From the Burj Khalifa to Palm Jebel Ali, the Belgian ambassador has highlighted how his country's community has left an enduring legacy in the UAE.
Speaking to The National to mark the country’s King’s Day on November 15, Antoine Delcourt reflected on the flourishing relations between the nations, his drive to boost ties with all seven emirates and how Belgians are known as people who deliver.
Belgians often stay under the radar, he said, but their role in some of the UAE’s top projects shows they get the job done. “It's a bit in our DNA,” said Mr Delcourt. “We don't like to brag too much. We are seen as people who deliver, who are reliable and very down to earth.”
Belgian legacy in the UAE
The envoy is about half way through a maximum four-year term and outlined how Belgium was one of the first countries to recognise the UAE after unification in 1971. A Belgian embassy opened here a few years later.
“There are a lot of common points between the UAE and Belgium,” he said. “In terms of population, in terms of GDP, this is more or less comparable. We are bridge builders, we are like consensus makers. I think this is also very much the role of the UAE in this region.”
While the country is known as the home of The Smurfs and Tintin, it also has a tradition of commerce and trade that extends to the UAE.
Bilateral trade as of 2023 stands at about €7 billion per year. Hundreds of Belgian companies operate here. These include construction company Besix, which has been involved here since the 1960s and is central to several major projects including the Burj Khalifa, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Guggenheim Museum and Zayed National Museum.
Belgium is also renowned for dredging companies, such as Jan De Nul, which was centrally involved in the Palm Jebel Ali megaproject.
“A lot of projects have been developed by Belgian companies here and I don't think it's very well known. My agenda when I arrived was to try to consolidate and further deepen these economic relations,” Mr Delcourt said.
“But the trade relationship extends into areas such as chemicals, machinery, chocolate and diamonds. The two biggest diamond places in the world are Antwerp and Dubai.”
A growing community
There are about 4,500 Belgians registered in the UAE but the true figure could be higher – up from 3,500 when Mr Delcourt started his tenure. It is the second-largest Belgian community in the Arab world after Morocco with Belgians choosing to live here for the quality of life, security and connectivity.
High-level visits are common, with the Belgian prime minister and king and queen visiting over the past few years. “It shows how important this country is for Belgium,” he said.
Belgium is a country of more than 11 million people with a Dutch-speaking north and mainly French-speaking south. Its system of government is a federal one that is decentralised and can often appear unwieldy but “works well”, Mr Delcourt said.
It is this experience of a federal system that also informs his work in the UAE. The partnership is not just with Abu Dhabi and Dubai but the other five emirates, he said. Just last month, he accompanied a delegation of female entrepreneurs from Sharjah to Brussels to attend a business forum.
“It was incredibly useful to go beyond the perceptions that we might sometimes have here or in Europe about each other,” he said. “Women empowerment and gender equality … it is a common agenda.”
The 'famous' Belgian consensus
Back home in Belgium, negotiations are continuing to form a government following elections held in June and local polls last month.
When asked when a government would be formed, Mr Delcourt said it could be another few weeks or even months.
“That's the famous Belgian compromise or Belgian consensus,” said Mr Delcourt, who is from French-speaking Charleroi. “It might seem like this is not working. But we always form a government. It's good to witness this while you have more and more political violence in the world.”
Future of the EU
The outcome of the US election, that saw Republican candidate Donald Trump returned to office, came after the interview was conducted, but the relationship with America would always be crucial, he said, and the EU would work with whoever entered the White House.
Turning to the future of Europe, Mr Delcourt said the institutions were “very strong” but security was a “concern”.
“This is also why we are supporting Ukraine and helping Ukraine against this unprovoked and unjustified aggression by Russia,” he said. “This is what we are doing and we will keep doing it.”
A veteran diplomat, Mr Delcourt served in India, China and Lebanon, describing the latter as a country “very close to my heart”. Referring to Israel's invasion of the country, he said he was “very saddened at the situation”.
“The situation is very worrisome,” he said. “We have asked for de-escalation … [along with] respect of international law and humanitarian law.”
Personal connection to Abu Dhabi
The Belgian community in the UAE come together for King's Day on Friday. While the country celebrates its national day in July, this event honours the monarchy.
For Mr Delcourt, it is an important day to reflect on what he considers a special personal relationship with the UAE.
His parents lived in Abu Dhabi for about 15 years from 1999 and returned last year for the first time. They even found their old apartment despite all the changes.
“They came back for the first time since they left to visit me last year,” he said. “It was a nice moment.”
SUNDAY'S ABU DHABI T10 MATCHES
Northern Warriors v Team Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangla Tigers v Karnataka Tuskers, 5.45pm
Qalandars v Maratha Arabians, 8pm
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
US PGA Championship in numbers
1 Joost Luiten produced a memorable hole in one at the par-three fourth in the first round.
2 To date, the only two players to win the PGA Championship after winning the week before are Rory McIlroy (2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and Tiger Woods (2007, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational). Hideki Matsuyama or Chris Stroud could have made it three.
3 Number of seasons without a major for McIlroy, who finished in a tie for 22nd.
4 Louis Oosthuizen has now finished second in all four of the game's major championships.
5 In the fifth hole of the final round, McIlroy holed his longest putt of the week - from 16ft 8in - for birdie.
6 For the sixth successive year, play was disrupted by bad weather with a delay of one hour and 43 minutes on Friday.
7 Seven under par (64) was the best round of the week, shot by Matsuyama and Francesco Molinari on Day 2.
8 Number of shots taken by Jason Day on the 18th hole in round three after a risky recovery shot backfired.
9 Jon Rahm's age in months the last time Phil Mickelson missed the cut in the US PGA, in 1995.
10 Jimmy Walker's opening round as defending champion was a 10-over-par 81.
11 The par-four 11th coincidentally ranked as the 11th hardest hole overall with a scoring average of 4.192.
12 Paul Casey was a combined 12 under par for his first round in this year's majors.
13 The average world ranking of the last 13 PGA winners before this week was 25. Kevin Kisner began the week ranked 25th.
14 The world ranking of Justin Thomas before his victory.
15 Of the top 15 players after 54 holes, only Oosthuizen had previously won a major.
16 The par-four 16th marks the start of Quail Hollow's so-called "Green Mile" of finishing holes, some of the toughest in golf.
17 The first round scoring average of the last 17 major champions was 67.2. Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen shot 67 on day one at Quail Hollow.
18 For the first time in 18 majors, the eventual winner was over par after round one (Thomas shot 73).
Haemoglobin disorders explained
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Profile
Company name: Jaib
Started: January 2018
Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour
Based: Jordan
Sector: FinTech
Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018
Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Croatia v Hungary, Thursday, 10.45pm, UAE
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Superliminal%20
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Schedule
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Honeymoonish
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
1971: The Year The Music Changed Everything
Director: Asif Kapadia
4/5
