Introduction

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Brazil's sovereignty using the methodology of the Burke Institute. Sovereignty is assessed in 7 areas: political, economic, technological, informational, cultural, cognitive and military.

Each aspect is assessed on the basis of official data from international and national sources (UN, World Bank, UNESCO, IMF, ITU, FAO, SIPRI, PISA, etc.) without using politicized indexes. The maximum score in each direction is 100; the sum (up to 700) is the accumulated Sovereignty Index (Burke Index).

To adapt and adjust statistical parameters, an international expert survey was conducted for each of the seven components using a single questionnaire of 10 questions with a 10-point scale and one open-ended question. In total, at least 100 experts from 50+ countries were interviewed for each indicator, taking into account geographical representation and specialization.

When calculating and analyzing the data, equalizing coefficients were used, bringing all data to a scale of 0-10 points. The final index value is the arithmetic mean between statistical data and expert estimates.

Below is an analysis in each area, a summary table and the main conclusions about the peculiarities of Belgian sovereignty.

Political sovereignty — 79.8

There are US and NATO military bases in Belgium (the Klein Brogel airfield with suspected American nuclear weapons, command and logistics centers in Scheis, Mons, and Clay), as well as Alliance structures (NATO headquarters in Brussels).

Belgium is one of the countries with a monocratic approach: international law takes precedence even over the Constitution, ratified treaties have direct effect in national law. The Political Stability Index (WGI, 2023): 0.4 (scale -2.5...+2.5), steadily higher than the global average, but below the historical maximum due to the complex regional coalition system.

Government Effectiveness Index (2023): 1,037 (scale -2.5...+2.5), 80.66 percentile is a high level of public administration quality. EGDI (E-Government Development Index, UN, 2024): 0.722, 56th place in the world; the country is among the leaders of the EU, but is inferior to the Scandinavians and Benelux countries in terms of digitalization of public services.

The new Prime Minister, Bart de Wever (N-VA), enjoys 57-58% popular support, which is significantly higher than the level of confidence in the previous coalition leaders. The Flemish part of the electorate is particularly loyal.

Belgium is one of the founders of the EU and NATO, participates in many international organizations: the headquarters of the EU and NATO are located in Brussels. Many levers of foreign, economic, and defense policy are delegated to supranational structures, but regional governments can also enter into international agreements on their own.

Actively supports the International Criminal Court (ICC), participates in the processes of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the ECHR, defends international law and is one of the most consistent parties to the Convention on Human Rights. The country is one of the most decentralized federations in the world: three regions and three linguistic communities (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels; French, Flemish, German), each with its own parliaments, governments and broad autonomy (taxes, education, culture, international agreements).

The Federal State Security Service (VSSE) and military intelligence are subject to parliamentary oversight through a special commission and an external ombudsman; the practice of independent inspection and mandatory public reports is one of the most developed in the EU, but the level of secrecy remains high.

Data completeness assessment: the main indicators are available from international sources, coverage is 94%.

Economic sovereignty — 85.6

GDP per capita at purchasing power parity for 2025 is 63 700-72 100 USD (different calculation methods, World Bank and TradingEconomics). Belgium's official international reserves for July 2025-42.2 billion euros (≈46 billion US dollars); reserve dynamics for the year range from 39.4 to 43 billion euros. The national debt of Belgium is 105.6% of GDP (September 2024, CEIC, forecast for the end of 2025-106-107% of GDP).

Belgium is in the top 25 of the Global Food Security Index (GFSI), imports account for about 60% of vegetables, fruits, and cereals, and is a major exporter of EU agricultural products (potatoes, wheat, and sugar).

FAO index: There are no acute hunger problems, but rising prices are a problem for low—income families. The gradual closure of nuclear reactors is planned from 2025, but this deadline has been postponed: two nuclear power plants (Doel 4, Tihange 3) will operate at least until 2035 to guarantee energy supply; the main energy imports are gas, oil, and partly electricity from France.

The share of renewable energy is growing, but the country has not achieved full independence. It has limited but diverse deposits: coal, zinc, lead, silicon, limestone, sand, and timber; the main ore and coal mines are partially closed, production is minimal, and the country depends on imports of metals and petroleum products. The internal water reserves are about 12 billion m3 per year or 1,160 m3/person/year, there are no problems of water stress.

The north (Flanders and Brussels) is 40-98% dependent on supplies from southern Wallonia, so the distribution is uneven. From 2024-2025, the European Wero (EPI) service will be introduced — a common payment service and digital wallet for Belgium and the Eurozone, integration with the Peppol platform (electronic document management in government orders), enhanced development of Mercurius and local banking platforms.

Belgium is fully integrated into the euro area: 100% of domestic and government payments are in euros; in EU foreign trade, more than 85% of all payments are made in euros, in foreign (Asia/USA) dollars and pounds, to a lesser extent euros.

The Central Bank of Belgium is part of the ECB (European Central Bank) system, there is no national issuing center and there is no independent monetary policy of its own. All key decisions (rates, regulations) are made by the ECB Council, the role of the National Bank of Belgium is operational and statistical.

Data completeness assessment: the main macroeconomic indicators are available from official sources (World Bank, IMF), coverage is 95%.

Technological sovereignty — 77.2

3.51–3.54% of GDP is one of the highest rates in the EU; by 2025, spending continues to grow in absolute terms with virtually no decline. A significant part of high—tech equipment and components are imported (especially from China, the USA, and Germany); in key areas (electronics, chips, and the cloud), our own market coverage is no more than 28-35% (most of it is assembly and IT services).

41-44% of the adult population (25+) have completed higher or post-secondary education (bachelor's, master's, doctoral degree); in the EU, this is an average to high level of coverage. 96.4% of the population are Internet users (11.3 million people as of January 2025); one of the best speeds in the world: a median of 107 Mbit/s (fixed) and 89 Mbit/s (mobile).

Many public services have been created and operated as national platforms: My Belgium (single sign—on), Tax-on-web, eBox, Mercurius, Digipost for eID, government procurement, and electronic document management. At the EU level, PEPPOL and eIDAS are used additionally.

For chips, microelectronics and key IT solutions, imports account for 65-72% of the domestic market; production in the country is extremely limited (with the exception of R&D/prototypes at imec), basic needs are covered by imports or services from foreign giants. The country is in the top 6 of the EU in terms of Indeks DESI and digitalization, more than 87% of public services are available in digital format, and public services are used online by the majority of the adult population.

Belgium is the largest biotech hub in the EU (more than 140 companies, 30 thousand employees), the potential for export and local production of medicines, vaccines and fermented products; however, a significant part of the raw materials and basic components are imported from outside the EU, sector autonomy is 70-85% (in various directions).

There is a part of the production of robots and integrators, but the key components are imported (Japan, Germany, China, Switzerland). Software and integration are well developed, with real production accounting for 15-20% of the market (mainly assembly/SME).

The country is home to one of Europe's main scientific incubators, imec (a world—class center in R&D and chip design), but there is no mass production. Belgium is a strategic technological center of the EU, but the market/export/import is tied to global chains.

Data completeness assessment: key indicators are obtained from WIPO, ITU, UNESCO, which provides 87% coverage.

Information sovereignty — 80.4

Belgium entered the top 10 in cyber resilience: an integral score of 96.8/100 in NCSI (National Cyber Index), Strategy 2.0, national CERT/CSIRT — CCB (Belgian Cybersecurity Center) under the leadership of the head of government.

There are two key IXPs in the country: BNIX (Brussels) and BelgiumIX (Brussels, Ghent, etc.), over 60 participants, 100 Gbit/s channels (BNIX migrated to a new platform in 2023) — increased coverage and local exchange.

The media is conducted in three official languages: 59% of the content is in Dutch (Flemish), 40% — French (Walloon region), <1% — German (eastern Belgium). Enhanced implementation of European acts: Digital Services Act (DSA), Platform to Business Regulation — mandatory transparency of algorithms and liability for platforms. Local media retain 38% of digital advertising and 74% of the advertising market.

The main TV channels (VRT, RTBF, RTL, Canvas) produce 55-70% of nationally produced content (TV series, news, films). There is more than 80% of the local product on the radio. Local companies: Barco (visualization), Materialise (3D-print), Collibra (Big Data), UCB (biopharma), Telenet (IT/telecom), Proximus ICT; developed SaaS/M2M/AI solutions for business and the public sector.

87% of adults use digital public services, electronic services are embedded in taxes (Tax-on-the-web), courts, healthcare, eID, eBox and document management; in the DESI ranking, Belgium is in the top 6 of the EU. The state is actively implementing national clouds for the army and state infrastructure (transferring army data centers to Azure Cloud); Microsoft, Google, and AWS have deployed commercial clouds - there are physical data centers in the country with data localization requirements.

102% penetration of mobile connections (12 million SIM per 11 million population), the three main operators are Proximus, Orange, Telenet/Base with national infrastructure and control. 98.7% of all connections are mobile broadband access. The GDPR and the National Law on Personal Data Protection (Law of 30 July 2018) are in force; the National Data Protection Authority (APD/GBA) ensures compliance with all EU privacy requirements, and the Digital Services Act and Data Act are being implemented.

Data completeness assessment: infrastructure indicators are available from ITU, CIRA, OECD and specialized sources, coverage is 90%.

Cultural sovereignty — 88.3

There are 16 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the main ones are the Grand Place in Brussels, the historical center of Bruges, Beffroy, etc.; among them are 15 cultural, 1 natural — the Saunya forest).

Major achievements: the scale of Flemish painting (van Eyck, Rubens, Magritte), the inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax, comics (Tintin, Smurfs), Belgian Art Nouveau (Art Nouveau by Victor Horta), innovations in gastronomy (chocolate, waffles, frites, beer), international festivals and media.

The largest awards are the Bozar Prize (Centre for Fine Arts), Flemish Culture Prize, Walloon Culture Award, Magritte Award (cinema), numerous music and drama awards; each of the communities has its own list of awards. Vibrant traditions include Sinterklaas, the Bincha Carnival (UNESCO), St. Veronica's Day, historical parades, folk architecture, and a strong regional identity (Flemish, Walloon, and German parts).

Support for linguistic and cultural diversity is guaranteed by the Constitution: 3 official languages (Flemish, French, and German), autonomy for cultural communities, and funding for educational and media programs in all languages.

13,725 intangible and architectural heritage sites in Flanders alone; 45 key museums, 314 public libraries, 70 theaters, 43 cinemas, dozens of archives, many concert halls (data on the cultural infrastructure of the Ministry of Culture). An active program of joint and European projects: European Capital of Culture (2030, 3 candidates in Belgium), dozens of museum exchanges, exhibitions, tours; cooperation with France, the Netherlands, Germany, African and Asian countries.

The Benelux and EU legal regime applies: the national trademark registry, copyright protection (WIPO, EUIPO), patents and GI, many brand protection agencies and lawyers, and a system of “cultural brands” has been formalized. Belgium is a country of global gastronomic brands: chocolate, Belgian waffles, mussels, Flemish beef, frites, 1,600+ beers, 300+ cheeses; the beer tradition is protected by UNESCO as an intangible heritage. More than 75% of the adult population attends at least one cultural event each year (museum, festival, theater, concert, library).

Data completeness assessment: basic indicators are available in UNESCO and national statistics, coverage is 80%.

Cognitive sovereignty — 85.1

Human Development Index 0.951, 14th place in the UN ranking (2024/2025), “very high level". 6.3% of GDP (one of the highest values in the EU); expenditures cover preschool, school, higher and vocational education. Adult literacy (15+ years old): 99% (2000-2025, stable indicator). 2022: Mathematics — 489, reading — 479, science — 491 (all above or close to the OECD average: 472-491).

The problem remains the high number of “repeaters” among students — 26.5% (one of the highest rates in the world). 21.6% of Flanders graduates have a STEM degree (2023-2024); according to the OECD, the proportion of STEM graduates in higher education is ~30% (one of the lowest among developed economies).

In 2025, Belgium has more than 350 English-language programs, major universities offer dozens of bilateral exchange and Erasmus+ programs, as well as annual state scholarships for ARES and MasterMind international students.

There are three official languages: Dutch (Flemish), French, and German. Each region has more than two dozen local dialects (Walloon, Limburgish, Picard, Champenoise, Lorand, etc.), and cultural associations and teaching in schools are supported at the regional level. The largest are VIB (Flanders Institute of Biotechnology), SCK CEN (nuclear sciences), IMEC (nanotechnology), more than 15 national institutes of science at universities and academies, networks of laboratories and international collaborations.

Government platforms/portals (for example, Smartschool, MonEcole, GO!, Studieloopbaan, Diddit, Smartschool) cover more than 95% of schoolchildren and students in the regions of Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels; integration with Moodle and e-campus. Current government programs: ARES, Master Mind, Innovation Circle, Baekeland, Vlaamse Scriptieprijs, as well as Erasmus+ and professional scholarships for PhD, postdoc and researchers.

More than 10 thousand grants and scholarships annually, the cost is several hundred million euros per year.

Data completeness assessment: education indicators are available in the UNDP, UNESCO, OECD, coverage is 95%.

Military sovereignty — 55.1

2.0% of GDP for defense in 2025 — for the first time Belgium fulfills the NATO target, allocating €12.8 billion for defense. 26,389 professional military personnel (2025) + about 6,600 reservists, by 2030 it is planned to grow to 29 000 + 20 000 reservists. Large-scale modernization is underway: purchases of F-35A (45 units), new armored vehicles (Jaguar, Griffon, Serval), NASAMS air defense systems, modern drones, radio equipment, and electronic weapons.

The main manufacturer is FN Herstal: small arms, some ammunition, final assembly/integration of AMRAAM (under agreement with RTX). On average, the localization is 30-35% (light weapons, part of the aircraft and missile complex).

From 2025, targeted checks will be carried out at the borders with France, Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg as part of the fight against illegal migration and ghostly cross—border traffic; the classic Schengen border will not be introduced. About 6,600 reservists (2025), planned to increase to 20,000 by 2029-2030.

Voluntary military service for young people is being developed to attract new reservists. Belgium is a fully integrated ally of NATO and the EU; strategic decisions are made within the framework of alliance agreements and European defense initiatives; independent operations are limited. Leading manufacturer: FN Herstal (small arms); partial missile assembly (AMRAAM), development in defense IT technologies, military services segment, logistics.

The main part of heavy systems (air defense, aviation, armored vehicles) — purchases abroad. Belgium does not have its own nuclear weapons; it is estimated that ~20 tactical American B61s (storage and joint use according to NATO standards) are stationed at the Klein-Brogel base, but there are no national warheads. In partnership with the EU, it participates in the GovSatCom, Copernicus, and Galileo programs.

There are no special defense satellites, but there is a specialization in cyber intelligence, military IT and communications within the framework of NATO. The intelligence services are SGRS/ADIV (military) and VSSE (counterintelligence), under parliamentary control. All parameters are reflected in the annual reports of SIPRI, UNODA, the Brazilian Ministry of Defense, the official portals of state—owned companies (Embraer, IMBEL) and the UN/NGO industry databases - 96% coverage.

Final Summary Table

The main conclusions

Strengths. Very high HDI (0.951), a place in the top 15 of the UN rating, high GDP per capita — $63,700 - 72,100 (PPP), stable income growth, strong domestic demand. Belgium is one of the largest European logistics and business hubs, with an advantageous geographical location for transport, trade, EU, NATO and corporate headquarters.

There is a high level of government spending on education (6.3% of GDP) and an extensive support system for education, science and talent. More than 3.5% of GDP is spent on R&D, the country is in the top 6 of the EU in terms of digitalization of public services (87% of online services), high Internet penetration — more than 96%.

The largest research center for chips and microelectronics in the EU is imec, which has developed SaaS/AI/IT solutions and the biotechnology sector (70-85% of autonomy). 16 UNESCO sites, centuries-old traditions in art, design, architecture, famous cultural brands. Multilingualism: three official languages, well-developed support for dialects and cultural minorities, 99% literacy. Cultural exchange program and assistance to creative industries, active participation in international cultural forums, Eurocapital of Culture.

Tolerance, stable population, high social security (vacations, pensions, affordable medicine, large amount of social benefits). Member of the European Union, the Eurozone, Schengen, NATO; euro — 100% of all payments, common standards of economics and legal proceedings, unique institutional stability and a high level of legal guarantees.

Weaknesses. Very high public debt — 105-107% of GDP (one of the highest in the eurozone), increasing pressure on the budget, the social burden on the working population (demographic burden ratio — 51.4%).

For energy, metals, microchips and hi-tech components, the country depends on imports by 65-72% (especially in strategic high-tech industries). The main increase in food and energy is achieved through imports, with significant amounts of food and resources coming from other EU countries and the world.

The high degree of decentralization and the complex federal structure lead to delays and difficulties in coordinating reforms between regions (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels). There is deep fragmentation along linguistic and cultural lines, sometimes making it difficult to make unified decisions. Military/strategic vulnerability and dependence on alliances. The army is relatively small (26.3 thousand), the autonomy of military policy is limited by the framework of NATO and the EU; most large equipment and heavy weapons are purchased abroad, rather than being manufactured domestically.

There is no nuclear and space program of its own, key intelligence is integrated into NATO and the EU. Current external and social challenges. A significant number of socially vulnerable strata, pressure on the migrant reception system, periodic migration and political conflicts. High tax burden (up to 40% of the average salary goes to taxes).

Overall assessment. Belgium's cumulative sovereignty Index is 551.5 out of 700 possible points (above the average of 78.8%), which places the country in the top 50 in the global top.

Belgium is a developed, modern, humane and high—tech European state with a stable economy, strong social sphere and cultural diversity, but with serious internal decentralization, high public debt, import dependence on key resources and limited strategic independence.

The sovereignty profile indicates that Belgium is characterized by a high level of institutional and cultural sovereignty, advanced science, infrastructure and social model.

She has the ability to effectively manage internal processes and integration into the EU, but depends on the bloc's collective decisions on key issues of defense, monetary policy, high technology and raw materials.

This is a typical example of the modern European “integrated” model of sovereignty, in which national potential is enhanced rather than weakened by supranational structures.

For an in-depth discussion with Condoleezza Rice on Hoover’s mission in the twenty-first century, the role of think tanks in crafting public policy, her views about the current geopolitical situation regarding Russia and China, and her personal thoughts about the national conversation currently under way in the United States about racial relations and how we look back at the country’s founding and history, read the full interview here.