On February 23, the Brussels Regional Parliament passed the “Motion for a resolution on Taiwan’s place in the international arena” after a plenary deliberation with 70votes in favor, 10 abstentions, and 0votes against. This resolution requests that the Brussels Regional Government: (1) encourage the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support the resumption of dialogues at all levels between Taiwan and China and to support all diplomatic initiatives aimed at defusing tensions in the Asia-Pacific region; (2) support the development of trade between Taiwan and the Brussels Region; (3) encourage the European Commission to extend commercial and industrial cooperation with Taiwan, and to support Taiwan’s democracy and freedom; (4) promote partnerships with Taiwan in different fields; (5) support Taiwan's participation in international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
During the current legislative session since 2019, this resolution is the fifth one in support of Taiwan to be passed by the Belgian Federal and Regional Parliaments, following previous resolutions in the Belgian Federal House of Representatives in July 2020, the Flemish Parliament in March 2021, the Federal Senate in March 2021, and the Walloon Parliament in October 2022. The vote marks the very first time that the Brussels Regional Parliament has demonstrated its support for promoting Taiwan-Brussels relations with the passage of a parliamentary resolution. Moreover, the overwhelming majority with which it passed is a testament to the strength and breadth of support for Taiwan in the Brussels Regional Parliament, and is a reminder that both Belgium and Taiwan as like-minded countries are committed to defending democracy, freedom and human rights.
The Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium extends its sincerest gratitude to the honorable MPs for the co-initiation of the resolution and the Brussels Regional Parliament as a whole for its passage. The Office will continue to closely cooperate with the Brussels Regional Parliament and Government to strengthen bilateral amicable and cooperative relations.
