On March 3, the Flemish Parliament passed proposal for “Resolution on relations with and international position of Taiwan” requesting that the Flemish Government take actions and cooperate with the EU to promote regional peace and stability in Cross-Strait relations; support Taiwan's democracy and freedom, as well as its meaningful participation in international organizations, such as World Health Organization (WHO), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); deepen bilateral economic, cultural, and academic exchanges between the EU, Flanders and Taiwan; emphasize at the European level the importance of a bilateral investment protection agreement (BIA) between the EU and Taiwan; support the resumption of Cross-Strait dialogue; and request the immediate release of Taiwanese activists, including Mr. LEE Ming-Che. The Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium extended its sincerest gratitude to the honourable representatives responsible for the co-initiation of the resolution and the Flemish Parliament.
This resolution, which was co-initiated and promoted by the ruling party alliance in the Flemish Parliament, and was passed with cross-party support by 117 votes on March 3 in the Plenary.
This is the very first time that the Flemish Parliament has demonstrated its support for promoting Taiwan-Flanders and Taiwan-EU relations with a resolution. The overwhelming majority with which the resolution passed, testifies that both Belgium and Taiwan are committed to defending democracy, freedom, and human rights as like-minded countries.
The Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium extended its sincerest gratitude to the to the honorable representatives responsible for the co-initiation of the resolution and the Flemish Parliament, and will continue to closely cooperate with the Flemish Parliament to strengthen bilateral amicable and cooperative relations.
