Belgian Delegation Heads to California for Trade mission, Leadership Change
A large Belgian delegation of approximately 500 companies, universities, adn politicians is traveling to San Francisco and Los angeles this weekend to foster new collaborations and investments. The mission includes representation from both the federal government and all three Belgian regions.
Originally slated to lead the delegation, Ans Persoons (Vooruit), responsible for international relations and foreign trade, has decided to remain in Belgium to focus on crucial budget discussions and the formation of a new Brussels government. Negotiations with six Brussels parties have been expedited in recent weeks, and Persoons believes her presence is vital to the process, stating, “Brussels cannot wait. We have to work out a budget process quickly and that is now the focus: making Brussels healthy.”
Resigning Prime Minister Rudi Vervoort (PS) will now take Persoons’ place, including meetings with the mayors of San Francisco and Los Angeles, and California Governor Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate. Vervoort previously led a trade mission to India earlier this year.
Accompanying Vervoort are Flemish Prime Minister Mattias Diependaele (N-VA),Walloon Minister of Economy Pierre-Yves Jury (MR),Deputy Prime Minister theo Francken (N-VA),and Minister for the middle class,self-employed people and SMEs Eleonore Simonet (MR).The itinerary includes numerous company visits focusing on Silicon Valley, the aviation and defense sectors, and the sports and entertainment industries.
Persoons emphasized the importance of the mission for Brussels businesses, stating, “The mission is a huge possibility for the Brussels entrepreneurs and start-ups to show themselves in the US.” The United states is Belgium’s fourth-largest trading partner, with €64.4 billion in goods traded annually, and Belgian companies support over 230,000 jobs in the US.
The mission has the support of the rectors of VUB and ULB, and a delegation of nearly forty Brussels companies will be participating, overseen by Hub.Brussels Trade Agency. Despite recent trade tensions between the US and the EU, Persoons concluded, ”we must give our Brussels companies every opportunity to make a name for themselves.”
