Agreements and Conventions

Under the Ivorian-Belgian cooperation, several agreements and conventions have been signed between the two countries in various fields:

On October 25, 2017, in Abidjan, several agreements were signed, including:

• Agreement in the field of air transport;

• Agreement in the field of environmental protection;

• Agreement in the field of the construction of infrastructure;

• Agreement in the field of exports;

• Agreement in the field of investment promotion and facilitation;

• Agreement in the field of energy;

• Agreement in the field of infrastructure and the development of the electricity sector;

• Agreement in the field of the port sector.

• Signing of a protocol on the parking of Belgian military forces at Abidjan Airport as part of their logistical support to the Belgian forces engaged in the Malian crisis (February 14, 2013);

• Signing of the minutes of the exchange of ratification instruments of the Agreement on the promotion and reciprocal protection of investments in Brussels (May 15, 2013);

• Signing of the bilateral debt restructuring agreement of Côte d'Ivoire in Brussels (February 27, 2012). This is in accordance with the minutes of Agreement XI signed on November 15, 2011, between Côte d'Ivoire and the Paris Club creditors. This agreement includes cancellations and rescheduling during the consolidation period for an amount of 25.26 billion FCFA. Belgium has canceled the old rescheduled debts of Côte d'Ivoire following the completion point of the HIPC initiative;

• Signing of a bilateral debt cancellation agreement for an amount of 202,707,120.57 euros, or 153 billion FCFA (October 2, 2012), between Côte d'Ivoire and Belgium. This agreement implements a bilateral agreement concluded within the Paris Club on June 29, 2012, following Côte d'Ivoire reaching the completion point of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative;

• Signing of a partnership agreement between the Autonomous Port of San Pedro (PASP) and the Port of Antwerp (Belgian port), on November 17, 2011. The Port of San Pedro thus integrates into the international network of the second largest port in Europe, of which it is the relay on the African continent. This agreement covers technical assistance, investments, training, and the development of commercial relations for the Port of San Pedro;

• Protocol modifying the Air Agreement in Abidjan (April 31, 2002);

• Additional protocol to the Maritime Agreement between the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire and the Belgian-Luxembourg Economic Union, signed in Abidjan, on September 28, 1999;

• Agreement on the promotion and reciprocal protection of investments between Côte d'Ivoire and the Belgian-Luxembourg Union signed on November 25, 1977;

• Maritime Agreement between the Belgian-Luxembourg Union and Côte d'Ivoire (November 25, 1977);

• Tax Convention to avoid double taxation (November 25, 1977);

• Additional protocol to the Maritime Agreement between the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire and the Belgian-Luxembourg Economic Union, signed in Abidjan, on November 25, 1977, and ratified by Decree No. 79-280 of April 4, 1979;

• General Technical Cooperation Agreement between the Kingdom of Belgium and the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (June 7, 1968, Abidjan);

• Air Transport Cooperation Agreement between the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire and the Kingdom of Belgium signed in Abidjan, on September 22, 1963, ratified by Decree No. 80 499 of June 3, 1980.

Côte d'Ivoire could further strengthen its bilateral cooperation with Belgium, particularly in the fields of transport (air and port), engineering, agriculture, and the processing of agricultural products.

From 2014 to 2016, Belgian direct investments amounted to only 6.35 billion FCFA (about 9.9 million euros), according to the Investment Promotion Center in Côte d'Ivoire (CEPICI), placing Belgium in 5th position among European investors in the country.