Belgians are born exporters

On a worldwide scale, Belgium ranks ninth among the great commercial powers and it is even the leader among the group of industrialized nations from the point of view of exports per inhabitant.

Certain clear factors explain this remarkable success: the privileged location of the country and its well-developed road infrastructure, which allows fast and easy access to foreign companies, whether they be situated in Germany, France or in the Netherlands.

There's more: its centuries-old commercial tradition, marked specialization in certain types of products and the legendary flexibility of Belgian businesspeople when dealing with their foreign partners are equally and without doubt so many more reasons for the development of the phenomenon of Belgian exports.

Around the turn of the century, for example, Belgian companies were involved in laying railways all over the world. The great demand from abroad was also largely responsible for the expansion of the "golden sixties". Foreign trade is of vital importance to the Belgian economy, but this also means that Belgium is very sensitive to the market developments of its major trade partners.

Belgium has no exportable natural raw materials; its exports are mainly manufactured goods. Finished and half-finished products account for three-quarters of Belgian exports.

Many Belgian companies have become leaders in a whole series of products at a European level; for example buses, billiard balls, cyclotrons, diamonds, vaccines, pharmaceutical products, sweets, Roentgen films, steel wire, transformers, carpeting, weaving looms or yachts.

However, exports are not limited simply to goods: the export of services also plays a very important role. Indeed, Belgian companies have built electric power stations in Mexico, factories for the production of telecom equipment in China, harbors in Thailand, hospitals in Russia, tower-blocks in the United Arab Emirates. Specialized Belgian companies are working on supplying the lighting system for the Channel tunnel, sailing boats for Caribbean cruises or have been entrusted with the dredging of the new harbor in Hong Kong.