The commercial and investment policy of the Brussels Region

In 2020, hub.brussels and Brussels International launched a project to set up a permanent structured cooperation mechanism within European and international trade and investment policy. The project phase officially ended in February 2022 with the creation of a Trade and Investment Policy (TIP) working group to “perpetuate” this collaboration.

One of this working group’s deliverables was the Annual Report on the Trade and Investment Policy of the Brussels-Capital Region, which the Foreign Secretary undertook to submit to the Brussels Parliament in 2020.

The first edition of this report covers the Belgian institutional framework, the role of the Brussels-Capital Region in decision-making and ratification, and the general principles of the Brussels Government’s trade and investment policy.

State of play and evolution of current agreements

The document also presents the state of play and evolution of current agreements at bilateral, multilateral and Belgian levels, whether in the negotiation, ratification or implementation phase. The goal is to create a model for periodic reporting to Government and Parliament.

Statistical analysis of business relations

The 2021 statistical evolution of the Brussels-Capital Region’s trade relations with the countries concerned is also discussed (2022 Report).  

Our highlights

• The progress of the Australia-European Union Free Trade Agreement negotiations
• The updating of the Association Agreement with Chile
• The evolution of trade negotiations between the European Union and India
• The progress of the Indonesia-European Union Free Trade Agreement negotiations
• The economic negotiations with Kenya (interim economic partnership), Mercosur (free trade agreement + political component + investment), Mexico (trade and investment), and New Zealand (trade)
• The status of the ratification procedures for agreements between the European Union and Cameroon (interim economic partnership), Canada (CETA, free trade and investment), China (investment), the Andean Community (free trade with political and investment components), and Côte d’Ivoire (interim economic partnership)
• The implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union

The 2022 Report has been sent to the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, which officially acknowledged it on 15 September and instructed the Foreign Secretary to send it to the Brussels Parliament and Brupartners.