The Government of Flanders announced on 29 May that there will be a new Flemish diplomatic post in Copenhagen. This will be the 14th General Representation of the Government of Flanders. The opening is planned for early 2021.
In the Flemish coalition agreement the further expansion of the Flemish diplomatic network was already announced. In 2019 a new representation was opened in Italy. This time Scandinavia was considered. After all, it is the ambition of the Government to reach the entire European territory with its diplomatic network.
The jurisdiction of the new representation will include Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Together with the delegation in Warsaw, which includes Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the whole of Northern Europe will be reached.
The Danish capital, Copenhagen, was chosen as the location for the new representation. Copenhagen is a regional hub with good connections to both Brussels and the other Scandinavian countries and is also the seat of a number of international and regional institutions. The choice was reinforced by the fact that Denmark, as a European member state with a profile that matches that of Flanders in many respects, is also familiar with the functioning and dynamics of autonomous regions.
The cooperation between Flanders and several of the Scandinavian countries is already strong, but the presence of a Flemish representation should make it possible to strengthen these ties even more closely.