Relationship dossier
Belgium
United Kingdom
Relationship assessment
Cooperative bilateral ties, with post-Brexit changes to trade and cross-border relations
Belgium toward United Kingdom
+15Belgium has engaged in bilateral security cooperation with the United Kingdom and coordination through European and transatlantic frameworks. Brexit changed the context for Belgian dealings with the UK, particularly on trade and cross-border matters.
United Kingdom toward Belgium
+15The United Kingdom has maintained bilateral security cooperation with Belgium and coordination through European and transatlantic frameworks. Its withdrawal from the European Union altered the framework governing trade and cross-border relations with Belgium.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship combines longstanding security cooperation with the practical disruption and renegotiation associated with Brexit. Bilateral arrangements and institutional coordination support cooperation, while the changed trade and cross-border framework remains a source of adjustment.
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 the United Kingdom have maintained cooperative ties, including through bilateral security arrangements and coordination within European and transatlantic institutions. The relationship has also involved friction over the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, which changed the framework for trade and cross-border cooperation. The scope and practical impact of specific bilateral arrangements are not fully clear.
Areas of tension
- Brexit-related changes to trade and cross-border arrangements
Key developments
The United Kingdom left the European Union, changing the framework for its trade and cross-border relations with Belgium.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral security cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of continuing bilateral coordination on trade and cross-border matters after Brexit is uncertain.