FPS Foreign Affairs Belgium
Encyclopedia
The FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation , more commonly known as the FPS Foreign Affairs, is a Federal Public Service of Belgium
. It was created by Royal Order on March 8, 2002, as part of the plans of the first Verhofstadt
Government
to modernise the federal administration. The first Ministry of Foreign Affairs was created on February 25, 1831, during the Belgian Revolution
.
The FPS Foreign Affairs is responsible for foreign policy
and diplomacy
and is occupied with the external relations
of Belgium, including European cooperation
and development cooperation
. It maintains approximately 130 embassies, consulates and other diplomatic mission
s. On November 1, 2003, the FPS Foreign Affairs employed 3,441 people, including its employees abroad.
, the FPS Foreign Affairs is responsible to four ministers:
said that the transparency of the process is "necessary for an informed debate on the morality and impact of this funding," and specifically that "Belgian transparency is incomplete, with an absence of information on grants to Palestinian and European political groups." Michel Malherbe, a spokesman for the Belgium Foreign Ministry, replied that "Belgium does not fund NGOs. We fund specific activities and examine the track record of the execution organization on a number of criteria," and added their transparency is "complete" and "goes beyond the Belgian legal requirements. Israel legal requirements provide for transparency for funding from public sources. Transparency should apply to all types of funding, also private funding. We do not know what NGO Monitor means when it speaks about ‘Palestinian and European political groups.’"
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. It was created by Royal Order on March 8, 2002, as part of the plans of the first Verhofstadt
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Verhofstadt is a Belgian politician who was the 47th Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. He is currently a Member of the European Parliament and leader of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.- Early career :...
Government
Belgian federal government
The Cabinet of Belgium is the executive branch of the Belgian federal government, consisting of ministers and secretaries of state drawn from the political parties which form the governing coalition. Formally, the ministers are appointed by the King...
to modernise the federal administration. The first Ministry of Foreign Affairs was created on February 25, 1831, during the Belgian Revolution
Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....
.
The FPS Foreign Affairs is responsible for foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
and diplomacy
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
and is occupied with the external relations
Foreign relations of Belgium
-Initial neutrality:Because of its location at the crossroads of Western Europe, Belgium has historically been the route of invading armies from its larger neighbours. With virtually defenceless borders, Belgium has traditionally sought to avoid domination by the more powerful nations which...
of Belgium, including European cooperation
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and development cooperation
International development
International development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...
. It maintains approximately 130 embassies, consulates and other diplomatic mission
Diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one state or an international inter-governmental organisation present in another state to represent the sending state/organisation in the receiving state...
s. On November 1, 2003, the FPS Foreign Affairs employed 3,441 people, including its employees abroad.
Ministers
Following the government reshuffle that took place after the 2007 federal electionBelgian general election, 2007
The 2007 Belgian general election took place on Sunday 10 June 2007. Voters went to the polls in order to elect new members for the Chamber of Representatives and Senate.Eligible voters were Belgian citizens 18 years and older...
, the FPS Foreign Affairs is responsible to four ministers:
- Karel De GuchtKarel De GuchtKarel Lodewijk Georgette Emmerence De Gucht is a Belgian politician who has been the European Commissioner for Trade since 2010...
(VLDFlemish Liberals and Democrats' , commonly known as Open VLD and also simply as the VLD, is a Flemish liberal political party in Belgium, created in 1992 from the former Party for Freedom and Progress and a few other politicians from other parties. The party led the government for three cabinets under Guy Verhofstadt from 1999...
), Minister of Foreign Affairs - Didier Donfut (PSSocialist Party (francophone Belgium)The Socialist Party is a Francophone social-democratic political party in Belgium. As of the 2010 elections, it is the second largest party in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and the largest Francophone party...
), Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health, entrusted with European Affairs - Sabine LaruelleSabine LaruelleSabine Laruelle is a Belgian politician. She was Belgian Minister of Economy, the Self-employed and Agriculture in the Verhofstadt III government inaugurated on 21 December 2007. She is now Minister for SMEs, the Self-employed, Agriculture and Science Policy in the Leterme I Government, which took...
(MRReformist MovementThe Reformist Movement is a French-speaking liberal political party in Belgium. The party was in coalition as part of the Leterme II Government, and was also part of the governing coalition in the Walloon Region and Brussels-Capital Region until the 2004 regional elections...
), Minister for Middle Classes and Agriculture, entrusted with Development Cooperation - Marc VerwilghenMarc VerwilghenMarc Ernest Elisabeth Robert Juliette Verwilghen, born 21 September 1952 in Dendermonde, is a Belgian politician.Verwilghen studied law at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the University of Ghent and is the holder of an honorary doctorate from Ghent....
(VLDFlemish Liberals and Democrats' , commonly known as Open VLD and also simply as the VLD, is a Flemish liberal political party in Belgium, created in 1992 from the former Party for Freedom and Progress and a few other politicians from other parties. The party led the government for three cabinets under Guy Verhofstadt from 1999...
), Minister for Economy, Energy, Foreign Trade and Science Policy
Organisation
The FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation is organised into six Directorates-General:- The Directorate-General for Bilateral AffairsBilateralismBilateralism consists of the political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. For example, free trade agreements signed by two states are examples of bilateral treaties. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which refers to the conduct of diplomacy by a...
- The Directorate-General for Consular AffairsConsul (representative)The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
- The Directorate-General for Development Cooperation
- The Directorate-General for European Affairs and Coordination
- The Directorate-General for Legal Affairs
- The Directorate-General for Multilateral AffairsMultilateralismMultilateralism is a term in international relations that refers to multiple countries working in concert on a given issue.International organizations, such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization are multilateral in nature...
and MundialisationMundializationThe word mundialisation, is the English version of the French word "mondialisation", which today refers in French to what is referred to in English as "globalisation"...
Controversy
The FPS Foreign Affairs has been accused of transfering 800,000 Euros to anti-Israel groups which claim to be involved in human rights activities, according to an article in the Jerusalem Post. Gerald Steinberg, president and founder of NGO MonitorNGO Monitor
NGO Monitor is a non-governmental organization based in Jerusalem, Israel whose stated aim is to generate and distribute critical analysis and reports on the output of the international NGO community for the benefit of government policy makers, journalists, philanthropic organizations and the...
said that the transparency of the process is "necessary for an informed debate on the morality and impact of this funding," and specifically that "Belgian transparency is incomplete, with an absence of information on grants to Palestinian and European political groups." Michel Malherbe, a spokesman for the Belgium Foreign Ministry, replied that "Belgium does not fund NGOs. We fund specific activities and examine the track record of the execution organization on a number of criteria," and added their transparency is "complete" and "goes beyond the Belgian legal requirements. Israel legal requirements provide for transparency for funding from public sources. Transparency should apply to all types of funding, also private funding. We do not know what NGO Monitor means when it speaks about ‘Palestinian and European political groups.’"