Belgium and its regions: presentation of an economic powerhouse in Europe RIGA 7/9/2017 INVEST IN BELGIUM

Transcription

1 Belgium and its regions: presentation of an economic powerhouse in Europe RIGA 7/9/2017 1

2 Belgium At the border of 3 main European cultures 11 million inhabitants Official languages: French, Dutch, German Independent since 1830 Federal state since 1981 Head of state: King Philippe Capital: Brussels 2

3 7 main advantages Springboard for a pan-european development Global gateway to key markets/ideal test market Accessibility from all Europe & Worldwide International decision centre International talent pool and innovation centre Competitive real estate Advantageous business environment High quality of life 3

4 Belgium is the 3 rd most globalised country in the world KOF Index of Globalization Ireland Netherlands Belgium UK France Germany USA Japan KOF Index 2015 measures 25 variables indicating degree of integration into world economy KOF stands for Konjunkturforschung (Business cycle research) 4

5 Trade relations with Latvia M Export 280,7 367,8 354,3 Import 122,1 109,2 104,9 Trade balance 158,6 258,6 249,4 Export % -1,5 31-3,6 Import % -26,1-10,5-3,9

6 A perfect assessment & test market Gateway to European market Multi-cultural population European diversity challenge on a small scale Exportation 84% GDP Importation 83,1% GDP Source : The World Bank

7 Belgium connected to Europe 75 % of the EU market (GDP) 40 % of the consumers 7

8 Belgium connected to Europe European High Speed Trains Paris 1 hour connections / day London 2 hours connections / day Amsterdam 1 hour connections / day Cologne 1 hour 47 4 connections / day Frankfurt 2 hours 59 4 connections / day 8

9 Belgian airports Europe and the world in a flap of wings Brussels Airport International crossroads connecting the capital of Europe with the world Located at about 12 km (8 miles) north east of Brussels. Direct connection by train (up to 4/hour) to the city centre (20 ), busses links to NATO, the European Commission and the city centre Landing of most long-haul international flights with connections to major hubs such as London, Amsterdam and Frankfurt, 2 daily flights to New-York and daily services to Toronto, Mumbai and Delhi Awarded World Routes Award in the category 4m 20 m passengers (2014) Awarded the Airport of the Year Award at the Shanghai World Air Cargo Awards (2015) 9

10 Belgian airports Europe and the world in a flap of wings Brussels South Charleroi Airport (Cargo airport) 200 ha Business park : Aeropole Focussing on regular charter flights Low cost flights & operations, high efficiency Neighbouring Aero-Industries test base Liege Airport (Cargo airport) Centre of Amsterdam Paris Frankfurt triangle 1st European Airport focussing on cargo Operating 24/7 European hub of TNT-Express Worldwide Low cost, extra fast & efficient operations International Airport Ostend-Bruges Cargohub for Africa and Middle-East Top facilities for perishables, outsourced cargo and livestock EU veterinary inspection post Charter flights on selected destinations Flexible 24/7 airport operations Fast turnarounds Runway 3200 m/10500 ft Number of passengers (millions) Brussels South Charleroi Airport Cargo volumes evolution (thousands) Liege Airport

11 Belgian Seaports Port of Antwerp 2nd largest port in Europe N 1 chemical port (BASF, Dow, Bayer, ) Port of Ghent Versatile port for distribution to Belgium and Northern half of France Largest recycling paper plant in the world Port of Ostend Fast growing ro-ro port Important role in the realisation of a European short sea container network Port of Zeebruge High end deep sea port in Flanders European hub port for automative industry (new cars) 11

12 Belgian Inland Ports Port of Brussels 6th largest inland port of Europe 2nd inland port of Belgium Port of Liège 3rd largest in Europe Close to seaports of Antwerpen en Rotterdam Port of Namur Junction between East & West Inland Ports Port of Charleroi Direct canals connections to Brussels and Antwerp Port of Meerhout Container Terminal nearby Antwerp Port of Genk TriModal Platform Water-Rail-Road 12

13 Brussels, International government capital European Institutions Highest Concentration of Diplomatic Missions European Commission European Council European Parliament Committee of the Regions European Economic and Social Committee NATO headquarters International Professional Federations Representation of most European Political Parties and Regions 13

14 Belgium, International business hub Major multinationals have their decision centre in Belgium: Approximately foreign companies have set-up European HQ or sales subsidiaries in Belgium Brussels is the best conference city in Europe and the second best conference city worldwide (Source : UIA Conference Cities Ranking 2014) diplomats, lobbyists and international press members 14

15 Education & skills Higher education and training Language Skills Country Rank Netherlands 8.68 Netherlands 3 Belgium 8.26 Belgium 5 USA 6 Germany 7.05 Germany 17 USA 4.79 UK 18 Japan 21 France 25 UK France For information : Japan 2.86 For information : Russia 38 China 68 India 90 Brazil 93 India 6,57 China 5,43 Russia 4,32 Brazil 2,48 Sources : World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook

16 An unique hotspot for lifelong learning Best country in the world for academic research The Scientist, November Outstanding Universities Universities meet the needs of a competitive economy : Belgium ranked 6 th out of 61 (IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2015) Strong interaction between teaching and research Management schools ranked 2 nd out of 140 (Global Competitiveness Report World Economic Forum ) 7 universities are classified in the Academic Ranking of the World Universities 2015 by Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Worldwide renowned Research Centres IMEC: nano-electronics SCK-CEN: peaceful applications of nuclear science ITM: Institute of Tropical Medicine VIB: life sciences Welbio: fundamental life sciences VITO: sustainable technologies Cenaero: high-tech industry, mainly in aeronautics iminds : Interdisciplinary Institute for Broadband Technology and many others 16

17 EU innovation performance EU member states innovation performance Source: Innovation Union Scoreboard 2015 European Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry 17

18 Louvain-La-Neuve, Science Park Health, Environment, Engineering 18

19 Liège, GIGA 3 facilities (Total: 4 000m²)+ LabHotel (300 m²) 19

20 Gosselies, The complete innovation chain Research, tech platform, tech transfer, training, companies 20

21 Leuven, smart hub Gasthuisberg K.U.Leuven One of the largest university hospitals in Europe < 2,000 beds Campus Biomedical Sciences Established in ,000 students LRD Tech Transfer Office Arenberg Science Park Haasrode Science Park Focus on ICT and biotechnology Option International, DSP Valley, Innovation and Incubation Centre Leuven.Inc Arenberg Bio-incubator Bio-incubator I and II (devpt) ReMynd, OncoMethylome, Thrombogenics, Formac IMEC Large R&D intensive park DocPharma, ICOS, Hitachi, Honeywell, Philips, Largest nanotech R&D centre in Europe + Convergence Centre in NanoBio Houses Intel, Samsung, TI, 21

22 Ghent, smart hub Bio-incubator I & II Inst. For Biomedical Tech 24 x 250 m² spaces Houses Ablynx, ActoGeniX, Algo-Nomics, Biomaric, BIP, Peakadilly Yakult Science park Combining engineering with biomedical expertise, drug eluted stents, Staff 80, campus Univ. Hospital University of Ghent VIB Bio-focused companies, e.g. Bayer Biosciences, Innogenetics, Devgen, Cropdesign, World centre for R&D in biotech Staff > 1,100 World-class university 28,000 students Biotech and biomedical expertise 22

23 Cost-effective office market Office (prime rent location) Brussels Warsaw Dublin Madrid Amsterdam Munich Milan Stockholm Geneva 718 Paris 895 London West-End Total Occupancy Cost euro/m²/year Source : Cushman & Wakefield, Office Space Across the World

24 Industrial areas Brussels 47 Paris 52 Amsterdam 60 Madrid 60 Warsaw 66 Dublin 70 Frankfurt 83.4 Zurich 139 London (Heathrow) Prime industrial rents /m²/year Source : Cushman & Wakefield, Marketbeat Industrial Snapshots Q

25 Ease in establishing a business Belgium ranks first among the EU27 countries for the fewest number of days required for establishing a new business. On-line start-up possible Belgium Netherlands France Denmark USA UK Spain Germany Luxembourg Source: IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook

26 Baltic companies in Belgium

27 An open country for expats European foreigners live in Brussels Life cost is cheaper than in most of the other European capitals Wide range of international schools, offering English, American and Japanese programs High quality health care system 27

28 Brussels High quality of life at a reasonable cost Based on the indicators of OECD Better Life Index 2015, Brussels ranks 13 th of 36 OECD members Rank Country 1 Australia 2 Norway 3 Sweden 7 United States 9 Netherlands 12 United Kingdom 13 Belgium 14 Germany 15 Austria 16 Ireland 17 Luxembourg 18 France 20 Japan 36 Turkey Source : OECD Better Life Index, 2015 In the cost of living index of more than 100 cities worldwide, Brussels is far more affordable than many major cities Cost of living NY = Source : fdi Intelligence from the Financial Times Ltd,

29 Paldies! Thomas CASTREL Economic Counsellor for Flanders Jean-Philippe SCHKLAR Economic Counsellor for Wallonia and Brussels 29

30 BELGIAN BEERS

31 DEFINITION Beer is defined as a fermented, alcoholic beverage with 4 main ingredients: - water - grain - hops - yeast Then flavour can be added : e.g. chocolate, sugar, honey

32 A VERY BRIEF HISTORY First evidence around 6000 BC in Babylonia Egyptians and Romans improved receipes The Normans carried it to England they added hop Middle ages: church involved Became popular all over the world

33 BELGIUM AND BEER CULTURE First prove during Roman age : beer called mede honey based During Middle Ages: abbeys and monasteries were actually breweries Water was often contaminated in big cities people and even children drank beer (1% alcohol, brown, called table beer) Typically Belgium: politics and church influenced communities Every small town had at least 5 or 6 bars

34 BELGIAN BEER FACTS Production: 18,5 million hectoliters/year 60% for export Consumption: 8,5 million hectoliters Nr of breweries: 150 professional (+ unknown amount of microbreweries) Taxes for government: 183 million euro Employment: 5000 direct, indirect Around 1500 commercial beers

35 BEER TRIVIA You can t get sick of beer! The glass is not important but beer temperature is Biggest brewery in the world is Belgian: AB Inbev (409 million hl) Cenosillicaphobia : the fear of an empty glass A small word about Trappist

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37 RODENBACH VINTAGE 2014

38 RODENBACH VINTAGE 2014 Typically Flemish beer Coloured red brown Complex flavour: sour, bitter You can taste: oak, honey, apple, caramel and vanilla 7% alcohol Rodenbach brewery ( 1821) Sometimes served with little shrimps

39 OUDE GEUZE

40 OUDE GEUZE Beer from Brussels area, only brewed in this area (Valley of the river Senne) Blend of old and new beers, called Lambiek Difference between Oude (Old) and Normal Geuze: sugar Brewery Hanssens 6% alcohol colour is amber

41 OUDE GEUZE

42 MOINETTE BLONDE

43 MOINETTE BLONDE Blond, cupperlike beer 8,5% alc Moinette comes from moëne swamp Fresh, some sweet influences Brewery Dupont: known for it s Saison beers

44 THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION