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BELGIAN ECONOMIC MISSION

presided by Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid, Representative of His Majesty the King

"Although this new webpage was launched in dire economic times, now that the pandemic is jeopardizing much of our established commercial paths and patterns, we should look forward with confidence and prepare for a vigorous restart.

My thoughts are with the Belgian trade missions and their numerous participants, who became familiar and dear to me during the last 6 years. Many of you have suffered difficulties, many promising prospects of our recent missions might be put temporarily on hold.

Nevertheless, let us hope for the missions to resume soon in 2021. For my part, together with you I stand ready, with dedication and enthusiasm, to travel again with you, to support the agencies and the companies, to make up for business lost during the pandemic while exploring new opportunities."

Astrid of Belgium

Photographer: Shimera-Ansotte

About

Upcoming missions

Latest news: 31/03

Latest news: 04/02

Webinar: Brexit's first results findings and lessons

Since January 1st, 2021, Brexit has become a reality amidst a worldwide pandemic crisis. Some analysts state that the bilateral trade of countries like Belgium with the United Kingdom was not affected as much as feared while others observe a sharp drop in the bilateral trade. What is the real situation? What do exporters have to pay more attention to and which points deserve further political negotiations or straightforward intervention?

The Belgian Foreign Trade Agency organizes this webinar in close cooperation with its partners, the FPS Foreign Affairs, Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), the Wallonia Export and Investment Agency (AWEX) and hub.brussels. We will have the pleasure of welcoming HE Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium who will make the introduction of the webinar, as well as several other high-level guest-speakers.

Do not miss out on this opportunity and subscribe “here” to the event on Thursday 22 April 2021 at 10:00.

New advisor for

HRH Princess Astrid

Ambassador Dirk Wouters has been appointed as the new advisor of Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid. Ambassador Wouters is an economist and lawyer by training. He began his 40-year professional career in the consular department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1980, left twice in post for Rome and worked as Deputy Permanent Representative of Belgium to the United Nations in New York from 1995 till 2000. He held different high level postings in European affairs and became an active Permanent Representative of Belgium to the European Union from 2011 to 2016.

Moreover, he has a lot of academic experience with numerous guest lectures at American and European universities. Recently he created the innovative America-Europe Fund at the KU Leuven.

From September 2016 until September 2020 he was the Ambassador of Belgium to the United States of America and the Commonwealth of the Bahama’s. In this capacity he hosted the Belgian Economic Mission to Texas from 3 to 11 December 2016. As her new advisor, Ambassador Wouters will accompany HRH Princess Astrid during the upcoming Belgian Economic Missions.

In this capacity, he succeeds to former Ambassador Jan Matthysen.

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