Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium

Relations with the EU, Belgium and Luxembourg

Taiwan-EU Relations
The EU has solid relations with Taiwan in areas such as trade, investment, science, research, education, culture, health, environment, climate change, circular economy, labour, fisheries, digital economy, cyber security, human rights and gender equality. Engagement takes place through a variety of channels, in particular through the annual Taiwan-EU consultations, which facilitate dialogue on both trade and non-trade issues. The two sides also meet regularly for labor and human rights consultations.
The European Economic and Trade Office (EETO) in Taipei was established by the European Commission in 2003, with the function and mandate of a diplomatic representation. Currently, the EU and 16 Member States have established their own representations in Taiwan; similarly, Taiwan has 24 official representative offices in 19 EU Member States. Since the EU granted Schengen visa waiver status to Taiwanese passport holders in 2011, Taiwan-EU relations in various areas have expanded significantly. Taiwan has also signed Working Holiday Programs with the UK, as well as 11 EU Member States : Germany, Ireland, Belgium, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The EU is expected to launch EES and ETIAS in the near future, with details to be announced by the EU and its member states.

While the EU was Taiwan’s fourth-largest trading partner in 2023, Taiwan was the EU’s 13th-largest trading partner globally and fifth-largest in Asia, with total bilateral trade volume amounting to US$73.8 billion. The inclusion of Taiwan in the European Commission's “Trade for All” communication in October 2015 was a major development for economic ties, as it stated that “the EU will explore launching negotiations on investment with Taiwan.” The EU encourages a sound flow of trade and investment between Taiwan and Europe, and it works closely with Taiwan in the World Trade Organization. The EU also supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation in a number of international organizations.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan offered humanitarian assistance to the EU. On April 1, 2020, then President Tsai Ing-wen announced Taiwan’s first round of humanitarian donations, offering surgical masks to support front-line medical workers in the United States and European countries worst hit by the COVID-19 outbreak. In response, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen thanked Taiwan on the same day, tweeting “the European Union thanks Taiwan for its donation of masks to help fight the #coronavirus; this global virus outbreak requires international solidarity & cooperation; acts like this show that we are #StrongerTogether.”

Moreover, on September 16, 2021, the EU issued its Joint Communication of “The EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific,” which noted increasing tensions in regional hotspots such as the Taiwan Strait. It stated that the EU would like to engage with Taiwan in the areas of semiconductors, trade and investment, countering IUU and data protection.

Since 2021, EU top officials have consistently emphasized that peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait are important to regional and global security and prosperity, their commitment to maintaining the status quo, and their opposition to any unilateral actions from either side to change the status quo. They have also expressed concerns about China’s increased military activities.

In December 2023, EU-China Summit was held in Beijing. Then President Charles Michel of the European Council and President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission, on behalf of the EU, expressed concerns about increased tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. For the first time, President Michel went on record that he is certain that China is already fully aware of the serious consequences of any escalation in this region, in the press conference following the Summit.

In February 2024, then HR/VP Josep Borrell reiterated in the press release following the EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum that, growing tensions in regions including the Taiwan Strait, are affecting global security and have a direct impact on the prosperity of both Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

That same month, the European Union and the United States, during the EU-US Consultations, co-chaired by then EEAS Secretary General Stefano Sannino and then US Under Secretary Victoria Nuland, affirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and called for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. They expressed support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organisations.

Later in the month, HR/VP Josep Borrell stressed that the EU wants to preserve peace and stability in the region, during his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the margins of the Munich Security Conference.

In May 2024, EEAS issued a statement in response to China’s military drills around Taiwan, stressing that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are of strategic importance for regional and global security and prosperity, and that the EU has a direct interest in the preservation of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. In July the same year, President von der Leyen of the European Commission presented to the European Parliament her Political Guidelines 2024-2029, in which she stated that the EU “will work with Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Australia, ... this includes our collective efforts to deploy the full range of our combined statecraft to deter China from unilaterally changing the status quo by military means, particularly over Taiwan.”
In October 2024 and April 2025, the EU again issued a response to China’s military drills, reiterating its position that the EU has a direct interest in the preservation of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. In the same month, then Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicholas Schmit, on behalf of then HR/VP Borrell, delivered a speech at the European Parliament plenary on the misinterpretation of the UN General Assembly Resolution 2758. Commissioner Schmit stated that United Nations Resolution 2758 is very short - only 150 words, among those 150 words, the word “Taiwan” does not appear. This marked the first time the EU executive branch expressed its position on the resolution, underscoring its significance. Also in October, the European Commission released a report “Safe Together: Strengthening Europe’s Civilian and Military Preparedness and Readiness,” in which it stated “Beyond its long-held ambitions to take over Taiwan, ... China’s coercive foreign and security policies toward neighbours including India, the Philippines, and Vietnam are undermining regional stability.” The report also pointed out that the “potential economic and security impact of Chinese aggression against Taiwan or in the South China Sea would be staggering for Europe and the world.”

The current European Commission, which took office in December 2024, released the Joint White Paper for European Defence Readiness 2030 in March 2025. The white paper points out that China is rapidly expanding its military capabilities, including nuclear, space, and cyber capabilities. This shift is significantly altering the strategic balance in the Indo-Pacific. It also notes that “China is intensifying its political, economic, military, cyber and cognitive measures to coerce Taiwan,”stating that the “shifting Taiwan status quo raises the risk of a major disruption which would have profound economic and strategic consequences for Europe.”

Taiwan- EP Relations
Over the past half a century, the powers of the European Parliament (EP) have continued to expand, and thus, the parliament has become an important aspect of Taiwan-EU relations. At present, the European Parliament supports a range of measures promoting friendly relations between Taiwan and the EU, including by facilitating exchanges and visits between the respective parliaments, supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations and enhancing Taiwan-EU economic and trade relations.

Over the 9th term (July 2019 to June 2024), the European Parliament has passed almost 40 important resolutions containing a number of Taiwan-friendly provisions, especially the three important documents- "EU-Taiwan Political Relations and Cooperation", “the situation in the Strait of Taiwan”, and “EU-Taiwan trade and investment relations”, all put a clear focus on Taiwan, clearly conveying the European Parliament's concern about the security situation in the Taiwan Strait, its support for Taiwan’s international participation, a Taiwan-EU Bilateral Investment agreement (BIA) and the further deepening of bilateral relations, as well as unequivocally oppose China’s ongoing and deliberate distortion of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 to unjustly limit Taiwan’s international participation, emphasize China’s territorial claim to Taiwan lacks legal basis of international law, and highlight the fact that neither Taiwan nor China is subordinate to the other and that only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent the Taiwanese people on the international stage.

The 10th European Parliament recently adopted the Resolution on “People’s Republic of China’s misinterpretation of the UN resolution 2758 and its continuous military provocations around Taiwan”, putting again the clear focus on Parliament’s supporting the status quo of Taiwan Strait in firm opposition to unilateral change, strongly rejecting China’s attempt to distort history and international rules and underlining that UN Resolution 2758 does not take a position on Taiwan, condemning China’s continued military provocations against Taiwan and aggressive behaviours in its neighboring regions, and stating that Taiwan has never been part of the PRC. This reveals once again the strong support of Taiwan from the European Parliament. On April 2, 2025, the European Union adopted, by a large majority, the resolutions on the 2024 implementation reports of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The resolutions once again expressed concern over China's escalation of tensions in the Taiwan Strait and voiced support for the continued deepening of multifaceted cooperation and exchanges between Taiwan and the EU.

Furthermore, the benign cooperation and exchange between Taiwan and the European Parliament is deepening year by year. Official delegations from the European Parliament including Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union, including Disinformation (INGE), Committee on International Trade (INTA) and Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) visited Taiwan during 2021 to 2023, in order to further understand Taiwan’s experience against the threat of hybrid threat including foreign intervention Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), and exchange views with our governmental officials and experts with regards to Taiwan-EU bilateral relations including BIA issues. They demonstrate the concrete support towards Taiwan, reflecting EU’s concern on peace, stability and prosperity of Taiwan Strait.

After Taiwan successfully held its general election on 13 January 2024, Michael Gahler, Chair of the European Taiwan Friendship Group, together with two other Vice Chairs, released their congratulations statement to Taiwan at the first place, as well as over 25 members of the European Parliament publicly expressing their congratulations to Taiwan as well as appraised Taiwan as Asia’s beacon of democracy and democratic role model of the world. Furthermore, the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium, along with several members of the European Parliament jointly organized a conference at the European Parliament on the “2024 Taiwan Election and its implications for the Defence of Democracy” on 31 January 2024.

On March 20, 2024, Taiwan’s Vice President-elect, Hsiao Bi-khim was invited by heavyweight Members of mainstream political groups to visit the European Parliament and received record-high courtesy reception. The First Vice-President of the European Parliament, Mr. Othmar Karas, on behalf of President Roberta Metsola, welcomed the guest at the main entrance with red carpet on the route. The two parties then posed for photos in front of a backboard decorated with Taiwan and EU flags. Vice President-elect Hsiao also exchanged views with members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the European-Taiwan Friendship Group. Many members of the European Parliament later expressed their welcome on social media and once again emphasized that Taiwan is an important partner and democratic ally for the EU, and the EU opposes any attempt by the PRC to change the current situation by force.
Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium along with three cross-party MEPs, namely MEP Petras Auštrevičius, MEP Vladimír Bilčík and MEP Markéta Gregorová, jointly organized the seminar titled “Countering FIMI and election interference in Taiwan: Implications for the EU” at the European Parliament on 16 April 2024. The five visiting experts from Taiwan delivered presentations at the seminar, with topics including malicious election interference, fact-checking, disinformation campaigns, cognitive warfare, deepfake technology, and the impact of AI and digital technology development on democratic governance. They also engaged extensively in discussions with the audience during the event.

On 15 May 2024, the Formosa Club in Europe, in coordination with the European Parliament and a total of 869 legislators from 27 European countries and Canada, jointly sent a letter to the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in support of Taiwan’s participation as an observer in the World Health Assembly (WHA).

Vice Chair of the European People’s Party (EPP) Rasa Juknevičienė (former National Defense Minister of Republic of Lithuania) visited Taiwan from 18 to 22 May 2024, together with the MEPs of EPP to participate in the inauguration of 16th-term president of R.O.C. (Taiwan), in staunch support of Taiwan’s democracy.

On 24 May 2024, 25 Co-Chairs of Europe’s Formosa Club issued a joint statement, extending congratulations to President Lai Ching-te and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim for their successful inauguration and conveying deep concern about China’s military drill around Taiwan which took place on 23 and 24 May.

On 11 September 2024, Members of Legislative Yuan, Legislator Chang Hung-lu, Lin Chu-yin and Hung Sun-han, visited the European Parliament, with a meeting with MEP Michael Gahler, Chair of European Taiwan Friendship Group, MEP Andrey Kovatchez, Quaestor, MEP Miriam Lexmann, Quaestor and Co-Chair of Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), and other MEPs, in further exchange of cross-strait status-quo, as well as the prospects of Taiwan-EU economic and investment cooperation.

On 17 October 2024, former President, Tsai Ing-wen visited the European Parliament. Vice-President Pina Picierno welcomed her at the entrance of the Parliament, Chair of Delegation for relations with China (D-CN) MEP Engin Eroglu, and former Member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and Co-President of the Belgian-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group Samuel Cogolati, also welcomed and greeted her. Vice President Picierno and former President Tsai went to a Protocole room of the European Parliament for the meeting, and moved together to the Welcoming Reception hosted by European Taiwan Friendship Group. Former President Tsai also attended “Ladies’ Night”. She had dinner with several important EU female politicians. Many members of the European Parliament later expressed their honour on social media, with once again emphasizing that Taiwan is an important like-minded partner for the EU, and the EU opposes any malicious attempt by the PRC to change the current situation by force and by distortion of international statement.

From 27 October to 1 November 2024, MEP Michael Gahler, Chair of the European Taiwan Friendship group, led a delegation to Taiwan. The group included MEP Bernard Guetta and MEP Ondřej Kolář. This was the first European parliamentary delegation visit following the European Parliament election in June 2024. During their visit, the delegation held in-depth discussions on topics such as Taiwan-EU trade relations, geopolitical issues, and explored opportunities for further cooperation.

From 24 to 28 February 2025, MEP Ivars Ījabs, Vice President of the Renew Group, visited Taiwan together with MEP Hannes Heide, MEP Arkadiusz Mularczyk, and MEP Vladimir Prebilič. The delegation held thorough discussions over issues including global geopolitical situations, Taiwan-EU bilateral relations, and explored opportunities for further cooperation.

Taiwan - EU Scientific and Research Cooperation
In 2013, Taiwan became one of the EU’s 12 targeted countries for ICT collaboration, under the 7th EU Framework Programme (2007-2013) and the 8th FP – Horizon 2020 (2014-2020). As of the H2020 programme closure, Taiwan had participated in 102 Horizon 2020 international joint research programs and project consortia, and signed 71 project agreements. Currently Taiwan’s scientific community is actively working with the European scientific community in pursuing greater and tighter cooperation alongside the 9th Framework Programme – Horizon Europe (2021-2027). To date, Taiwan has successfully participated in 12 Horizon Europe projects and signed 9 agreements. Taiwan and the EU have also cooperated in the development of 5G technology since 2014.
As of the end of February 2025, Taiwan has successfully participated in 82 projects under the EU Horizon 2020 transnational scientific research cooperation framework (including European Research Council, ERC collaborations), with 59 signed agreements. Taiwan has also successfully participated in 18 projects under the EU "Horizon Europe" cooperation framework, with 14 signed agreements. Taiwan will continue to expand collaborative relationships with EU member states' scientific research institutions and research teams, striving to increase participation in the EU "Horizon Europe" program (2021-2027) and establish multilateral scientific research cooperation relationships with EU countries.

Additionally, our office interacts with EU institutions on scientific research matters through the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG-CNECT) and the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG-RTD). Besides promoting "Horizon Europe" scientific research cooperation projects, we have also organized several "Taiwan-EU Expert Roundtable Meetings" to discuss topics related to 6G, artificial intelligence, and green transition. We also maintain connections with the EU-Chips Joint Undertaking and the European Research Council (ERC), focusing on discussions about semiconductor field cooperation. In the future, we will deepen dialogue with these institutions and assist Taiwanese research units in participating in EU research programs.

Taiwan - EU Academic Cooperation
Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (MOE) annually sponsors programs for European students, researchers, education personnel and European officials. These programs increase the visibility of Taiwan in Europe and stimulate exchange and collaboration in academics and research, while also in other areas such as culture and politics.
The programs include scholarships and awards for EU officials, as well as European students and scholars, such as the Taiwan and Huayu Enrichment scholarships, the Taiwan Fellowship and the Short Term Research Award, among others.

Taiwan-Belgium Relations
Political relations
Taiwan and Belgium enjoy substantive exchanges in many fields and have set up respective Representative Offices in Brussels and Taipei. The Belgian government and people appreciate the vibrant democracy and economic strength of Taiwan. Belgium, in line with EU policy, supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. In Addition, 2nd Taiwan-Belgium Labor Policy Conference was held in Taipei May 2023, to identify the challenges of the future work and size the opportunities for cooperation. Taiwan and the Flemish Region of Belgium signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation Framework in January 2022 and held their first cooperation consultation meeting in April 2023 expanding the areas of collaboration. The coalition agreement of the new Belgian federal government, announced in February 2025, mentioning for the first time the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, while promoting the signing of investment agreements between Europe and countries in the region.

The “Cercle de Parlementaires-Amis de Taiwan” was established by Belgian Members of Parliaments in December 1993. Each year, many Belgian MPs visit Taiwan, and vice versa. Over recent years, the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, the Senate, the Flemish Parliament, the Walloon Parliament and the Brussels Capital- Region Parliament have all adopted a number of resolutions supporting Taiwan, the latest of which was passed in February 2024. The latest one was voted in Mars 2025, mentioning for the first time that UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 does not take a position on Taiwan. Belgian government has publicly expressed its support for Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA) as observer from 2021 to 2024.
Economic and trade relations
In 2024, the total bilateral trade volume between Belgium and Taiwan amounted to 3.09 billion US dollars. Traditionally Taiwanese and Belgian companies have worked closely in the ICT sector. For example, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC), the largest pure-play foundry in the world, has enjoyed long-term cooperation with the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) in the research of advanced semiconductor technologies. In recent years, with the development of Taiwan’s ambitious policies to develop its offshore wind energy capacity, the renowned Belgian maritime engineering companies DEME and Jan De Nul have both significantly expanded their presence in Taiwan, together with local partners. To promote mutual investment and encourage further commercial activity, an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income was signed by both sides on October 13, 2004, in Brussels.

The annual bilateral Taiwan-Belgium Joint Business Council Meeting is also a platform for Taiwanese and Belgium-based companies to further strengthen existing business contacts and to explore new opportunities in trade, investment and research cooperation. The 24th Taiwan-Belgium Joint Business Council Meeting was held on June 3rd, 2024. Business representatives from both sides exchanged the latest developments and policies in the sectors of digital transition, AI and green technology.

Scientific and Research Cooperation
FWO & FNRS: The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) of Taiwan signed cooperation agreements respectively with the National Fund for Scientific Research (FWO & FNRS) of Belgium in 1985 and renewed the agreements in 2019. Both agreements provide funding to facilitate individual and institutional S&T exchanges through visits, joint research projects and thematic workshops between the two countries. In light of the new bilateral scientific cooperation agreements, the NSTC and its respective Belgian funding organisation counterparts, namely Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) and the Fund for Scientific Research – FNRS have jointly achieved the calls for the NSTC-FWO and the NSTC-FNRS Exchange Programs for the years of 2021-2022 and that of 2023-2024.

For the 2025-2026 period, three research projects have been selected for funding under the NSTC-FNRS bilateral research cooperation program, while five research projects will be funded under the NSTC-FWO bilateral research cooperation program. We also maintain positive interactions with Belgium's bilingual region. With the Flemish Region (Dutch-speaking area), policy exchanges are conducted primarily through the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation and VLAIO, while also collaborating with the VIB Institute for Biotechnology and KU Leuven. In the Walloon Region (French-speaking area), we have visited UCLouvain and observed their elderly monitoring technologies. In the future, the Science and Technology Division plans to strengthen interactions with policy institutions in both regions and hopes to engage in more in-depth exchanges. IMEC: the NSTC signed a cooperation agreement with the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) in 1996 and renewed it in 2012 to expand
the areas of collaboration, including the establishment of an R&D Centre in Taiwan in September 2008.

Working Holiday Program
Taiwan and Belgium agreed in 2013 to provide an annual quota of 200 visas for young people aged between 18 and 30, to work, travel and study in each other’s country for up to one year.

Taiwan-Luxembourg Relations
Political relations
Taiwan’s representative office in Luxembourg was closed in 2002. The function of this office was afterwards taken over by the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium. The “Luxembourg Trade and Investment Office, Taipei” was established in October 2009.

The Luxembourgish Parliament unanimously passed a motion regarding Taiwan on May 17, 2022, calling on the Luxembourgish government to continue to strengthen economic, scientific and cultural relations with Taiwan. Moreover, in 2022, 2023, and 2024 the Government of Luxembourg supported Taiwan’s participation as an observer in the technical meetings of the World Health Organization (WHO) at the World Health Assembly (WHA).

On April 24, 2024, the Luxembourg Parliament once again passed a motion in favor of Taiwan, calling on the Luxembourg government to support Taiwan’s technical participation as an observer in the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Health Assembly (WHA), as well as its participation as an observer in other functional international organizations, in order to make use of Taiwan’s medical expertise and experience. The motion also emphasizes that peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region is a fundamental interest of the EU and Luxembourg, and calls on the Luxembourg government to commit itself to maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. Furthermore, it calls on the government to support the deepening of economic and trade cooperation between the EU and Taiwan, and to continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and Luxembourg in the economic, scientific, cultural, educational and public health care sectors.

Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies Delegation visited Taiwan from April 6 to 11, 2025. The members of the delegation included MPs Stéphanie Weydert, Ben Polidori, Liz Braz, and Ricardo Marques.

In recent years, the substantive cooperation between Taiwan and Luxembourg in various fields has yielded many concrete results. The Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital was signed on 19 December 2011. Other agreements and MoUs on issues such as financial oversight, stock exchanges, education, aviation, and working holidays have also been signed.

Economic and trade relations
Taiwan enjoys close financial cooperation with Luxembourg. For example, many Taiwanese companies choose the Luxembourg Stock Exchange to issue their Global Depository Receipts for fund raising on. In terms of trade in goods, Taiwan’s bilateral trade volume with Luxembourg in 2024 amounted to 93.44 million US dollars. China Airlines, a Taiwanese airline company, has chosen Luxembourg as its main cargo transit center in Europe, and ships Taiwanese products to many countries on the continent. Luxembourg is the gateway for Taiwanese products entering Europe, and China Airlines collaborates very closely with Cargolux. Luxembourg plays a role no less important than Frankfurt or Amsterdam for Taiwan’s cargo shipments to Europe.

The annual bilateral Taiwan-Luxembourg Joint Business Council Meeting is also a platform for Taiwanese and Luxembourg-based companies to further strengthen existing business contacts and to explore new opportunities in trade, investment and research cooperation. The 14th Taiwan-Luxembourg Joint Business Council Meeting was held on December 1, 2023, followed by the 15th meeting in Taipei on March 17, 2025. Business representatives from both sides exchanged insights on the latest developments and policies in areas such as startups, sustainability, digital transformation, automation machinery, green technology, and ICT and data.

Scientific Relations
We strive to promote interactions between Taiwan's funding agencies and Luxembourg's research institutions, encouraging exchanges between scientific researchers, and expanding bilateral scientific research cooperation between Taiwan and Luxembourg. Currently, we are actively establishing contacts with Luxembourg research institutions including LIST (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology), the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA), and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. The cooperation focuses on space technology and precision medicine. We successfully held the first "Taiwan-Luxembourg Research Day" in 2024, and plan to continue deepening this relationship while expanding cooperation in the field of materials circular economy.

Working Holiday Program
Since 2019, the Working Holiday Program between Taiwan and Luxembourg enables up to 40 young people aged between 18 and 30 per year to work, travel, and study in each other’s country. In order to promote more youth exchanges between the two sides, the revised Working Holiday Program takes effect on April 1, 2023 which allows the age limit of applicants for WHP to be raised to 35 years old.