The Belgian regions of Brussels and Wallonia have shut down the office representing them in Warsaw in protest at Poland’s government.
The regions say they refuse to accept Polish government attacks on judicial and media independence and LGBT+ rights. The office in the Polish capital, Warsaw, has a team of seven staff to represent the regions in areas as diverse as culture, sport, tourism and scientific exchange.
But in a statement, the Walloon region’s Premier Elio Di Rupo and his Walloon-Brussels counterpart, Pierre-Yves Jeholet, said the office will be closed for an unspecified period.
They added: ‘For several years, the authoritarian excesses of the government in place have undermined the rule of law. ‘Attacking the independence of the