Belgium heads to Brazil for key trade mission led by Princess Astrid
More than 400 Belgian politicians, business leaders and academics are heading for Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro this weekend as part of an economic mission. The delegation aims to strengthen ties in key sectors like pharma, energy, and digital technologies.
The mission to Brazil, the ninth-largest economy in the world with more than 200 million inhabitants, offers numerous opportunities for Belgian companies, particularly in the fields of chemistry, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy and digital technology.
Belgium exported nearly 5 billion euros worth of goods to Brazil in 2023, double the amount it imported, making it the EU’s third-largest exporter to the South American country. The chemical and pharmaceutical sectors alone account for half of these exports.
Food exports also play a significant role in bilateral trade, bolstered by companies like baking products and chocolate manufacturer Puratos and AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer. The latter was formed 20 years ago through a merger of Belgium’s Interbrew and Brazil’s AmBev.
'Unique opportunity'
The programme includes meetings with local governments, networking events, sectoral seminars and site visits. Sustainability, port infrastructure and cultural industries are also key focus areas.
Flemish minister-president Matthias Diependaele, Brussels minister-president Rudi Vervoort and Walloon deputy minister-president Pierre-Yves Jeholet will join Foreign minister Hadja Lahbib and Princess Astrid on the mission.
Fabienne L’Hoost, director-general of the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency, highlighted the importance of the economic mission to Brazil, calling it “a unique opportunity for Belgian companies to forge new connections or strengthen existing ones, with an eye on a future free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur”.
Princess Astrid © BELGA PHOTO BENOIT DOPPAGNE
Related news
