Introduction”Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Western Europe bordered by France, the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg. It covers an area of 30,528 square kilometers (11,787 sq. mi) and has a population of more than 11 million.
The capital and largest city is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi and Liège” (Wikipedia). According to the World Bank, in 2016 Belgium had a GDP of $467.546 Billion, a population of 11,331,422 million, the GNI per capita was $42,640, it had a life expectancy of 80 years old and the CO2 emissions was 8.328 metric tons per capita.Belgium shares borders with France, Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg. It also the capital of the European Union.
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According to the World Top Exports, here is a list of Belgium’s top 15 trading partners:Germany: US$70.7 billion (16.5% of total Belgian exports)France: $63.8 billion (14.
9%)Netherlands: $51.4 billion (12%)United Kingdom: $36 billion (8.4%)Italy: $20.
9 billion (4.9%)United States: $20.6 billion (4.8%)Spain: $11.8 billion (2.8%)Poland: $9.2 billion (2.
1%)India: $8.9 billion (2.1%)China: $8.9 billion (2.
1%)Sweden: $7.5 billion (1.7%)Switzerland: $7 billion (1.
6%)Luxembourg: $6.4 billion (1.5%)Turkey: $5.
8 billion (1.4%)Russia: $4.4 billion (1%)Over three-quarters (77.
1%) of Belgian exports in 2017 were delivered to the above 15 trade partners.Among these top importers, Switzerland increased its import purchases from Belgium the fastest–up 19.7% from 2016 to 2017.In second place was Turkey (up 18.
6%) followed by Russia (up 17%) and China (up 16%).Leading the decliners, America’s purchases of exported Belgian products shrank in value by -10.5%.
Companies Servicing Belgian Trading PartnersBelgium placed 11 corporations among the Forbes Global 2000. Below is a sample of major Belgian export companies that Forbes ranked:Anheuser-Busch InBev (beverages)Belgacom (telecommunications services)Delhaize Group (food retail)Solvay (diversified chemicals)UCB (pharmaceuticals)Umicore (diversified metals, mining) Tips on doing business in Belgium90% of Belgians are Roman Catholics.Belgians like privacy so office doors are usually kept closed.Belgians tend to be multitasking.Belgium BackgroundIn 1815, the Congress of Vienna redrew the map of Europe and control of Belgium was given to the Netherlands. The Belgians were able to free themselves from the Netherlands in 1830.
The independent Kingdom of Belgium dates from this revolt. Prior to the revolt, Belgium was ruled by Julius Caesar first, later Spain took control, Austria and France also controlled Belgium for some time. Belgium colonized Congo (today referred to as RDC) and after the First World War, Germany’s African colonies of Ruanda and Urundi were given to Belgium by the League of Nations. After the Second World War, Belgium’s African colonies gained their independence. In 1957, Belgium became a founding member of the European Economic Community, which is now called the European Union (Morrison, Conaway, 2007, p.
40).Type of Government Belgium is a constitutional monarchy with to legislative houses. The King is the chief of state, and the prime minister is the head of the government. Elections to Parliament occur every four years, and voting is compulsory. There is a Senate and a House of Representatives. Brussels is not only the capital of Belgium but is also the headquarters of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Morrison, Conaway, 2007, p. 40).
In 1995, Belgium completed a constitutional realignment from a centralist to a federal form of government. This has given more power to the regions.Know Before You TravelBelgium is politically stable, so it is a safe and peaceful country. From a personal experience from the time I went to Belgium, Flanders do not like to be addressed to in French so even if they speak French, they prefer to speak English to people who do not speak Dutch. Belgium’s northern region, called Flanders, is populated primarily by Dutch speakers.
In the southern region (Wallonia), Belgians usually speak French. The north and the south are almost separate, rival countries. Human rights issues and average household incomeHuman rights are usually respected, and judiciary law is usually fair and free from instrumentalization. Average household in Belgium is $29,968 a year.Places to visit in BelgiumThe city of Bruges, Brussels, Antwerp and Namur are the most visited cities in Belgium. I’ve had the chance to visit each of these ones and I must say that Bruges is the most appealing.
From learning how, beers were brewed in the 17th century to cruising the canals of the city. Grand place in Brussels also attracts a lot of people because it’s terrace and café. Atomium is a landmark building in Brussels, it is now a museum that attracts tourists.Business Practices Always be punctual for business appointments in Belgium. Except the first appointment to be social. Most Belgians must get to know you before they decide whether they want to do business with you.
Be modest about talents and wealth. Mutual trust is highly valued by Belgian businesspeople.Monetary system and currencyMonetary unit in Belgium is the EURO (equal to 100 cents). In circulation are banknotes in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros, as well as coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents.
In 1999, Belgium joined the EMU that created a single currency, the euro, for all the EU nations. The euro is slightly strong than the US dollar as, 1euro equals $1.16.Traditional FoodBelgium is known for its French fries, waffles, chocolate, Moules-frites etc.
They also among the first producers of beers in the world. Stella Artois was first brewed in Leuven, Belgium.Conclusion In a nutshell, Belgium plays a big part in the European Union. It houses world organization headquarters and it is a good representation of the Europe as it is unofficially called the capital of Europe due to its strategic location in central Europe. It used to have strong ties with the Congo that led to a strong presence of Congolese people in Belgium and having a whole neighborhood dedicated to Congolese which called Porte de Namur or Matonge.
Brussels airport is also one of the busiest in Europe as it is strategically located. Belgium is however divided into major groups those that speak and Dutch and own the majority of the land, and those that speak French and are political leaders.References:Morrison, T., ; Conaway, W. A. (2006). Kiss, bow, or shake hands: The bestselling guide to doing business in more than 60 countries.
Avon, MA: Adams Media.https://data.worldbank.org/country/belgiumhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgium
