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.

During the State Visit of the Belgian Monarchs to Lithuania in October 2022, HE Hadja Lahbib represented the Belgian federal government for the first time as Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade and of the Federal Cultural Institutions. In December 2022, Minister Lahbib accompanied HRH Princess Astrid, Representative of His Majesty the King, and the regional Belgian ministers during the Belgian Economic mission to Japan.

Watch the interview HE Sophie Wilmès, then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade, and of the Federal Cultural Institutions, gave on 6 January 2021 for the website www.belgianeconomicmission.be.

Watch the video below from 21.10.2019 for a brief presentation of the activities of our partners; the FPS Foreign Affairs, Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), the Wallonia Export-Investment Agency (AWEX) and hub.brussels, and find out why the Belgian Economic Missions are so popular with Belgian companies:

PARTICIPANTS

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

PROGRAMME

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.