For the first time since 2018, Belgium's PM will not attend the annual UN climate summit. Bart De Wever will be absent from the Belem Climate Summit, a preparatory meeting for COP30 where world leaders are expected to present their climate plans on 6 and 7 November.
In previous years, Belgium was represented at the highest level. Former prime minister Alexander De Croo even attended last year's COP29 in Baku while serving in a caretaker capacity. The last time a Belgian premier missed a climate summit was in 2018, when Charles Michel sent then energy minister Marie-Christine Marghem in his place.
So far, enthusiasm for this year’s summit appears muted. Only UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof have confirmed their attendance, alongside host Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
