News

On 2 July Liesbeth Homans took the oath as Minister-president of the Government of Flanders. She replaces Geert Bourgeois who takes up his seat in the European Parliament. Minister Ben Weyts is the new Minister for Foreign Policy.

On 6 June, the department organized an information session on export control of strategic goods for police services. Forty police officers participated.

On 23 May, Minister Gatz and French Ambassador, Mrs. Arnould, signed the cinematographic co-production agreement between Flanders and France. This agreement replaces the old one, signed in 1962, and modernizes the modalities of an official coproduction.

On Thursday, June the 27th, a new Brexit impact study by the KU Leuven university was presented to a broad audience of EU diplomats, international press and Flemish stakeholders.

on the 4th of June, Minister-president Geert Bourgeois had his first audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican. Earlier this year, the Government of Flanders opened a new diplomatic post in Rome.

For the first time in Flanders, a Unesco day took place on the 17th of May. The initiative was organized by the Flemish Unesco Commission.

On 27 June Freya Moonen was announced laureate of the Flemish essay contest for the 70th anniversary  of the Council of Europe. The 18-year-old  convinced the jury – including General Representative Dries Willems – with her essay “A Climate of lawlessness”. 

On 4 June, the General Representatives of the Government of Flanders, Dries Willems and Gaëtan Poelman welcomed Homo Roboticus, an initiative on Artificial Intelligence (AI) of the VUB – Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

From 13 May to 21 May, a delegation from the Department of Welfare, Public Health and Family (WVG) led by Secretary General Karine Moykens, paid a study visit to Chile to focus on elderly care.