Relationship dossier
Belgium
Canada
Relationship assessment
Belgium and Canada cooperate through bilateral agreements and maintain an allied relationship.
Belgium toward Canada
+20Belgium participates in the bilateral tax convention with Canada and in the youth mobility arrangement, providing frameworks for tax matters and temporary work and travel between the countries.
Canada toward Belgium
+20Canada participates in the bilateral tax convention with Belgium and in the youth mobility arrangement, providing frameworks for tax matters and temporary work and travel between the countries.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship has a cooperative institutional basis through bilateral agreements on taxation and youth mobility. Their shared NATO membership is part of the broader allied context, but the available basis for assessing the depth of direct bilateral cooperation is limited.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Belgium and Canada maintain a cooperative relationship supported by bilateral agreements, including a tax convention and a youth mobility arrangement. Both are also NATO members, although shared alliance membership alone does not establish the extent of bilateral cooperation. The agreements provide concrete cooperation, but the scope of other government-to-government work is unclear.
Key developments
The Canada–Belgium tax convention entered into force, establishing a bilateral framework for tax matters.
The Canada–Belgium Youth Mobility Agreement came into force, enabling eligible young people to travel and work in the other country.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation beyond the tax and youth mobility arrangements are unclear.
- The current extent of direct Belgian-Canadian defence cooperation is uncertain.