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Belgium did not become a separate kingdom until 1831 when it finally broke away from Holland and invited Leopold, Prince of Saxe-Coburg, to become king. By treaties signed in London by the five Great Powers in 1831 and 1839 the affairs of Belgium were placed on a sound bases. The later treaty guaranteed the neutrality of the new kingdom. During the Great European War Belgium endured terrible sufferings and after the Armistice it was faced with problem of reconstruction that involved not only the rebuilding of the devastated towns and cities, but also required ultimately the complete reorganization of trade and commerce. The Second World War placed it in the same position once again necessitating redevelopment and massive investment.

Belgium is made up of two major langue communities, the Dutch speaking Flemings and the French speaking Walloons. Although unified since the 1830s they have not been totally without tension however the unification has proven durable as the successive government have carefully balanced the interests of the two communities and with agreement on devolving power the regions are leading toward an era of new coherence.

Although historical Belgium’s strategic position as a crossroads of continental Europe cause it to suffer dreadfully in both world wars, the country has used its position to its advantage in the building of the new Europe. It has been at the forefront in allowing free movement of trade and people across boarders and its government has vigorously promoted European integration and its capital, Brussels, is the administrative power house of the EU. Perhaps the greatest strength of Belgium is that it has learned internally the importance of learning the language of others, and listening to the ideas of others, and has in many respects forward this important concept throughout the EU area.

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