Belgium and Sweden: Two friendly monarchies TEXT BY TERESA IVARS 2005 is a very special year for Belgium, according to Ambassador Raoul Delcorde. He adds,“The country is celebrating the 175th anniversary of its independence, and the 25th anniversary of its transformation into a Federal state.” After a revolution inspired by the Roman Catholics and the liberals, Belgium broke away from the Netherlands in 1830, where the Congress of Vienna had placed it together with Luxembourg.The newly independent country drew its inspiration from the French model. In recognition of the close ties between Belgium and Sweden, King Albert II and Queen Paola will visit Sweden on 27 May to inaugurate the exhibition in honour of the Belgian king’s mother Queen Astrid at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. (* See relevant article on page 28 ) Likewise, the Swedish royal couple will inaugurate the Queen Astrid Exhibition in Brussels later this year on 17 November. Apart from the Queen Astrid exhibition other events to showcase Belgium will be organized in Sweden, including a seminar on Belgian literature and a fashion show. Sweden and Belgium have been trade partners since the 9th century, and the sea has been their constant link. But the first contacts were hardly pacific. From around 850 A.D. the Vikings ravaged the Belgian territories spreading terror and destruction for over 40 years, until 891. Over time the bilateral relations evolved into peaceful ties based on trading and investment. During the Middle Ages the Hanseatic League further promoted the bilateral contacts through an alliance between the trading cities of the Baltic and North Sea, which included Visby, Ghent and Bruges. From the 10th to the 16th centuries, Flanders became one of the most flourishing areas in Europe, while Sweden was still an agricultural country with a sparse population. From the second part of the 15th century Sweden’s foreign trade expanded.Textiles from Flanders were exchanged for copper and iron from Sweden and many Belgian works of arts bought at that time may still be admired in Swedish churches. For centuries iron remained the centre of bilateral relations. In 1595 Duke Karl, son of Gustav Vasa requested the help of his Belgian friend Wellam de Besche to help develop the metallurgy industry of Sweden.The members of de Besche family were the first Walloons in Sweden. At that time the metallurgy and the arms industries of Wallonie were one of the most advanced in Europe. After Karl became king in 1599, many Walloon immigrants arrived to Sweden to help to achieve the royals’ dream of developing the Swedish industry. In 1620 Louis De Geer, the well known Walloon financier, and socalled father of the Swedish industry moved to Sweden. He took over the Crown’s armament factories, and brought many immigrants from Wallonie to work on his many estates. He and de Besche built a solid industrial empire, and it could be said that with the arrival of those Wallons started a new chapter in the history of Sweden. Many important Swedish names of today were originally Walloon, and some of them became nobles. TRADE AND INVESTMENT: Bilateral trade between Belgium and Sweden is important. Belgium ranks ninth as importer of Swedish goods and as supplier of goods to Sweden. Since World War II, Swedish companies discovered the central and strategic location of Belgium and launched a big program of investments, mainly around the cities of Antwerp and Ghent. About 250 Swedish companies, including almost all major Swedish multinationals (Volvo, Atlas-Copco,ABB, IKEA, Electrolux,) are represented in Belgium, many with large manufacturing units.The Belgian presence in Sweden is much more modest with only 25 companies with a limited number of production units.The largest Belgian concerns in Sweden are Agfa-Gevaert and Janssen-Cilag. Nevertheless, Sweden has received renewed attention from the Belgian companies a renewed attention because of its central location in the fast growing Baltic region. Since 1994, the volume of Belgian investments in Sweden has exceeded new investments of Sweden in Belgium. Today few Belgians live in Sweden but around 6,000 Swedes work in Belgium for the EU, the NGO’s and Swedish enterprises are established in the country. Atlas Copco,Volvo Trucks and Automobiles, Electrolux Ericsson,Telia, SCA, SKF,Vattenfall are among the Swedish heavyweights with an important presence in Belgium. Belgium, a founding member of the EU, is one of the most ardent defenders and promoters of the Union, while Sweden, perhaps owing to its geography and history, subscribes to a more cautious approach. It is also true that some common interests have emerged since Sweden joined the EU, e.g. the Lisbon strategy, the emphasis on the environment and the interests of the EU smaller countries. Ambassador Raoul Delcorde sums up:“Belgium and Sweden are linked by a common endeavour in favour of a more competitive European Union, by a common interest to make international law prevail in any international issue, by a common concern with instability in Sub-Saharan Africa.We support therefore, the efforts of the international community to restore peace in Africa.” ROYAL LINKS As Sweden and Belgium are constitutional monarchies, it is not surprising that royal personalities have left their mark on history and brought the two nations closer. During the 14th century a Belgian princess Blanche de Namur was married to Magnus Eriksson. She was the same person whom the Swedes recognize as Queen Blanka, with close links to Saint Birgitta, herself a member of the reigning house. Birgitta’s order later expanded into Belgium. Subsequently Queen Christina, after abdicating from the throne, while on her way to Rome, installed herself in Brussels for a few years, where she received a triumphal reception. One of the royals who is better known and loved by the Belgian people is Queen Astrid, mother of King Albert II and of his predecessor King Baudouin. Astrid was the daughter of Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg, and cousin of the father of King Karl Gustav XVI. She married Leopold, Belgium’s heir-apparent, in 1926. Her popularity among the Belgians has been compared with Diana’s 50 years later. THE MOST POPULAR SWEDES IN BELGIUM ARE: Queen Astrid, Alfred Nobel, Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, Bjorn Borg and Ingmar Bergman THE MOST POPULAR BELGIANS IN SWEDEN: Eddy Merckx, Queen Blanka, George Simenon, Magritte, Jacques Brel, Tintin, writers Hugo Claus, and Amelie Nothomb LINKS: For the events in Belgium’s 175th anniversary celebrations see: www.175-25.be and then click on “programme” © 2006, Swedish Bulletin. 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