President Lai Ching-te conferred the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on Filip Grzegorzewski, the outgoing head of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan, at the Presidential Office July 22 in Taipei City for his outstanding commitment to deepening relations.
According to Lai, since taking office in 2019, Grzegorzewski, who speaks fluent Mandarin, has spared no effort to bolster the ties between Taiwan and the EU. In addition to work on the economic and trade partnership, he has also helped draw attention to cross-strait concerns and raise support within the EU for Taiwan, for which the government and people are tremendously grateful, the president said.
Lai cited the successful staging of events such as the Taiwan European Film Festival, Europe Festival, beach cleanups and various seminars as shining examples of the longest serving EU representative’s achievements. Since the EU Investment Forum was first organized in 2020, investment from Taiwan to the EU has surged tremendously, even as the EU continues to be the leading source of foreign investment to Taiwan, the president added.
Building on this solid foundation, the president said he expects to see further expansion going forward, including a bilateral economic partnership agreement. Lai wished the outgoing EETO head all the best and extended an open invitation to return to Taiwan in the future.
In response, Grzegorzewski said he was truly honored to receive the recognition as a token of appreciation for the work of the entire EETO team. The EU and Taiwan are like-minded partners with a friendship based on common values, he said, adding that he is happy to see Taiwan’s inclusion in the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy during his term as the EETO head.
Describing Taiwan as a blessed land that respects peace, democracy, rule of law and human rights protection, the EU official said he will treasure the friendship that he and his family have received from Taiwan. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw