The aerospace industry, which provides substantial added value,
is concentrated in the old coal mining areas of Liège and
Charleroi in Wallonia and is therefore contributing to their successful
redevelopment. Wallonia’s resources are grouped in two major
high-tech cluster associations: the EWA (Entreprises Wallonnes de
l’Aéronautique), which represents the aeronautical
industry, and Wallonie Espace which brings together all aspects
of the region’s space efforts. The industry employs 3200 experts
and technicians. There is a strong collaboration between the research
departments of French-speaking universities and Walloon companies,
both local-based SMEs and subsidiaries of multinationals. The region
is active in technologies as diverse as aircraft components and
engine manufacturing, launcher guidance systems, satellite climate
control and power conditioning, onboard management software and
atomic clocks. Belgian companies are partners in various aerospace
programmes such as Airbus and F16.
Two regional airports in full expansion, Liège-Bierset and
Brussels South Charleroi, are important pillars of economic development
in Wallonia. In the immediate vicinity of the two airports, a number
of economic zones have developed, providing services, which are
directly linked to the aviation and related industries.
Liège-Bierset Airport has attracted the European hub of TNT
Express Worldwide, one of the major provider of express delivery
services, as well as other companies specialising in transportation,
distribution and logistics. The airport is also counting on charter
flights to be able to grow further.
Brussels South Charleroi Airport has become very popular among low-cost
carriers thanks to the Irish company Ryanair. Several companies
active in the fields of distribution, maintenance, ICT, packaging
and transport, have chosen this location as their base because the
site provides direct road connections with the main markets of Western
Europe.
The variety of Belgian quality products is directly related to the
flexibility of an industry that has always sought to adapt to the
demanding and diversified tastes of modern consumers and to the
changes occurring in consumption habits.
The food industry production facilities are modern and the production
units are particularly efficient. These facilities are able to produce
large quantities in a short period of time. In order to have such
facilities, companies have invested heavily and are continuing to
do so.
The field of ingredients is booming. In Wallonia, most of the companies
active in the field of food ingredients possess their own research
laboratory, focusing on advanced biotechnologies and towards products
à la carte to answer specific demands of their customers.
The quality standards governing the Belgian food industry are amongst
the highest in the world because the Belgian food sector is fully
aware of the fact that its credibility and reputation hinge on strict
application of criteria guaranteeing the quality of the finished
product.
Checks are carried out at all stages of the production process,
from the basic products to the packaging. Various firms voluntarily
submit their products to independent control bodies to obtain a
quality label or a registered designation of origin certificate
and the certification of their production. Quality assurance is
the keyword of the Belgian food sector.
The audiovisual industry is a sector in full expansion both economically
and culturally, and is proving to be a major asset to the Brussels-Capital
Region. Most of the companies active in this sector use small flexible
structures and cover a wide range of audiovisual activities: advertising,
movies, documentaries, etc.
Regarding the cinema industry, it is better perhaps to speak in
terms of an embryonic industrial network which is being created
thanks to Wallimage, an investment fund that aims to establish a
structure in the audiovisual industry in Wallonia, and which takes
the form, for example, of a sound studio in Mons and a Maison du
cinéma in Namur. The Palme d’Or won in Cannes Festival
by the Dardenne brothers shows that Wallonia is a region with cinematic
talent.
Even though Belgium does not have any vehicle manufacturer of its
own, it is the largest per capita vehicle manufacturer in the world.
With more than one million vehicles being assembled in Belgium,
the ratio of cars per hundred inhabitants is more than ten, while
in other major vehicle-manufacturing nations like Japan, this ratio
is a little over eight.
The assets of Belgian companies in the automobile sector are the
country’s central location as well as the reliability and
very high productivity level of the workforce. Besides the car assembly
and manufacture industry in the strict sense, Belgium has a well-earned
reputation for the assembly and manufacture of dual purpose vehicles
such as vans, trucks, buses, coaches and minibuses.
Despite the staff cuts imposed by parent companies in recent years,
it is estimated that more than 30.000 direct jobs are generated
by the assembly activities of car manufacturers. The vitality of
this industry in Wallonia has led to the development of a large
number of firms upstream of these major vehicle manufacturers to
meet their requirements for raw materials, components and vehicle
sub-assemblies, services and systems.
Several multinationals are established in Belgium. Small to medium-sized
Belgian companies specialise in the finishing of luxury, top-of-the-range
cars. 95% of the vehicles manufactured in Belgium are exported,
mainly to Germany, the U.K. and France.
In Belgium, equipment manufacturing for the automobile industry
represents no less than 8% of Europe’s total production in
the sector. 260 companies boast a global turnover of 12 billion
euro per annum.
Belgium, one of the smallest countries in Europe, is one of the
largest producing countries of chemicals. The weight of the chemical
industry (expressed as the ratio between its turnover and the gross
domestic product of the country) is nearly three times higher in
Belgium than in the whole of the considered countries. Only Ireland
scores better with nearly six times. The chemical industry is the
second largest manufacturing sector in Belgium. The chemical sector
generates over 1/5 of the turnover of the Belgian industrial sector
and over 20% of total Belgian exports. The chemical industry in
Brussels includes 150 companies, 9000 direct jobs and a turnover
of 3.5 billion euro. It is characterised by the preponderance, compared
with the other two regions of the country, of head offices, coordination
centres, research and analysis laboratories and commercial subsidiaries
of foreign companies and Belgian companies selling chemicals. There
are around twenty production units, mainly in para chemistry and
personal hygiene. The chemical industry in Wallonia includes 200
companies, 25.000 direct jobs and a turnover of 10 billion euro.
Approximately 1/5 of the Belgian chemical industry is located in
the Walloon region. Until the early 70's, the chemical industry
in the Walloon region was centred on fertilisers and heavy inorganic
chemistry. After the two petrol crises that marked the end of the
20th century, the Walloon chemical industry reacted by diversifying
production at the existing operating centres, opening new fine chemicals
units (pharmacy, cosmetics), developing an important chemical centre
in the Feluy-Seneffe-Manage triangle, setting up research centres
in Walloon Brabant and the province of Hainaut and investing in
the province of Luxembourg.
Chemical activity in the Walloon region has expanded through the
creation of new companies and the development of new production
lines, as well as due to major investment in scientific and technological
research. As a result of this policy of diversification and modification,
the chemical industry is now a sector full of hope and confidence
in its future.
In Belgium, the construction industry is a major economic force
and contributes to 6.75% of the GNP. If we add the manufacturers
of building materials, the intermediaries and other economic activities
that are linked directly or indirectly to the sector, the share
of the GNP rises to 18%.
Although the Belgian construction industry’s main focus is
on the domestic market, 20% of the total output is for export and
is worth 2.5 billion euro.
The Belgian construction industry is very labour-intensive, providing
employment for over 235.000 people or approximately 7.7% of the
country’s working population. Companies have high technical
standards and strong experience. They are innovative, flexible and
have a high ability to adapt.
The construction sector cannot be considered as homogeneous but
is made up of several thousand small, medium-sized and large companies,
with all sorts of specializations.
The majority of the Belgian construction companies are SME’s
employing less than 50 people, while the big companies tend to specialize
in civil engineering work and the construction of apartment blocks,
administrative buildings and industrial complexes.
The building trade in Belgium is highly diversified. The various
techniques make use of either traditional materials – cement,
glass, brick, marble, stone and steel - or of new materials manufactured
by the chemical industry. Wallonia has extremely rich mineral resources:
bluestone, marble, clay, limestone, flint, sand, porphyry and gravel.
A number of Belgian companies in the construction sector have made
a name for themselves in the export market. BESIX for example, a
large international construction group based in Brussels, is specialised
in large buildings, industrial projects, public infrastructure,
port and marine projects and projects related to the environment,
sports and leisure. Their reputation is based on flexibility, the
constant search for innovation and the quality of their services.
As far as architecture is concerned, Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital
region have many architectural masterpieces of which the Grand-Place,
the Cathedral of Saint Michael and the Courts of justice are good
examples.
In addition to these great classics, Brussels can also be proud
to be the capital of Art Nouveau, with the numerous buildings built
by Horta, such as the Palais des Beaux-Arts. Its contemporary sites
include the European Parliament, the Museum of Modern Art, the Belgacom
towers and the Library at the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
The word design covers many specialities from object design to interior
design. As the capital of Art Nouveau, Brussels has long combined
the creativeness of its architects with that of its designers.
In Wallonia, decorating interiors are among the priorities of a
population that consider quality of life essential. Much time and
budget are devoted to fitting out and adorning living spaces, to
dressing and putting the personal touches to homes.
Brussels and Walloon businesses in this sector offer a wide range
of products to foreign markets for private individuals as well as
private and public infrastructures in the field of interior decoration.
For example, elegant drinking glasses made by hollow glass manufacturer
Durobor can be found in Australia’s largest hotels; crystal
ware produced at the Val Saint-Lambert factory graces tables in
the homes of more than 40 royal families and heads of states. Crafted
silverware and cutlery are proudly displayed on the finest hotels
and restaurants tables.
The textile industry produces and exports a wide variety of decorative
carpets, rugs and mats for floors and walls, furnishing fabrics,
tablecloths and runners, bedspreads and bedside rugs and more. Wood
is also an important resource in Wallonia and is used in many different
ways in the world of interior decoration: furniture and fittings
for dining rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, small items of furniture,
cupboards, office furniture, all kind of chairs, as well as panelling
and construction elements.
The Belgian design and decoration industry has always enjoyed a
strong reputation. 60% of the production is exported. This success
can be attributed to the creativity and innovation of the companies,
offering a wide range of high-quality products used in the construction
of new homes as well as in the renovation sector.
In a highly industrialized society, education plays a crucial role.
Education policy is currently in the hands of the 3 communities.
With the European single market, European authorities are playing
a greater part in education policy. This is quite evident in important
issues, such as teaching new technologies at school, matters concerning
the children of immigrants, equal opportunities for boys and girls,
equivalence rating of diplomas and exchange programmes such as Erasmus,
Comenius, Lingua and Leonardo. Brussels and Wallonia offer high-quality
education that is designed to accommodate the wide variety of Belgian
and foreign students. The main universities are:
- University of Louvain-la-Neuve, UCL
- Free University of Brussels, ULB
- University of Liège, Ulg
- University of Mons-Hainaut, UMH
- Polytechnic Faculty of Mons, FPMS
- Gembloux Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
- Catholic University Faculties of Mons, FUCAM
- University Faculties of Notre-Dame de la Paix in Namur, FUNDP
- Luxembourg University Foundation, FUL
- Etc.
Belgium is a former coal-producing country. 120 coalmines shut down
between 1957 and 1992. With the decline of the coal-mining industry,
Belgium has been forced to rely more heavily on imported coal, petroleum
and natural gas and on nuclear plants. Moreover, environmental concerns
about nuclear power led to the exploration of alternative energy
sources, such as solar power, biomass, and geothermal technologies.
In parallel with this development, the share of nuclear sources
in power generation dropped: the number of stations did not increase
and new CCGT (combined-cycle gas turbine) power stations were commissioned
using natural gas. In addition, since 1995, there has been a move
towards shutting down the small (between 100 and 125 MW) conventional
thermal power stations. Belgium’s 7 nuclear power plants are
the main source of electricity, supplying 59 percent of the country’s
electric power - about 45 billion kWh per year. Electrabel, the
company that operates the nuclear plants, produces most of Belgian
electricity. A small amount is from SPE, a corporation that owns
a 4% share of four reactors. Today, the share of renewable energy
in the energy balance of Belgium is still very small. Wallonia,
which intends to catch up quickly with the European renewable energy
objectives, has already welcomed several wind farms in the region.
The Brussels Institute for Management of the Environment (BIM),
the Brussels-Capital Energy administrator, makes considerable efforts
in the area of studies for the development of a regional strategy.
Both the citizens and the building sector are the subject of a specific
awareness campaign to promote a more rational use of energy, via
insulation, solar water heaters, etc. More and more companies are
active in the field of renewable energy in both regions.
Environment in Belgium has been the responsibility of the Regions
for more than ten years. Wallonia and Brussels therefore define
their own environmental policies to reflect their own ecological
sensitivities and the specific nature of their territories.
The environment sector in Wallonia is young, having rapidly emerged
under the pressure of a series of crises that have revealed past
environmental carelessness: toxic pollution of former dumping and
storage sites, severe degradation of some waterways, increase of
traffic gridlock, irrational exploitation of resources, etc.
Confronted with the need to mobilise the resources required to redefine
its economic and industrial landscape, the Walloon Region had to
tackle head on, often with limited means, complex environmental
issues in fields where scientific and technological expertise was
still embryonic in Europe: cleaning up and rehabilitation of abandoned
and often polluted industrial sites, preservations of air quality,
elimination of unpleasant odours, water treatment, urban and industrial
waste management, noise control, rational use of resources, mobility
management, etc. In all of these domains the Walloon legislation
had to drastically upgrade standards and industry had to come up
with original solutions that could be exploited under the best technical
economic conditions.
Particularly useful technologies have been developed by Walloon
Universities in fields such as pollutant migration in the soil,
odour elimination, etc. A number of experienced engineers put their
talents to work on new and effective processes such as the production
of non-polluting energy, the designing of waste logistics systems
and the creation of individual modular waste treatment micro-stations.
For the Brussels-Capital Region, a body was established to manage
environmental concerns in a overall integrated manner which was
considered particularly important given the complexity of the urban
environment: the Brussels Institute for Management of the Environment
(BIM). The BIM was set up as a research, planning and advisory organisation
as well as being a body responsible for authorisations, supervision
and control. Its authority extends to the areas of waste, air quality,
noise, green spaces, water, soil and energy.
Hotel and catering sector (hotels, restaurants and cafés)
Belgium has a large subcontracting industry that makes available
a very extensive range of equipment to hotels, restaurants and institutional
caterers, in Belgium and abroad. This sector includes a large variety
of segments, namely appliances for institutional kitchens and small
ones for household use, articles for the decoration of dining rooms
and tables, occupational clothing, bathroom and toilet facilities,
all sorts of decorations, computer software, home automation and
consultancy, hygiene articles, relaxation apparatus, recreational
games, safety systems, etc.
Industry
Agoria is a multi-sectors federation for the technology industry
which includes companies from the following 9 sectors: metals &
materials, metal products, plastics, mechanics, electrical engineering
& electronics, ICT, automotive, aerospace, defence & security.
Technology is the element that links these sectors, not only because
the companies use the technology but also, and above all, because
they offer technological solutions. The emphasis is being put more
and more on comprehensive solutions adapted to meet the clients’
needs. Thanks to its advanced technology, Belgium counts all sorts
of suppliers of high-quality equipments.
Healthcare
The whole of the medical equipment sector stands out for its excellence:
heart surgery equipment, kits for diagnosing auto-immune diseases
or human enteric and respiratory type pathologies, disposable products
for medical and surgical applications, manufacturing of surgical
instruments, devices for electro surgery or robots, supply of technology
and support necessary for the production of medicines, and manufacturing
of medical equipment to facilitate the advancement of research.
Traffic management
In order to increase safety, various Belgian companies have specialized
in the design, development and production in the field of the automation
and control of roads and urban traffic with different products and
systems. Alcatel Etca’s know-how has found a direct application
in traffic management in the Brussels-Capital Region with the Godetia
server, one of the most powerful traffic management systems developed
to date. Macq Electronique, a programmable automation manufacturer
and software solutions developer offers numerous equipments: vehicles
detection and counts, traffic lights intersections, centralized
urban coordination, centralized technical management, control and
monitoring of motorway lighting, motorway weather stations. The
design and manufacture of electronic display panels is the speciality
of the Alpha Electronics Europe Company. More than 500 of these
panels have been installed on a wide variety of sites and display
information about traffic status, give safety advice or quite simply
contribute to driving comfort.
Fashion in Belgium is acquiring an international reputation. The
days of the Paris-London-Milan axis are over. Lovers of fashion
design now have to make a detour via Brussels. Olivier Strelli,
Italian by origin and born in the Belgian Congo is a figurehead
of top-of-the range ready-to-wear. For 20 years he has been recognised
as one of the greatest, to the extent of having his own premises
in the French capital. Edouard Vermeulen of the Natan house has
become a very famous couturier since he made the wedding dress for
Princess Mathilde’s marriage to Prince Philippe of Belgium,
the heir to the throne. This passion and reputation of Belgian fashion
are encouraging many young talents to begin studying fashion design
in the very good schools in this country such as La Cambre and Bischoffsheim
in Brussels. Antoine Dansaert Street in Brussels has become the
main centre of fashion in Belgium.
In Wallonia, Elvis Pompilio, from Liège, has become famous
for his millinery. With several shops in the major European capitals,
Pompilio has acquired a reputation without frontiers, his headgear
providing the finishing touches for the most fashionable personalities.
With 75% of its turnover export-generated, Belgian fashion has become
a real success story abroad. Easy communications, multilingualism
and an innate sense of good customers’ service make the Belgian
Fashion world rather small but with great potential. The Belgian
clothing sector is highly competitive and is characterised by the
presence of both local and foreign competitors as well as individual
designers. These talented creators work successfully in ready-to-wear
clothing, haute couture, leather goods, jewellery, hats, etc. In
Brussels and Wallonia you can find men’s wear, women’s
wear, bridal wear, babies/children’s wear, accessories, footwear
and lingerie.
Belgium can pride itself of an unparalleled gastronomic and culinary
heritage. Its delights in variations combine the know-how stemming
from a long tradition with the ability to innovate and to change.
It is particularly keen on quality.
In Belgium, food quality is seen not just as a duty, but also as
an art in itself. The “Made in Belgium” label is used
for many leading products: meat (whose quality is guaranteed by
meticulous attention to its traceability and the stringent health
regulations), ready-to-eat dishes, chocolate and the famous “pralines”
exported to every corner of the world, biscuits and beers, to mention
but a few specialities.
Employing almost 20.000 people and generating more than 4.45 billion
euro in turnover, food processing is the third largest industrial
sector in Wallonia in terms of employment.
It is made up of large companies and numerous SME’s of all
sizes that export a vast range of processed products and drinks
throughout Europe and to the most distant markets. The flexibility
and specialisation of the Walloon food-processing industry, but
above all the acknowledged quality of its products, are the major
strengths.
Belgian companies have the advantage of being able to dispatch and
export their products quickly.
World-famous products of the Belgian food industry unquestionably
include chocolates (Galler, Jacques, Leonidas), together with the
numerous varieties of beers and the upmarket prepared meat products.
Other traditional regional specialities are preserved fruit and
vegetables, the numerous sorts of cheeses and the extensive and
constantly updated range of biscuits and pastries. 50% of the production
is exported.
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Healthcare & Biotechnologies |
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The costs of healthcare are increasing in the European countries
due to technological advances that are making healthcare more sophisticated
along with a population with an increasing life expectancy.
Biotechnologies are one of the most important niche areas of the
new technologies for Wallonia and the Brussels-capital Region, and
have become a key sector in contemporary economic development.
Both regions have succeeded in attracting considerable investments
thanks to a specific know-how often renowned worldwide and linked
to dynamic universities with a very high profile internationally,
strong partnerships between research centres and enterprises which
are often favourable for the creation of spin-offs, the presence
of science parks where every step is taken to promote closer links
and contacts. These investments, made by leading biopharmaceutical
companies such as Glaxo Smith Kline Biologicals, Baxter Healthcare,
Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and UCB-Bioproducts are proving to
be important job resources for the regions and excellent ambassadors
for potential future investments in the region.
Alongside these leading groups are indigenous enterprises that have
sometimes even succeeded in gaining a pole position globally thanks
to their work in sectors with a high technological value: the synthesis
of oligo-nucleotides, the production of DNA microchips, in-vitro
diagnostic products, the production of reagents for use in medical
laboratories, the supply of radio-isotopes intended for nuclear
medicine, the production of radiotherapy implants, etc.
The medical equipment sector also stands out for its excellence:
heart surgery equipment, kits for diagnosing autoimmune diseases
or human enteric and respiratory type pathologies, disposable products
for medical and surgical applications, manufacture of surgical instruments,
devices for electro surgery or robots, supply of the technology
and support necessary for the production of medicines, and manufacture
of medical equipment to facilitate the advancement of research.
Today, in Belgium, this increasingly dynamic sector of healthcare
and biotechnologies accounts for no less than 97 companies employing
7160 people and generating a total turnover of 1.6 billion euros.
The ICT sector is rather young but very dynamic. The Belgian ICT
sector accounted for a turnover of 30 billion euro in 2002 and created
added value worth around 11 billion euro.
In several fields, companies in the Walloon Region occupy niches,
such as automatic document reading, with one of the world leaders
in Louvain-la-Neuve, halfway between Brussels and Namur. Belgian
census documents, VAT forms and the French electricity supplier
(EDF) forms are recognised and read at high speed by its software.
In Mons, a company is successfully working on speech recognition
and voice synthesis technologies, whilst in Liege another company
has become leader in slow-motion video, a key tool for the retransmission
of sporting events (Olympic Games, football, etc.).
Wallonia has no international giants, but small and medium businesses,
often export-led, solidly implanted in their niches. The Walloon
Telecommunications Agency (AWT), which acts as an observatory for
the ICT sector, has identified 351 companies in the field.
The universities of the Walloon Region together with the Brussels-Capital
Region are evolving towards the American model where the campus
is very close to the business world. By attracting companies to
these parks, universities hope to provide an outlet for their graduates.
At present, the majority of establishments offer space on terms
attractive to high added value companies.
Whether it comes in bars and in various shapes, powder or topping,
Belgian chocolate has something for every taste. Its most sophisticated
recipe is undoubtedly the “praline”, invented in Belgium
in 1912. Traditional chocolate makers produce and decorate their
pralines largely by hand. Each of these creations receives a personal
touch, the signature of a unique product, the praline. The quality
of the chocolate is determined by the choice of cocoa beans and
the quantity of ingredients that give it all its characteristics
(smell, touch, colour, etc.). Today, Belgium has many chocolate
and praline makers such as Leonidas, Galler, Mary, Charlemagne,
etc.
Belgium is also home to fine crystal, the most famous brand being
Val St-Lambert. Founded in the 19th century, the Cristallerie du
Val St-Lambert has since established a tradition in handmade crystal,
clear or coloured, richly cut, hand-painted in gilt or bronze, that
has won the company recognition worldwide. While serving a connoisseur
market, the Cristallerie du Val St-Lambert has also developed a
series of products for luxury hotel and restaurants. The company
is now mobilising the talents of a handpicked team of designers
to develop new lines such as costume jewellery and bathroom accessories.
Belgian companies excel in fields such as home-textiles, art of
the table, furniture, home and office fittings, household appliances
and lighting. All with the same concerns: luxury, design, comfort,
and practicality. The crafts tradition has given the Belgian furniture
industry its excellent reputation. Fine quality lace can be found
in several shops in Brussels where there is a vast history of manufacture
of this fabric. For those interested in fashion, Belgium counts
several talented creators who work successfully in ready-to-wear
clothing, haute couture, leather goods, jewellery, hats, etc. Elvis
Pompilio, from Liège, has become famous for his millinery.
Olivier Strelli, Italian by origin is also a figurehead of top-of-the
range ready-to-wear. Delvaux leather goods manufactures in its workshops
different handmade products such as handbags, wallets, briefcases,
belts, umbrellas, scarves and a new collection of jewels and ties.
Delvaux has been supplying the Belgian Court since 1883 and is now
an ambassador for Belgian tradition worldwide.
For a long time, Avenue Louise, in Brussels, has been a favourite
spot for all lovers of luxury goods. Avenue de la Toison d’Or
and Boulevard de Waterloo are also among the most prestigious addresses
in the area known locally as “uptown”. There, the most
highly renowned designers display their creations including fashion,
clocks, shoes and jewellery. Another popular place to visit is the
Sablon district.
Wallonia is endowed with extremely rich mineral resources such as
bluestone, marble, sandstone, clay, limestone, flint, sand, porphyry
and gravel, and has been exploiting these natural resources for
centuries. Therefore Wallonia has developed special expertise in
the fabrication and transformation of materials. According to a
study carried out by the University of Liège, this traditional
pillar of the Walloon economy is genuinely competitive on the world
market. Of the ten leading products that emerge from the analysis
on the basis of total export turnover, five are in the materials
sector, encompassing metallurgical, metal, non-ferrous metals and
other materials, mainly for the construction industry (glass and
stone). If we include plastics, the materials cluster is firmly
in the lead with eight products in the top ten.
This performance is the fruit of technological mastery, backed by
Wallonia universities and a network of excellent technical schools.
Bending to the requirements of the market, industry creates products
with ever more sophisticated and innovative features. Even more
recent creations such as plastics, are constantly being improved,
mainly through additives that modify colour, strength and degradability.
New opportunities are also emerging with the development of polymer
alloys, composites, biodegradable nano-polymers and new macromolecular
substrates with promising properties in the fields of electronics
and ICT.
The Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region count a great
number of companies highly qualified in the fabrication and transformation
of materials.
Belgium is ranked number 1 in the world, per head of population,
in the production and processing of plastics. This sector provides
work for 40.000 people and achieves a turnover of 11.6 billion euro.
Print-on-demand has allowed publishers to perfectly match the demand
with their printing capacities. Print-on-demand is, in particular,
useful in smaller language regions such as Dutch areas, where the
fixed costs of printing one book cannot be spread over a large number
of copies. Print-on-demand has however not taken over the publishing
industry, but has been confined to small niches within the non-fiction
sector.
Belgium has two main target markets for export. For the Dutch-speaking
part of Belgium, the obvious export market is the Netherlands. For
Brussels and Wallonia, France is the main export market. The English-speaking
market is also important, in particular in the subject category,
academic and professional, and the scientific/technical/medical
category.
Belgium has always had strong feelings for comic books. After Hergé
and his world-famous hero Tintin, many other comic strip authors
and artists created a range of characters who became internationally
renowned. Wallonia has long been the leader in French-language comic
strips, which have been translated into numerous foreign languages.
Brussels also hosts the Comic Strip Museum in the Centre Belge de
la BD.
Children’s books have also boomed in Belgium and books for
young readers form a major segment of Belgian publishing and enjoy
international reputation. It is worth taking a closer look at them.
Services are of vital importance to the Belgian economy. In fact,
the country’s tertiary sector supplies around two thirds of
jobs and of gross added value. Services also make a substantial
contribution to Belgian exports. The importance of services in Belgium
comes as no surprise, given the characteristic features of the Belgian
economy. Its size, its geographical location at the heart of Europe,
its comprehensive infrastructure and the development of its industry
account for the fact that trade and transport are key areas in Belgium.
Historically, the development of banking and insurance activity
has always been closely linked with that of commercial activity.
The high level of education and training in Belgium means that its
citizens provide a pool of skilled labour geared to the needs of
the most highly sophisticated tertiary activities, which employ
large numbers of clerical staff, executives and graduates in general.
Tertiary activities are highly diverse and heterogeneous, and are
divided among the regions according to the industry and the population
in question. The tertiary sector includes private and public services,
as well as standard and less common activities.
Capital intensity has increased in certain branches of market services.
This is the case in catering and accommodation, communications,
commerce and domestic transport. As with industry, the tertiary
sector is better represented in the large urban areas. Engineering
and design offices are one of the strong points of the economy of
the Brussels-Capital Region. Its consultant engineers demonstrate
the full extent of their expertise in the creation of plans, investments,
quality control, etc. By making itself a global services city, Brussels
has gained a unique reputation of its kind. The services sector
represents about 85% of the Region’s jobs. This means that
it can offer an exceptionally wide range of services: traditional
services (finance, tourism and transport), business services (IT,
consultancy, engineering, training, management, translation, etc.)
and commercial services.
The central location and the small area of the national territory
have ensured that the country has always attached a great deal of
importance to the development of an efficient transport infrastructure.
Motorway network
The regions have the densest and probably one of the best-equipped
motorway networks in the world.
Rail
network
This functional and rapid rail network is intelligently linked to
other means of communication. The high-speed TGV train connection
with Paris, London via the Channel Tunnel and Cologne has tremendously
increased the accessibility to the regions. The shores of the Mediterranean
Sea, the North Sea, the Ruhr basin and even the Thames can be easily
reached.
Airports
Brussels National airport and its terminal Brucargo can be reached
in less than one hour by road from the major towns in Wallonia.
Liège-Bierset Airport is located at the centre of the Amsterdam-Paris-Frankfurt
triangle and goods can be rapidly delivered to these cities by truck.
The high-speed TGV train also stops there. On the edge of the airport,
Liège Logistics offers facilities to mixed transport companies
specialising in combined air-rail-road transport and a connection
to the port of Liège.
Brussels South Charleroi Airport provides passenger, parcel, maintenance
and freight services. This is a huge aviation zone that also has
a training centre specialised in high-tech industries and is fitted
with a high-speed telecommunications infrastructure.
River
and canals
Vessels up to 9,000 tonnes can go as far as Liège, the third
largest river port in Europe, and the Albert canal provides an outlet
to the North Sea and major ports such as Antwerp and Rotterdam.
High-qualified companies help Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital
Region to manage efficiently the transport infrastructure.
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