Australian Embassy and Mission to the EU

Belgium-Luxembourg

Embassy address: Rue Guimardstraat 6-8, 1040 Brussels - Telephone: +32 (0) 2 286 0500 - Fax: +32 (0) 2 231 07 88

Australia's relations with Belgium and Luxembourg

Australia enjoys good relations with Belgium and Luxembourg. The Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) is Australia’s 11th largest investor with total inward investment valued at A$19.5 billion at December 2008. The BLEU is the fifth largest EU investor in Australia. Two-way trade between Australia and the BLEU is also substantial, reaching A$3.0 billion in 2008-09.

Australia enjoys positive and constructive relations with Belgium, with a growing bilateral commercial relationship. We share similar approaches to many international issues, including climate change, arms control, and whaling. Australia and Belgium are partners in NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, and Belgium is a member of the Australia Group on Chemical Weapons.

Our bilateral relationship is underpinned by binding historical ties stemming from World War I, where Australian soldiers served on the battlefields of Belgium. In 2008-09, 13,600 Belgians visited Australia. In 2007, there were just over 6,000 Belgium-born people in Australia (an increase of 3.5 per cent since 2006).

To find out more about Australia’s relations with Belgium, click here.

Australia has very good relations with Luxembourg, both bilaterally and in the context of Luxembourg's membership of the EU. Official contact with the Government of Luxembourg is focused on multilateral issues including international disarmament negotiations.

To find out more about Australia’s’ relations with Luxembourg, click here.