Help us draw up the list of your needs

Every great idea comes with big decisions… and often, significant administrative hurdles. To ensure those hurdles don’t stand in the way of your entrepreneurial ambitions, it’s crucial that the public services supporting you understand what’s really happening on the ground. Permits, taxes, public aid, mobility, financing: tell us what’s holding you back—and what could be improved.

At hub.brussels, we strongly believe that the most effective economic policies are grounded in real-life experiences. That’s why, every two years, we coordinate the List of Needs: a strategic tool for collecting the administrative and regulatory obstacles faced by businesses in the Brussels Region.

This participative approach combines surveys, workshops and feedback from our field teams. It brings to light the concrete challenges faced by entrepreneurs—and, most importantly, allows us to take action by submitting targeted recommendations to the regional authorities, helping to simplify Brussels’ entrepreneurial landscape.

By sharing your challenges—or your ideas for improvement—you help to:

• Co-create practical solutions with public authorities;
• Identify key priorities for the years ahead;
• Ensure Brussels’ entrepreneurial ecosystem is better represented in decision-making processes.

Real results, real impact

Some concrete examples of how the List of Needs has already made a difference:

• Since January 2024, entrepreneurs in the Brussels-Capital Region are no longer required to prove business management knowledge to start a business. A meaningful change that lowers the barriers to entrepreneurship for many.
• As of 1 September 2024, a new decree from the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region (dated 16 May 2024) simplifies the rules around changing commercial activity.

You no longer need an urban planning permit for certain activity changes (for example, switching from an artisanal chocolate shop to a carpentry workshop, or from a hair salon to a daytime grocery store). A big step forward for reducing red tape when launching new projects!