Didier Gosuin, Minister of Economy and Employment for Brussels Capital Region, discusses recent initiatives designed to boost economic growth in Brussels and create new jobs.
He also points out the many reasons international investors should choose Brussels.
European Times: Why should foreign investors pick Brussels as a business base?
Didier Gosuin: The Brussels Capital Region has its own Ministry of Foreign Trade dedicated to assisting foreign investors. In 2013 this ministry worked with 343 investment projects and in 2015 it was involved in 397 projects. The ministry does not work with all foreign investors since some do not need public support, but for those who do need public help, the ministry is there. Several former foreign investors in Brussels returned to the region in 2015, including Primark and Apple, which demonstrates that Brussels is an ideal base for global companies.
European Times: What makes Brussels unique?
Didier Gosuin: Brussels is European’s hub for decision-makers thanks to the many international organisations present here, and it has a very global culture and approach to business. The city also has excellent human resources thanks to four universities. In fact, we have around 13,000 people involved in research activities here in Brussels. The city is also ideally located in the heart of Europe, has very high quality of life, and has fostered a strong creative sector. Brussels offers political and economic stability as well as strong support for innovative start-ups, and the region has great potential to continue to grow.
European Times: What are your objectives concerning employment?
Didier Gosuin: While Brussels has many highly educated people, the city also has young people who need to be trained to play a role in the local economy, which is primarily one of services. We need to upgrade our educational system and to prepare more young people for technical jobs. In January 2015, I launched a new technical-education programme for people aged 18 to 30, and we have seen a 7% to 9% reduction in the unemployment rate for our youth so far. We have offered 4,000 training programmes during the year.
European Times: How is Brussels helping small and medium-sized enterprises?
Didier Gosuin: SMEs play a major role in the local economy. In fact, around 98% of the companies in Brussels are SMEs; we have around 90,000 of them. To prepare for the future, we are focusing on supporting the creation of new SMEs and we aim to provide new tools to help these companies thrive.
