as a founding member of the EU and the ongoing relevance of the European project.
 

Belgian community

Finally, that outer circle also includes the Belgian community in the country concerned. This will include Belgians working for Belgian (and foreign) companies with an established presence in the country.

In the case of companies that have only recently set up a presence in the country, it will be particularly useful to find out how the post has helped them forge contacts. Were they welcomed in a hospitable way? How did the contacts go? Have they been able to rely on high-quality consular services?

Other useful discussion partners will be the Belgian Chamber of Commerce – if present –, Vlamingen in de Wereld and the Union Francophone des Belges à l'Etranger. By speaking to them, the inspectors can find out what life in that country is like for the Belgian community and how visible our ambassador or consul is there.
 

Working lunches

The working lunches, dinners, or breakfasts are also an interesting ‘test’. The head of post and a selection of posted, permanent staff are actually asked to organise an informal meal at home. As part of that process, the head of post will invite a number of people of his/her choice and will choose a topic for discussion.

Possible subjects will vary, depending on current political and economic events in the territory represented by the post. For example, the impact of recent elections, the geopolitical situation, new government policies in the economic sphere, the issue of child abductions, the fight against drug crime and international crime, etc.

During a working meal of that type, the inspectors will observe how successfully the Belgian diplomat or consul is able to guide the discussion. How effective is he or she at initiating and eliciting discussion within his or her network? Is he or she able to find out enough interesting information?
 

The 360° quality check

In short, our inspectors carry out an extremely thorough analysis and that 360° quality check actually provides them with a very useful overview. Are the embassies and consulates being well managed? Are the members of staff forging sufficient contacts with the outside world? How do they come across to the Belgian community and also the local government?

But also: are they deploying resources efficiently? Are the accounts correct? Are the buildings functional and safe? Are clients satisfied with the consular services being provided? Are local staff satisfied with their working conditions? Communication taking place via social media, newsletters and so on, and public diplomacy, such as the organisation of events, will also be examined closely.
 

A series of recommendations

The end result will be a comprehensive, post-inspection report that includes a series of recommendations, every one of which will take the form of tips about how operations can be improved. This may involve distributing the workload more effectively, processing a consular service a little more rapidly as a way of shortening the waiting list, or improving interaction with staff, and so on.

The Central Administration will also receive a report with recommendations. For example, the inspectors may suggest to the head of human resources that an additional staff member be recruited. Or they may notify the ICT department that a consular program is not working properly.

Once the recommendations have been approved by the Board of Directors in Brussels, the post itself will have 6 months in which to implement them. Comments about an overly cramped waiting room or a substandard building will take much longer to address, of course.
 

The added value of post inspections

Although post inspections take up quite a large amount of time and energy, they are much needed. We simply cannot afford to leave a post unvisited for 8 to 10 years. Regular contact with the Central Administration is indispensable.

What is more, our post inspections are overwhelmingly worthwhile. Generally speaking, we can therefore be satisfied with the functioning of our embassies and consulates general. This proves that we are capable of attracting good people and of providing them with thorough training.

During the interviews with the EU delegations, EU heads of post invariably praise Belgium's commitment to the EU project and our active participation in EU talks and dealings. Incidentally, the EU delegation regularly takes Belgian priorities on board in its dealings with a local government.

We can therefore conclude that inspecting our posts regularly helps us to ensure that our embassies and consulates general are operating at a high level of quality.