About Belgian Economic Missions

The Belgian Foreign Trade Agency, in cooperation with the three regional agencies for the promotion of foreign trade: Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), the Wallonia Export-Investment Agency (AWEX) & hub.brussels and the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, organises two Belgian Economic Missions per year.

Consult the DESTINATIONS and DATES of our upcoming missions in the "Calendar upcoming missions" section of our website.

What is the ROLE OF THE BELGIAN FOREIGN TRADE AGENCY (BFTA) in organising the Belgian Economic missions?

Find out here in the video by Fabienne L'Hoost, Director-General of the BFTA.

PARTICIPANTS OF THE BELGIAN ECONOMIC MISSIONS:

Participants are companies from a range of sectors. They range from SMEs to established names in the Belgian entrepreneurial landscape.

PROGRAMME OF THE BELGIAN ECONOMIC MISSIONS:

In close collaboration with Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT), the Wallonia Export-Investment Agency (AWEX), hub.brussels and the FPS Foreign Affairs, a general programme is drawn up, which pays specific attention to the most important key sectors of the economic bilateral cooperation.

The trade attachés of Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT), the Wallonia Export-Investment Agency (AWEX) and hub.brussels, who are responsible for the various destinations, draw up the specific B2B programmes for the participating companies.

A Belgian Economic Mission usually lasts four to eight days. The programme consists of an official part and an economic-commercial part. In the latter part, a detailed agenda has also been drawn up for the companies:

• The programme includes B2B meetings.
• Seminars offer local partners a view on specific Belgian know-how. These conferences are also an opportunity to learn about the priorities of local authorities and their key projects.
• Networking lunches, dinners and receptions in the presence of H.R.H. Princess Astrid, Representative of His Majesty the King, provide opportunities for interesting contacts. Heads of State, Ministers, top businessmen and other prominent people are frequent guests.
• Many participating companies make use of the Belgian Economic Mission to officially confirm business agreements in the presence of H.R.H. Princess Astrid, Representative of His Majesty the King. This often enables companies to conclude contracts more quickly. Moreover, this is excellent promotion for the Belgian company.
• Company visits to local companies or local offices of Belgian companies are also on the agenda, sometimes in the company of H.R.H. Princess Astrid, Representative of His Majesty the King. This makes it easier for Belgian companies to sell their products to foreign multinationals.