The Swiss Trösch invests more than 400 million in Lommel. — © Dick Demey
Brussels/Hasselt –
Belgium has seen the number of foreign direct investments decrease by 8 percent in 2023 to 215 announced investments. But the number of jobs associated with it fell by 39 percent to 4,918. Limburg appears to be an outsider: foreign investments increased spectacularly here.
This is evident from the annual ‘Barometer of Belgian Attractiveness’, a study with which EY gauges the attractiveness of our country as an investment location. Compared to other European countries, Belgium is still holding up reasonably well in terms of investments: a decline of 8 percent. Until further notice, foreign direct investments will not start after corona. The explanation must be sought in international investments that are slowing down due to disappointing economic growth, high inflation, rising geopolitical tensions worldwide and persistently high energy prices.
These tensions are palpable throughout Europe. In other countries the decline was even sharper, so that Belgium managed to rise in the ranking from ninth to eighth. The additional jobs associated with these investments are very disappointing for Belgium. Compared to a year earlier, they dropped by 39 percent to 4,918.
Limburg outsider
The EY study does not have provincial figures. But for Limburg these can be found in the recent interim evaluation of the SALKTurbo action plan and figures from Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT). The number of foreign investments also fell in Limburg: from 48 in 2022 to 29 in 2023.
But the investment amount rose spectacularly in Limburg. That will almost double to 1.06 billion euros in 2023. This gives Limburg a share of no less than 21.6 percent of the total direct foreign investments in Flanders. In Flanders, the total investment amount fell from 5.3 to 4.9 billion euros.
The excellent Limburg results are partly due to the large investments that the Turkish Ciner and the Swiss Trösch are making in Lommel in the production of glass. (dc)
READ ALSO: Fewer foreign investments in Limburg, but that is not necessarily bad news
READ ALSO: Five million Flemish support for Turkish group’s new glass factory in Lommel
READ ALSO: What has SALKTurbo achieved so far? More people at work, but productivity is faltering