Trading Partner Portal: Belgium
Overview
Trade Overview
Belgium is a high income nation with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $455.086 billion. As a relatively small country, Belgium is comparatively dense with a population roughly 11.28 million people. World Bank
Being in Western Europe and a member of the European Union, has allowed Belgium to establish strong trade relationships. Belgium has been a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 1995 and before that was a member of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) since 1948. Belgium’s main exports are chemicals, machinery, and equipment. They are also large importers of raw materials, machinery, and equipment. In addition, they are a substantial importer of raw diamonds and an exporter of finished diamonds. BEA
Belgium is the 10th largest export destination for the United States, with exports in goods totaling approximately $32.3 billion. A majority of exports from the Unites States into Belgium include chemicals, miscellaneous manufactured commodities, and non-electrical machinery. The Unites States imports around $17 billion of merchandise from Belgium. The top categories of imported goods from Belgium include chemicals, miscellaneous manufacture goods, and re-imports. US Department of Commerce
Belgium-California Trade
California is one of the top five states in the US for exports to Belgium with $2.9 billion in goods exported in 2016. Chemicals, which constitutes 31.5% and $933 million of all goods exported to Belgium from California, are the leading exports. Other key Californian exports to Belgium are miscellaneous manufactured commodities, and computer and electronic products. Furthermore, California imports roughly $678 million of goods from Belgium; including, transportation equipment, food, and petroleum and coal products. US Department of Commerce
Trade Agreements
Trade Agreements and Issues
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)
Belgium is one of the nations that is currently involved in negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the rest of the European Union and the United States. The United States and the European Union have a strong bilateral trade relationship totaling $698.7 billion in 2015. A free trade agreement, such as TTIP, desires to strengthen that relationship by eliminating tariffs, aligning compatible regulations to open trade, and furthering trade in the service sector.
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
USTR Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
Events
Events
Belgium Consul General Reviews Trade/ Investment with CalChamber 2009
Consul General Geert M. Criel with the Consulate General of Belgium in Los Angeles, visits with Susanne Stirling, CalChamber vice president of international affairs, as part of a February 11 stop in Sacramento to meet with government officials, private sector companies and business associations to discuss trade and investment opportunities. California exports more than $2 billion to Belgium with a 36 percent increase of computer and electronic exports last year.