Brussels to close 14 international trade offices to cut costs
The Brussels government has decided to shut at least 14 of its 33 international trade and promotion offices as part of a broad effort to restore budgetary balance by 2029, Bruzz reports.
The government's main objective this legislature is to reduce the region's budget deficit. As part of its austerity measures, it decided on Thursday to close some of its international offices. These offices promote Brussels companies on international markets and position the region as a tourist destination.
Minister-president Boris Dilliès said the decision about which offices to close was based on strategic considerations, including the number of business support cases handled per office, the relevant market's share of Brussels exports and the value of maintaining a local presence.
"Keeping 33 offices open abroad is a luxury that Brussels cannot afford today"
The offices closing are those in Milan, Barcelona, Abu Dhabi, Belgrade, Copenhagen, Geneva, Hanoi, Montevideo, San Francisco, Shanghai and Vancouver. The Havana office had already been announced for closure. Three further posts in The Hague, Lille and Luxembourg are being wound down on the grounds that those nearby markets can be monitored directly from Brussels.
"Keeping 33 offices open abroad is a luxury that Brussels cannot afford today," Brussels minister-president Boris Dilliès explained. "The money must be spent where it is useful and where there is added value for the attractiveness of the Brussels Region."
18 offices remain open
Brussels trade attachés will continue to operate in 18 offices around the world: Berlin, Dakar, Kinshasa, London, Madrid, Montreal, Nairobi, New York, Paris, Mumbai, Stockholm, Tel Aviv/Ramallah, Sao Paulo, Tokyo and Warsaw. The Singapore office is being relocated to Kuala Lumpur to reduce costs further.
The offices in Istanbul and Rabat will remain open for the time being, as the government intends to keep them operational in connection with royal trade missions scheduled to Turkey and Saudi Arabia this year and next. They may close at a later stage.
The fate of the staff employed at the offices being closed has not yet been determined, though the Brussels government has committed to avoiding any redundancies among civil servants.
© PHOTO HUB.BRUSSELS
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