On July 8, 2014, Mr. Nikorndej Balankura, Director-General of the Department of Information and MFA Spokesperson, along with Mrs. Kanchana Phatthachok, the Thai Ambassador to Belgium, met with Ambassador François Delhaye, Director Bilateral Affairs Asia & Oceania and Ms. Stefanie Buyst, Head of Service for Public Diplomacy, Sensitisation and Outreach, Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of Belgium to exchange views and experiences on strategic communication regarding country branding and strategic policy communication, including the promotion of soft power in several aspects. Both sides also discussed similar experiences and challenges shared by Thailand and Belgium.

In the afternoon, the Director-General met with representatives from the External Action Service (EEAS) and DG Connect, a communication and technology unit under the European Commission. Both sides exchanged views on challenges in combatting different forms of mis/disinformation in the digital era, related legal instruments and best practices. The European Union expressed its the readiness to cooperate with Thailand in this area in the future.

The Director-General and his team also visited the new Brussels office of Euronews, which is a leading international news channel in Europe broadcasting to over 400 million households around the world.