In 2021, Flanders – the northern region of Belgium – once again saw a solid influx of foreign direct investment. Flanders’ Minister-President Jan Jambon shares this announcement based on analyses by Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), the region’s government agency responsible for attracting and supporting foreign investors. Last year, international firms launched 295 new investment projects and announced the creation of 6,233 additional jobs in Flanders, both historically high figures. These record-setting results are respectively due to a sharp increase in the number of mergers & acquisitions and a hefty rise in the number of R&D jobs. In total, foreign companies channeled EUR 2.86 billion into their activities on Flanders’ soil.
Looking closely at the 2021 figures, the following five trends stand out.
- The number of investment projects by American and British companies is skyrocketing. Consequently, the US and the UK have moved up to first and second place respectively in the list of top foreign investors in Flanders.
- North America is making its comeback. Companies based in this part of the world are responsible for just under a quarter of all foreign investments in Flanders.
- Almost two-thirds of all British investments in Flanders are linked to Brexit.
- 1 in 3 new foreign investment projects is a merger or acquisition.
- The number of jobs related to Research & Development (R&D) has doubled. This activity accounts for 1 in 4 jobs created through foreign investment in Flanders.
More information can be found on Flanders Investment & Trade's website.
©Picture and text Flanders Investment & Trade
