Belgian Delegation to Explore Opportunities in Cuba

An economic mission from Belgium, led by the Minister President of the Government of Flanders (north), Geert Bourgeois, will visit Cuba on April 3-6 to explore business opportunities and strengthen bilateral cooperation

Belgian Ambassador to Havana, Patrick Van Gheel, announced that the delegation will include representatives of 26 businesses from the Flemish region and the Brussels-Capital region, as well as representatives of foreign trade institutions.

He said this will be a bright opportunity to strengthen the excellent bilateral relations and identify chances of collaboration and investment in areas like construction, the chemical industry and port dredging, among others.

For this purpose, the group will meet with Cuban authorities and visit the Special Development Zone of Mariel (ZEDM), in Artemisa province, west of Havana, where two Belgian projects have been approved thus far.

This visit will also contribute to broaden academic cooperation, which has been expressed since 1994 by the permanent exchange between Flemish and Cuban universities.

Thanks to these contacts, Belgian universities are collaborating in the installation of an on-line network to connect Cuban universities, as part of the national policy of informatization of education.

According to Economic and Commercial Attache of the Belgian Embassy in Cuba, Jean-Serge Dias, his country is Cuba’s fifth European client. Belgium imports from Cuba mainly oil derivatives and tobacco, and exports food, machinery and chemical products, among other items.

There is increasing interest in the Belgian business community in investing in the metallurgic and construction sectors, he said, and added that this visit is essentially aimed at cooperation.