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Our client’s office in Belgium is one of the Group’s top locations, in large part due to the city’s extremely long list of positive attributes. Brussels offers IFAs great business opportunities, an excellent standard of living, and a potential client base close to the top of the list of the world’s best.
Belgium is a small, yet extremely developed, country. With a population of more than ten million, Belgium is located at Europe’s crossroads between the Netherlands and France. The nation has three fairly independent regions: Flanders in the north, Wallonia in the south, and the centrally located capital, Brussels. By some estimates, foreign nationals comprise a whopping 30% of the population in Brussels, with other sizeable expat communities located throughout Belgium.
Three official languages are used among the country’s very diverse population: Dutch, French and German, and the majority of the populace is fluent in at least two languages. English is also widely spoken.
Brussels has evolved into an instrumental international centre. The headquarters of NATO are situated there, and the city serves as the capital of the European Union. Brussels is also the political seat of the Western European Union (WEU) and EUROCONTROL, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation. Due to this, some countries maintain three ambassadors in the city: a standard bi-lateral ambassador, an EU ambassador, and a NATO ambassador.
Brussels is estimated to rank among the world’s top five cities in terms of expatriate population numbers, and offers fantastic IFA business potential.
Doing Business in Brussels
Among other areas, Brussels has evolved into a central hub for international financial transactions, and serves as the headquarters for such finance giants as Swift, Euroclear, Banksys and Bank of New York. In addition, and a testament to its robust economy, the city achieved the top ranking in 2005 for being the most desirable location for setting up a European distribution centre.
Among other reasons, multinational companies cited its strategic location and ‘value for money’ factor as attractions for basing their operation in Brussels. Its superior infrastructure, very large percentage of European consumers and extremely qualified workforce are also conducive to investment interest.
Further inducements come from the fact that the cost of doing business in Brussels is much lower than rival counterpart cities such as London and Paris.
Winner in ‘Quality of Life’ Surveys
Belgium’s rating as a favourite business locale goes well beyond those factors that are directly related to doing business there. Surveys, articles and individual expat reports reflect very high regard for the country ‘liveability’ characteristics. In one survey, Belgium ranked third, after Finland and Austria, in a European Quality of Life Survey. The survey polled 28,000 people in the 25 EU countries, as well as three candidate EU member countries, about their level of contentment on a scale of one to ten. Belgium came in top position for housing. The country also ranked highly on its health care system, receiving a 7.6 out of 10 grade - the second highest rating in Europe after Austria.
The country was ranked in third place for social welfare, and fourth in Europe for education. When asked about their overall level of contentment, Belgians gave a score of 7.7 out of ten, one of the highest in Europe, surpassed only by Luxembourg and Austria.
Leisure Pursuits
Belgium offers a wide array of leisure time activities – from the mundane to the exotic.
During temperate months, film lovers can take in their favourite blockbuster at the Esplanade du Cinquantenaire in Brussels, which features a massive 400 square metre screen.
Are you a beer lover? Then, why not sample one or more of the hundreds of local varieties this country has to offer? Among the many choices are blanche, trappiste, lambic, kriek - which is made with cherries - and the red beers of West Flanders, to name but a few.
Chocoholics can indulge in some of the 172,000 tons of the delights produced annually. Belgium boasts more than 2,000 chocolate shops, as well as a chocolate festival.
Try the national sport - cycling. Miles of wonderful bike paths run along canals, through towns and between them. For mountain biking, go to the Ardennes, which is also a good place for canoeing, hiking and caving.
Visit one of many of the country’s museums, including those devoted to musical instruments, chocolate, beer, gin, war, history, comics, folklore and art.
The artist Rubens was born in Antwerp, and his home is a key attraction for visitors and expats.
Brussels is an exciting city. When Belgians do things, they do them with a passion. Where else would you be able to choose from more than 500 different domestic beers, or eat mussels cooked in 20 different styles? The countless restaurants and bars in the city pay testament to the love of the good life.
When considering starting – or continuing - a career in International Financial Services, Brussels is a great place to choose!
For further information about Belgium we recommend that you visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgium where you will find many useful links and informative articles to prepare you for your move.