Flanders

Flanders lies to the north of France, the east of Britain and the west of Germany. It is the northern part of Belgium. The most important cities and population centers of Europe - London, Paris, Amsterdam, Cologne, Frankfurt - are all situated within a radius of less than 200 miles around Flanders' capital, the multilingual and international city of Brussels.

Ever since the Middle Ages, Flanders has been at the crossroads of the great European trade routes. Flemish merchants swarmed out to every corner of the then known world. Foreign merchants, bankers and artists came to Flanders endowing the magnificent Flemish cities with even more prosperity and cultural vitality. Flemings speak Dutch (NOT Flemish, which is not a language) and can look back on an illustrious past with culture, art, world famous painters and rebellious citizens. Flanders is the first region that saw citizens reclaiming individual rights from their kings and lords, thus reintroducing democracy to the West after Rome’s fall. With many of its citizens (back then considered to be Southern Dutch) involved in the establishment of New Amsterdam, Flanders’ core values of entrepreneurship, vocal citizenry and hard work strongly influenced the settlement of the US. Although at the heart of Europe and Europe’s most globalized region, Flanders with its capital Brussels, is still a well kept secret. It is home to top contemporary & historical art, architecture (Art Nouveau), fashion designers, scientists, performers and to some of the most popular beers and foods…

Population

Flanders accounts for 60% of the total Belgian population. Its people and companies produce 70% of the Gross Domestic product of Belgium (and thus of its tax income) and 80% of all exports from Belgium. Flanders, and thus Belgium, is an open economy, well integrated into the world’s global trade system. Flemings want to go forward in life. Their aim is prosperity and well-being for everyone. They are hardworking entrepreneurs, highly educated researchers and multilingual employees. Whatever they do, they always want to do it in the best possible way. Flemings strive for quality and attach great importance to efficiency and result orientation, though not at the expense of others.

The people of Flanders also like to enjoy life: they are often referred to as ‘loving the Burgundian life’ (in memory of Flanders heyday as Burgundy’s main stay of power), with great foods, beers, comfortable homes, and Flemish masters hanging in their museums. On the other hand, they are accustomed to affordable medical care for everyone and to one of the highest level of education in the Western world.
To be able to participate in the rich Flemish social life, that includes the use of the extensive social, cultural and leisure facilities and easy accessible sports centers, is essential for Flemings.
While Flemish people are certainly receptive to the world, they have had to fight to maintain their own culture and language, pressured by their much larger and often very aggressive French, British and German neighbors. They realize much of their strength has to do with the constant interaction between their own ideas and traditions and those of neighboring (and other) peoples and cultures. They regard intercultural contacts and multilingualism as enrichments to their identity, but also demand respect for their language and culture. Look at the map! Flanders is like the ‘little engine that could’ between the three main behemoths of Europe’s often tragic history. Its location made it the main battle field of Europe. After WW I, a strong pacifist and emancipative movement started from its trenches. In Flanders fields, much of Europe’s past madness lays buried…

Politics

Through peaceful and democratic reforms, Flemings were able to transform Belgium from a unitary, initially French-speaking country into a federal, multilingual state. It now has strong Regions (Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels capital) and Communities (Dutch and French speaking). Federalization began in the 1970’s and is an ongoing process. In this federal constitutional system Flanders has its own legislative and executive powers, including broad and exclusive, domestic and foreign responsibilities in the fields for which Flanders is competent, such as trade, investment, economy, innovation, culture, education, research and many others.

In all these Flanders outlines its own policies and acts as an equal partner to foreign governments; it has treaty-making power and is not subsidiary to the federal level. Flanders has signed agreements with several states and regions both in Europe and around the world. Moreover, with its own policy for international development cooperation, Flanders assumes its responsibility towards developing countries.
Flanders’ capital, Brussels, is also the capital of the federal state Belgium and of the European Union. Brussels is part and parcel of the international political, economic and cultural stage. Bearing in mind that it has a multicultural and multilingual population, it is not surprising that many of Brussels’ streets and squares have a decidedly international atmosphere.

Economics

Flanders is central within Europe and is its most globalized region. It owes this position to its location smack in the middle of Western Europe’s most advanced and industrialized area. The economy of Flanders is characterized by its high productivity. Flanders accounts for 70% of the total GNP and tax income. Furthermore it produces high quality products at the right price. These products are mostly exported to the international market. Flanders represents 80% of all Belgian exports. An important advantage is the high level of education and multilingualism among its graduate and professional population. It has an extensive system of social consultation at its disposal.

Throughout history, Flanders has always been a very important link in the European economy. The Flemish textile industry was crucial for the economic wellbeing of The Low Countries through the ages. Nowadays the textile and carpet industry still plays a prominent part, together with the petrochemical, car assembly, diamond and metalworking industries.

Flanders has an excellent transport network. Next to a vast motorway and railway network, it has miles of navigable waterways. Antwerp, often dubbed Flanders’ economical capital is the second largest port in Europe and one of the largest in the world. Its port possesses one of the biggest docklands of Europe. Next to the port of Antwerp, the seaports of Zeebrugge, Ghent and Ostend are also of major economic importance.

Brussels Airport (just outside of Brussels, in Zaventem) ensures Flanders is easily accessible for the traveler. It attracts many corporate headquarters and logistics & distribution companies. This area has been renamed Flanders Airport Area (FAA).
Flanders works continuously at maintaining an innovative information economy. Every year, Flemish universities turn out qualified professionals and first-rate researchers. The top Flemish priority is an on-going cooperation between university centers, the government and trade and industry. Flanders’ research centers and universities are leaders in bio-and plant technology, micro-and nanoelectronics, multimedia or information technology.