November 15 marks Belgium’s independence and patriotism. The Consul of Belgium for Consular Affairs, Mrs. Anna Hadju together with Belgians citizens living in Crete and consuls of European countries, chose the city of Heraklion in Crete to celebrate this day of the year. On this occasion, an event was held in Heraklion, which is the 3rd most populated of Belgian citizens in Greece.
Specifically, the city of Heraklion occupies the 3rd place, after Athens and Thessaloniki. During Mrs Anna Hajdu’s visit, Belgian citizens came to the Honorary Consulate of Belgium in Heraklion for their biometric data to be taken in order to renew their passports or ID without having to go to the Embassy in Athens, thus saving bureaucratic procedures.
“We usually celebrate this day at the Embassy in Athens. This time we chose Crete to celebrate it on this day. Many Belgian citizens live in Crete. But at the same time, it is an island that is visited by many tourists from our country. Mr. Karatzis, Honorary Consul of Belgium in Crete, helps us when there is a problem or a national issue, we contact him and solve any issue that arises. He has been involved in the project for a long time and he is a great help for us, and we thank him very much”, the Consul of Belgium for Consular Affairs, Mrs. Anna Hadju mentioned within the framework of the event
It should be noted that due to the Covid restrictions, in the last 2 years the visits of the Consul to the major cities of the country with a permanent population of Belgian citizens had stopped, a habit which – under normal circumstances – is repeated almost every year.
Antonis Karatzis, Honorary Consul of Belgium in Crete
About 300,000 visitors from Belgium arrive on our island every year. Mr. Antonis Karatzis is the honorary Consul of Belgium in Crete. In his statements on the occasion of the celebration, he emphasized: “It is one of the two most important holidays in Belgium. They honor the birthday of the first King. Because of this holiday, they have invited all the Belgians who live, work, and have their families here in Heraklion. It is very important what was done as a team, to come and to take the biometric data and fingerprints of the Belgians who live in our country, giving them the opportunity to renew their IDs and passports without having to go up to the Embassy in Athens and to go through these bureaucratic procedures. Belgium is a very important state for Crete because it has around 300,000 visits to our island. There is a very high level of cooperation. Me, as the Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Belgium in Crete and my team, are here to solve the problems of Belgian citizens whenever they arise.”