Brussels reaching all four corners of the world with hub.brussels
This month marks a significant moment for hub.brussels’ international network. For one week, all representatives from our offices abroad are back in Belgium to meet with Brussels-based companies interested in their export markets, catch up with colleagues from our Brussels headquarters to share lessons learned over the past year, and assess the state of new developments and trends in the capital.
What exactly is the hub.brussels international network?
An international network is important for the Brussels-Capital Region to strengthen its presence around the world. With 33 Brussels offices, and thanks to the inter-regional cooperation agreement with the FIT and AWEX offices, hub.brussels is present in over 84 locations on five continents. The Region also has two Brussels Houses, in Milan and Barcelona, which showcase Brussels know-how and soft skills, as well as housing the offices of our representatives at each location.
The General Delegates of the Brussels-Capital Region (GDBCR) abroad therefore act as local branches for Brussels-based companies wishing to export, through personal coaching and individual analysis of their project. They know every detail of the local market and have a vast network of business contacts.
hub.brussels’ offices abroad prospect markets and business opportunities to help Brussels-based companies find new contacts. They can also help to set up a subsidiary abroad, for example. In addition to these missions, the delegates are also responsible for attracting foreign investors to Brussels and will in future play an increasingly important role as representatives of the Region in the countries where they are located, in collaboration with Brussels International and visit.brussels. The international network now handles bilateral and multilateral diplomatic affairs and tourism, and oversees the image of Brussels and development cooperation.
What does this mean in figures?
According to recent data published by the National Bank of Belgium, while the Region’s trade balance for goods was still negative in 2023 (-€8.6 billion), exports of Brussels goods to the world recorded a remarkable positive trend of +24% on the previous year, totalling €11.8 billion. The main destinations for these goods were Germany, the Netherlands, France, the United States and Luxembourg. Europe remains the top destination, with a total of 81% of goods shipped to the continent.
Exports of services also put Brussels in the spotlight. In 2022, Brussels exported €32.3 billion worth of services, representing a quarter of all Belgian service exports and an increase of 9.4% on 2021. Brussels is also the only region in the country to post a positive trade balance in services (+€3.8 billion) in 2022. Among these service exports, specialised, scientific and technical activities account for the largest category (€9.4 billion, 49% of Belgian exports), followed by financial and insurance activities (€8.3 billion, 40% of the Belgian total) and finally information and communication (€3.6 billion, 35% of Belgian exports).
Successful collaboration with local offices
A few testimonials from our foreign delegates showcase the successful cooperation between companies and offices abroad.
Roldan Descamps, CEO of Mekanika, an open source platform for designers, was part of the Impact Mission to New York in May 2023. Thanks to the B2B meetings organised during this mission and the lists drawn up for the company by hub.brussels, Mekanika was able to establish contacts in New York.
– Kathlijn Fruithof, General Delegate in New York
One of the biggest successes of the past year has been the establishment of subsidiaries in Canada by four Brussels-based companies: Apptweak, Wooclap, Ebury and Gentis. In the case of Gentis and Wooclap, this is the result of years of support, and we’ve followed Ebury and Apptweak since their decision to set up in Montreal.
– Gilles Bredas, General Delegate in Montreal
Looking for more information about Brussels’ foreign connections?
- Are you ready to export to a specific market? Discover our network of delegates and their services!
- Want to find out more about the volume of goods and services traded between the Brussels-Capital Region and the rest of the world? Check out our interactive analytics.brussels platform!
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