SOCIETY met with H.E. Ambassador Caroline Vermeulen to discover not so well-known facts about the trilingual country in the heart of Europe.
Belgium and Austria are connected by a long-lasting and shared history – what were, in your opinion, the highlights of these relations? Where do you see the strongest/closest connecting lines?
There are a lot of historical facts that can be seen as highlights through our shared history: The Belgian provinces were part of the Habsburg Empire during the period known as the Austrian Netherlands, which lasted from 1713 to 1794. Even before the Austrian rule, there were multiple connections, among others through the wedding of Mary of Burgundy with Maximilian of Austria, whose grandson Charles V – born in Gent – ruled over “a kingdom in which the sun never set”, including the Low countries, the Austrian Empire, Spain and the New territories in the Americas. Also after the Belgian independence in 1830, there were numerous marriages between our monarchies, famous ones like between Princess Charlotte of Belgium and the Archduke (and later Emperor of Mexico) Maximilian of Habsburg, unhappy ones like between Princess Louise of Belgium and Archduke Rudolf who committed suicide in Mayerling, up to very recent and very happy ones like the wedding between the sister of our present King Philippe, Princess Astrid, with Archduke Lorenz of Habsburg.
Besides our shared history, Austria and Belgium share a rich cultural connection, particularly through the realms of art and architecture. This reality is very visible in the Kunsthistorisches Museum or in the Albertina, but goes on well into contemporary times. One of the most significant works of Gustav Klimt, “the tree of life” was commissioned for the Palais Stoclet in Brussels, an architectural masterpiece designed by Josef Hoffmann and listed as UNESCO World Heritage. The Art Nouveau movement saw significant contributions from both Austrian and Belgian artists, with the Wiener Werkstätte in Austria and architects like Victor Horta and Henry van de Velde in Belgium leading the way. These cultural connections highlight the mutual influences and shared artistic heritage between Austria and Belgium, particularly in the realms of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. But to me, the closest connecting lines are the similarities between our societies.
Geographically we are located in different parts of Europe, however, both Austria and Belgium find themselves at the crossroads of different European cultures, the Latin and the Germanic for Belgium, the Germanic and the Slavic for Austria, and as a consequence, we are both good examples of the unity in diversity that characterizes Europe. Both our countries also host various International Organizations such as the European institutions and NATO in Brussels, and the OSCE and the UN in Vienna.
For around two years now, you are Ambassador of Belgium to Austria – what were the biggest challenges you faced during this time, what the greatest successes?
One of the biggest challenges I had to face since my arrival was the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which started on January 1st and ended June 30st of this year, not just because of my agenda as Ambassador to Austria, but because I combine this function with an accreditation to the UN Organisations in Vienna, as well as with being a non-residing Ambassador in Slovakia and Slovenia. All these different responsibilities resulted in a very challenging, but interesting six months during which I gained many insights on how this region works inside of the European Union, and was able to contribute to our Presidency’s motto to “strengthen, protect and prepare” the European Union for the future. At the same time on the multilateral side, the proliferation of conflicts around the world is of deep concern and affects the famous “Spirit of Vienna” in which we try to work through consensus. Together with the other EU member states, we did our utmost best to preserve this Vienna Spirit and to protect a rules-based multilateralism, with the UN Charter at its core.
As for the successes I encountered, I would just refer to all the great people I met and keep meeting, from all over Austria and from all over the world, within the Embassy, through official functions, informal encounters, travels, art performances and sport activities, who broaden my horizon and make my stay in Austria a very happy one.
Brussels is considered to be the “heart of Europe” – how did the establishment of EU institutions change the city and the whole country?
The presence of the EU institutions has definitely left its mark on the city. Over 40.000 EU functionaries work in Brussels, which contributes to a great connectivity and highlights the multicultural aspect of Brussels and Belgium. Besides the EU, we are also home to the NATO headquarters, and to one of the largest diplomatic communities in the world.
At the same time, it would be a shame to reduce Belgium and Brussels to only being the headquarters of Europe, when there is so much more to our country. Belgium is the 7th largest economy within the European Union and the 23rd largest economy in the world.[1] We are a leading power in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry, and home to the second biggest port of Europe, thus playing a crucial role in European and global trade.
Belgium has three official languages – what kind of challenges arise from this trilingualism?
Belgium’s trilingualism, encompassing Dutch, French, and German, is a significant asset rather than a challenge. It enriches the country’s cultural diversity, fostering a deep appreciation and understanding among its citizens. This linguistic variety also opens up numerous economic opportunities, making Belgium an attractive hub for multinational companies, but also making Belgians attractive employees all over the world. Additionally, our knowledge of English is also widespread, and enhanced by the fact that most audiovisual content is proposed in original version, with subtitles rather than dubbing. I wish all my compatriots would realize the benefits of multilingualism.
Belgium is especially famous for chocolate, beer and fries – what aspects of your country deserve far more attention, in your opinion?
In reference to what I said earlier about Brussels and Belgium not being reduced to the EU institutions, and as delicious as Belgian fries, chocolate and beer are, we have much more up our sleeve! Belgian tech-company IMEC is the world’s leader in microchip research. Thanks to innovative centres like IMEC of SCK-CEN in the nuclear field, as well as strong university research centers, Belgium ranks 23rd on the global innovation index of 2023.
Belgians are also passionate for sports. We won 10 medals at the latest Olympic Games in Paris, but our true national passion is cycling, with historical winners like Eddy Merckx, and current Olympic gold and bronze cycling medalists, Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel.
Furthermore, Belgium has many beautiful natural reserves, from the Zwin at the North Sea to the Ardennes in the south; we have important historical cities such as Bruges, Antwerp, Tournai, Liège and Gent. Some of these cities are home to world renowned artists and architects such as René Magritte, James Ensor, and Victor Horta, not to cite more ancient artists such as Rubens, Breugel or Van Eyck. Since a few years, Belgium is host to the largest Electronic Dance Music festival in the world, Tomorrowland. Each year, over the span of two weekends, more than 400.000 attendees come to the small town of Boom, between Brussels and Antwerp.
I could go on about music, both classical with the Queen Elisabeth music competition and modern with Stromae, about the modern dance performances of Anna-Teresa De Keersmaeker or Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui that are regularly performed in Austria too, about famous writers like Georges Simenon and Hergé, or even our complicated political system which guarantees to each of our communities their rights of representation and initiative, just to invite everyone to go beyond clichés and first impressions, since there is so much more to discover.
[1] The Top 25 Economies in the World (investopedia.com) The 50 largest economies in the world (worlddata.info)