Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever
Fries, beer and chocolate may define Belgium’s gastronomic identity, but it is Indian hospitality that appears to have found a special place in Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s heart.De Wever experienced it during his years as mayor of Antwerp, home to a large Indian business community built partly around the diamond trade connecting Belgium with India.There was, however, an occupational hazard to befriending Indians: the food. “They can kill you with food,” De Wever joked during his first India visit as Prime Minister.“If every expat community in Belgium would be like the Indian community, I would be a very happy prime minister,” he told business leaders in Mumbai.CHOCOLATE MAKES A CAMEOThe already-reported five-kilogram chocolate India Gate that broke en route to Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a brief mention—Belgium, De Wever assured the audience, had a backup.He ended instead with another Antwerp-India connection. As mayor, De Wever recalled installing a statue of Mahatma Gandhi carrying the words: “The future depends on what you do today.”Pliny saw India-Europe trade 2,000 years ago and saw money going “down the drain”, De Wever said. “Two thousand years later, I stand before you and I see wonderful partnership.” And with that, the politician standing between his audience and the reception finally surrendered the microphone.FRIES, BEER AND MICHELIN STARSBelgium, De Wever reminded his audience, is a country of the “good life”—“fries, beers, chocolate”. But he wasn’t stopping there.. Belgium, he said, has more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita than many countries renowned for gastronomy, appearing to take a playful swipe at France.Then came the business lesson. Belgium ranks only fifth in Europe in potato growing, he said, yet is the world’s largest exporter of frozen potato products. “Small country, big margin.” he saidMUMBAI MEETS ANTWERPThere was something familiar about Mumbai too. Like Antwerp, it is an outward-looking commercial city shaped by ports, diamonds, trade and entrepreneurs rather than political power. De Wever described Antwerp as his “somewhere”—a city where money is made while capitals decide how it gets spent.“But we make it,” he said, turning to the businessmen in the room. Politicians negotiate agreements, but “you transport, you innovate, you choose to invest”.His self-deprecation began almost immediately. “I’m left standing between you and the reception. That’s always a difficult position,” he said, promising to keep his speech short before conceding that would make him another politician making “false promises”.Taking a vieled dig at US President Donald Trump he said “We decide something on Monday. They revoke it on Wednesday,” he said, contrasting protectionism with the India-EU free-trade agreement and its market of roughly two billion consumers.Published on September 4, 2026
