The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg yesterday inaugurated its new headquarters in Brussels, a strategic move that reinforces the visibility and institutional support for Spanish businesses in Belgium and Luxembourg at a time of significant bilateral trade.

According to the ICEX foreign trade report for 2024, Spanish exports to Belgium reached €12.355 billion, compared to imports of €10.353 billion, resulting in a surplus for Spain of €2.002 billion and a coverage rate of 119.3%. These figures consolidate Belgium as Spain’s eighth most important trading partner.

The strengthening of Spain’s presence in Belgium is mainly based on high value-added sectors. The automotive industry, the leading export sector, accounted for 24.1% of Spanish sales to Belgium in 2024, equivalent to around €2.98 billion, confirming the importance of Spanish industry in European supply chains. Pharmaceuticals, the second most important sector with 8% of exports and nearly €984 million in sales, reflects the innovative capacity of Spanish companies in a country that is a European leader in biotechnology.

The capital goods industry also continues to play an increasingly important role in bilateral relations, with Spanish companies providing technological and engineering solutions in areas of strategic importance to Belgium in the field of digital and energy transition. Industrial innovation is further strengthened by the arrival of new companies focusing on defence and security.

Inauguration

During the ceremony, the President of the Chamber, Pablo López Álvarez, emphasised that ‘the opening of these new offices symbolises not only the growth and diversification of Spain’s presence in Belgium, but also our commitment to supporting companies in their internationalisation process in a strategic and highly competitive market’. He also stated that ‘it is a source of pride to witness how Spanish companies of various sizes are playing an increasingly important role in flagship Belgian projects, whether in the fields of infrastructure, transport decarbonisation, engineering, defence, logistics, technology or tourism’. ‘The recent award to a Spanish company of the contract worth more than €3 billion for the renewal of the SNCB train fleet is a perfect illustration of this trend, which we at the Chamber seek to help consolidate and strengthen,’ he concluded.

For his part, the Spanish Ambassador to Belgium, Jose María Rodríguez Coso, recalled his good relationship with the Chamber during his time as head of the Spanish Embassy in Luxembourg and expressed his conviction that the close collaboration would continue. He also congratulated both Spanish companies and the Chamber itself on the positive state of economic and trade relations between Spain and Belgium.

With its new headquarters, the Chamber is positioning itself as an institutional and operational reference point for Spanish companies that already export or aspire to enter the Belgian or Luxembourg market, offering commercial advice, networking with local players and logistical and administrative support.