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Always a celebratory soiree each November, this year’s Belgian King’s Day celebration carried special significance for the Consulate General of Belgium in Atlanta.
Not only was it the first such event for new Consul General Katherine Raeymaekers, but it was also the last before the city is reconnected to Brussels with a nonstop Delta Air Lines flight, set to launch next June.
When mentioning the flight, Ms. Raeymaekers, who took up her post in August, received an unexpected round of applause from a crowd sipping Belgian-style beers at Bold Monk Brewing.
“And don’t forget, by flying into Brussels, you also fly into the capital of the European Union, opening the door to a market of 450 million people,” she added.
The consul general is keen to promote Belgium as an innovative economy ready to deepen partnerships with the 10 states under her jurisdiction in the Southeast U.S.
Spending 3.5 percent of its government outlay on research and development, Belgium fosters university partnerships that help commercialize cutting-edge research and churn out graduates in some of the world’s most advanced industry sectors. Belgium is a leader in drug and vaccine development, medical devices, textiles and flooring, chemicals, batteries and energy and much more.
Georgia has been one of the U.S.’s biggest beneficiaries of Belgium’s outward focus, with the nearly 100 Belgian firms setting up operations in the state.
Innovators like UCB in pharmaceuticals, Beauflor in flooring and Syensqo (formerly Solvay) in plastics and battery materials, employ thousands and showcase the quality by which Belgian firms distinguish themselves in the crowded U.S. market.
The consulate will soon begin a social media campaign called “Belgian Quality in the Southeast” to draw attention to the country’s diaspora here.
“This series will highlight the added value of the Belgian presence in the region by focusing on the quality and innovation Belgian companies and shapers bring o the table in different ecosystems,” Ms. Raeymaekers said.
It will start with Solene Jaspard, the new executive director of the Belgian-American Chamber of the South, or BACoS, who also recently interviewed Ms. Raeymaekers.
The consul general also offered a glimpse into the consulate’s other plans to close out 2024 and open the new year.
King’s Day attendees could preview photography of “Belgium 24 Challenge” from Ostbelgien photographer Chris Eyre-Walker, as well as displays from “The Beginning of the End: The Battle of the Bulge,” a traveling exhibition in partnership with Kennesaw State University and the Bastogne War Museum. It will run through Jan. 19 at Kennesaw State’s Sturgis Library.
Beyond its regional economic diplomacy, the consulate is also focused on doing its part to support the rules-based international order and affirm human rights, both of which Ms. Raeymaekers said have been threatened by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“Decennia-old relations between nations and trade customs are put to the test. Economic systems are ever so fluctuating and volatile. Many communities are ever more polarized,” she said on Nov. 13, about a week removed from contentious elections in the U.S.
Belgium, she said, will continue its focus on diplomacy and dialogue, hearkening back to the openness that was present even when the country was established in 1830. King Leopold I, the first Belgian king, was of German origin but lived in England before ascending to the throne.
“With this history in mind, it’s not surprising that Belgium is still today one of the most globalized countries in the world, a truly open economy and proud founding member of the EU, NATO and the U.N.,” Ms. Raeymaekers said.
Belgian King’s Day is celebrated each year on Nov. 15. King Philippe is the nation’s seventh monarch.
In 2022, a royal delegation led by Princess Astrid brought some 300 Belgian companies to Georgia:
That was followed by a delegation of 60 tech companies to Atlanta in 2023.
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