Relations between the Italian Republic and the Kingdom of Belgium are built upon a fruitful and mature partnership, with origins\u2014in various forms\u2014dating back to the years immediately following the 1861 Unification of Italy. \u00a0Over time, the two nations have cultivated a wealth of shared relations and values, underpinned by deep historical, economic, cultural, and political ties that remain the pillars of their friendship.<\/p>\n
Such alignment is reflected in a shared perspective on major international issues and a consistent alignment of objectives within multilateral institutions. As founding members of the European project and among the first twelve members of the Atlantic Alliance, Italy and Belgium also share a firm commitment to the United Nations system, international cooperation, and the defense of the principles that guide its actions.<\/p>\n
Political and institutional dialogue, already robust, has gained significant momentum in recent years. In 2025, the State Visit to Belgium by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella\u2014the first such visit by an Italian Head of State in over two decades\u2014marked a milestone in bilateral relations, underscoring the strategic importance both nations place on their friendship. This renewed impetus for cooperation was further demonstrated by a meeting in Rome on September 7, 2026, between the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, and the Prime Minister of Belgium, Bart De Wever\u2014the first visit to Italy by a Belgian Head of Government in ten years. The meeting served as a further opportunity to reaffirm their shared desire to deepen political dialogue, strengthen bilateral collaboration, and foster closer alignment on key European and international issues.<\/p>\n
The economic partnership is deep and vital, fueled today by a robust, diversified, and steadily growing trade exchange (exceeding 46.5 billion euros in 2025). It is rooted in the natural complementarity of the two countries’ production systems and their shared capacity for innovation and mutual prosperity.<\/p>\n
Building on foundations that date back to the 1948 Cooperation Agreement\u2014and which have since been strengthened through an extensive network of partnerships between universities, research institutions, and centers of excellence\u2014innovation now serves as the primary driver of scientific collaboration between Italy and Belgium. This cooperation is already active across several strategic sectors and holds significant potential to become a benchmark for sustainable innovation in Europe. Key areas of collaboration include applied physics, biotechnology, the space economy, energy technologies, and “smart manufacturing\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Italian community in Belgium holds a prominent place in bilateral relations; it is a large, deeply rooted presence that, over generations, has become an integral part of the country\u2019s social fabric, history, and contemporary identity. While its origins lie in a history of sacrifice, dignity, and resilience\u2014marked by the many Italians who moved to Belgium to work in coal mines, a chapter that reached its most tragic moment with the Marcinelle disaster on August 8, 1956\u2014the Italian community in Belgium today serves as a multifaceted and dynamic bridge between the two nations. Its members are increasingly engaged with European and international institutions, the advanced service sector, and large multinational corporations. Thanks in part to this community\u2019s contribution, Italy remains a highly favored tourist destination for Belgians, further strengthening the family, cultural, and commercial ties between the two countries.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Relations between the Italian Republic and the Kingdom of Belgium are built upon a fruitful and mature partnership, with origins\u2014in various forms\u2014dating back to the years immediately following the 1861 Unification of Italy. \u00a0Over time, the two nations have cultivated a wealth of shared relations and values, underpinned by deep historical, economic, cultural, and political […]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-134","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambbruxelles.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambbruxelles.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambbruxelles.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambbruxelles.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambbruxelles.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/ambbruxelles.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3750,"href":"https:\/\/ambbruxelles.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/134\/revisions\/3750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambbruxelles.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}