On 18 October 2022, the 6th German-Belgian Conference will take place at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. It will be held against the backdrop of the current challenges posed by climate change and the energy transition and is intended to promote the development of concrete joint solutions and approaches. Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock and her Belgian colleague Hadja Lahbib have assumed the patronage for the Conference and will open it together.

Since 2009, the German-Belgian Conference has brought together decision-makers from the worlds of politics, civil society, business and academia of both countries at the highest level in order to promote and spotlight bilateral dialogue on current issues.

Germany and Belgium are already key partners on energy issues. For example, pipelines from Zeebrugge are supplying Germany with LPG, with the prospect of supplying hydrogen in future. The two countries also cooperate closely in the area of offshore wind energy use.

In addition to issues concerning energy supply, a central role at the conference will be given to international climate policy, which also encompasses climate security and resilience. In May 2022, under Germany’s presidency, the G7 countries pledged for the first time to provide assistance for poorer countries with respect to loss and damage as a result of global warming.

A large number of renowned experts have agreed to participate in the four thematic panel discussions at the conference.

Simultaneous interpretation into German, Flemish, French and English will be provided at the conference. We are looking forward to a lively discussion with input from all participants.