On 16 September the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, together with the Belgian technology and defence industry federation Agoria BSDi (Belgian Security & Defence Industry), held the first edition of the Spain-Belgium Security and Defence Business Exchange. The meeting brought together some thirty companies, technology centres and organisations from both countries at Agoria’s premises in Diegem, a short distance from NATO headquarters.

Tailored agendas for a morning of bilateral meetings

The event was built around a speed networking session with one table for each participating Belgian organisation and successive short meeting rounds through which the visiting Spanish companies rotated. Agendas were drawn up in advance from the interests declared by each participant, so that every company could sit down with the counterparts it had flagged as a priority. The morning closed with a networking lunch.

A strong trade relationship with untapped potential in defence

Opening the event, the Chamber’s president, Pablo López-Álvarez, placed the meeting in the context of a solid bilateral relationship with one chapter still to be written: “Spain is Belgium’s eighth largest trading partner, and vice versa. In defence, however, trade flows between the two countries are limited, and are mainly confined to partnerships and joint participation in European Defence Fund projects. With events such as today’s we aim to bring the two ecosystems closer together.”

He also highlighted the profile of the companies that answered the call: “It is very satisfying to see the interest generated, not only among the leading defence companies of both countries — Indra, Navantia, Sener or Santa Bárbara on the Spanish side, and Sonaca, FN Herstal and John Cockerill on the Belgian side — but also among the many companies developing dual-use technologies, both military and civil, a good number of them cutting-edge start-ups with considerable room to grow and expand, and which are considering investing in Spain.”

Belgian interest in investing and sourcing in Spain

The avenues for cooperation that opened up over the course of the morning include the interest of several Belgian companies in acquiring Spanish firms or taking stakes in them and in bringing Spanish suppliers into their supply chains.

On the Belgian side, Antoon Boeykens, in charge of International Defence Cooperation at Agoria, drew an equally positive conclusion: “From the Belgian side the event was oversubscribed, which shows the potential of collaboration between our respective defence ecosystems.” Boeykens noted that “important synergies and complementarities were identified today so we look forward to continuing promoting this collaboration”, and said he hopes a stronger Spanish presence at the forthcoming Brussels European Defence Exhibition and Conference (BEDEX), to be held in Brussels in April 2027, will help reinforce this connection.

A first edition with continuity in mind

The Chamber takes a very positive view of this first edition, both for the calibre of the participating companies and for the intensity of the contacts generated, and will continue working with Agoria BSDi to promote the Spanish defence sector in Belgium and to strengthen industrial and technological exchange between the two countries.

The Chamber would like to thank Agoria BSDi for its commitment as co-organiser and for hosting the event at its premises, and all the participating companies and technology centres for making this first edition possible.