Belgian Foreign Trade Agency (BFTA)

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲!🚀 Yesterday, Katrien Van Loocke and Dennis Gijsbrechts of the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency (BFTA) gave a guest lecture as part of the 𝗩𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽 in Brussels, where they had the opportunity to engage with a dynamic group of future global business leaders. This immersive program equips students with 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀-𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 in crafting 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 - a crucial skill in today’s globalized economy. Over the course of the bootcamp, participants work in teams to develop a real-world international expansion plan for a few Belgian companies (selected from our BFTA Exporters Database) covering:   ✅ Selecting the right target market 🌍 ✅ Determining the most effective entry strategy 🔑 ✅ Crafting a strategic marketing approach 📈 ✅ Developing financial projections 💰   We were honored to contribute by sharing our expertise on 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗴𝗶𝘂𝗺’𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 and the support available for businesses looking to scale globally. In a world where 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 are redefining traditional market boundaries, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 - 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆. The ability to navigate foreign markets, diversify revenue streams, and enhance global brand presence is key to long-term business success. A big thank you to Oli Mihalache, Full Professor of International Entrepreneurship at Vlerick Business School for organizing this impactful program, and to the students for their enthusiasm and sharp strategic thinking. We can’t wait to see how these future leaders will shape the global business landscape! #VlerickBootcamp #InternationalExpansion #GlobalBusiness #BelgianForeignTrade #MarketEntry #FutureLeaders

#BEmissionIND 🇧🇪 🇮🇳 - The Belgian delegation returns from India with a total of 𝟯𝟴 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀!   Thank you, India, for the wonderful experiences and fruitful business contacts. Relive the #BEmissionIND on https://lnkd.in/dKT7CsG or on our application.   Ministry of Foreign Affairs Belgium | Embassy of Belgium in New Delhi | Didier Vanderhasselt | Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai | Frank Geerkens | Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) | Flanders Investment & Trade - India | Eva Verstraelen | Babette Desfossez | hub.brussels | hub.brussels | Asia | Bart Vandeputte | Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX) | Wallonia Trade and Investment (AWEX) - India | Emmanuelle Timmermans | Guillaume de Bassompierre   📷 © BELGA (Benoit Doppagne)

#BEmissionIND 🇧🇪 🇮🇳 - 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟲: 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟳 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 - The final day of the #BEmissionIND started with the traditional FEB Success Stories Breakfast which allowed Belgian SMEs and their Indian partners to talk about their successful partnership. After breakfast, a seminar on Logistics, Chemicals, and Cold Chain Expertise was organized at the Trident Hotel. In the late morning, HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium was invited to the “Raj Bhavan”, the beautiful residence of Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, Governor of Maharashtra for a private meeting with the Governor and a nice walk in the gardens along the sea. In the afternoon, HRH Princess Astrid and the Ministers went to the iconic “Gateway of India” where they stepped onboard of 2 small boats to reach the DEME dredging ship “Congo River” for a guided tour with Bram Vandepitte, Managing Director of DEME, Captain Jan Admiraal and his fantastic crew. This visit was followed by a meeting at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and the APEC Training Facility in Navi Mumbai where HRH Princess Astrid could try the simulator designed for the future marine captains to learn how to navigate huge vessels in all kind of weathers. The mission ended with a successful informal press moment at the rooftop of the Trident hotel where HRH Princess Astrid, the 2 Belgian Ministers, Maxime Prévot and Matthias Diependaele and all the Belgian journalists present during the mission could exchange on their impressions on the mission, the different key sectors, and the future business win-win opportunities between the 2 countries. As HRH Princess Astrid said during her speech, it was undoubtedly an enriching mission that lays the foundation for further cooperation and partnerships between Belgian and Indian companies & academic institutions. We kindly thank all participants from Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), hub.brussels, the Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Belgium for their participation in the successful #BEmissionIND! Embassy of Belgium in New Delhi | Didier Vanderhasselt | Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai | Frank Geerkens | Flanders Investment & Trade - India | Eva Verstraelen | Babette Desfossez | hub.brussels | Asia | Bart Vandeputte | Wallonia Trade and Investment (AWEX) - India | Emmanuelle Timmermans | Guillaume de Bassompierre   📷 © BELGA (Benoit Doppagne)

🇧🇪🇮🇳 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prévot and his team, the Embassy of Belgium in New Delhi, the Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai and the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency (BFTA) wish you all a wonderful #internationalwomensday ! 🚺 Not only today, but throughout the year Belgium is actively promoting women’s rights and gender equality. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e7X7YEZX #BEmissionIND | Ministry of Foreign Affairs Belgium | Belgian Foreign Trade Agency (BFTA) | Didier Vanderhasselt | Benjamin Bodson | Patrick Govaert | Zoë Van Landschoot | Rose Donck | Julie Derwa | Sophie Devos | Fabienne L'Hoost | Jenaisha Pereira | Lauryn De Craene | Emmanuelle Timmermans

#BEmissionIND 🇧🇪 🇮🇳 - 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟱: 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 - The 2nd day in Mumbai started with an important visit of the Proton Therapy Center at Tata Memorial Center ACTREC, the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer where about 8000 patients are treated every year.  The Belgian company IBA has several installations at this renowned hospital. ACTREC was founded in 1941 and has nowadays 11 hospitals in 7 states in India. Thanks to the financial support of the Indian Government about 60% of the patients are treated at no or very little costs. After a video presentation on the campus and the treatment of cancer, Dr Chaturvedi, Director at ATREC, and Mr Olivier Legrain, CEO of IBA took the floor. Afterwards, HRH Princess Astrid and the delegation went to Taloja, east of Mumbai, to visit the John Cockerill India site where 1000 people are currently working. The guests watched a film on the history of steel since 1817 when John Cockerill acquired the Castle of Seraing until today. Then participants were invited for a guided tour of the site focusing on kaizen and safety which is at the core of production at John Cockerill.  In the afternoon, HRH Princess Astrid attended 3 seminars at the Trident hotel on different topics such as: decarbonization and global hydrogen supply chains, the positive societal impact of companies, and green steel innovation. In the evening, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges hosted a fabulous Gala event at the Jio World Convention Centre called Excellence through Sangam. Prior to this Gala evening, the Consulate General in Mumbai organized a Ceremony of decoration of Commander of the Order of the Crown: HRH Princess Astrid decorated 2 personalities of the Mumbai scene: Ms Els Reynaers, Partner, Head Environment Department at M.V. Kini & Co., Advocates & Solicitors and Mr Harihar Subramanian, Managing Director at Colruyt Group India & Partner at Korys India. After this ceremony, dressed in a stunning embroidered red dress, HRH Princess Astrid entered the beautifully decorated Lotus ballroom under a shower of fresh red rose petals and was welcomed by Jacques Vandermeiren, the CEO of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. During the dinner, HRH Princess Astrid delivered her second speech of the mission and the famous magician Vivek Singhi invited the 600 guests to interactively participate to magic tricks with cards. This special evening was punctuated by several musical performances and ended with a Tomorrowland dance party!   Ministry of Foreign Affairs Belgium | Embassy of Belgium in New Delhi | Didier Vanderhasselt | Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai | Frank Geerkens | Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) | Flanders Investment & Trade - India | Eva Verstraelen | Babette Desfossez | hub.brussels | hub.brussels | Asia | Bart Vandeputte | Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX) | Wallonia Trade and Investment (AWEX) - India | Emmanuelle Timmermans | Guillaume de Bassompierre 📷 © BELGA (Benoit Doppagne)

What a great start of the final day of the Belgian Economic Mission to India! #BEMissionInd This morning in Mumbai, the #FEBVBO hosted the 'Success Stories Breakfast’. 8 Belgian entrepreneurs shared their success stories & ambitions in India. Key takeaway: Strong local partnerships are crucial for success. Under the Presidency of HRH Princess Astrid, this mission once again proved invaluable in fostering business ties and exploring new opportunities in India. 🙏 Thank you to HRH Princess Astrid, the Ministers, and all the partners for their commitment and support. Wishing all entrepreneurs continued success in India! 🚀

#BEmissionIND 🇧🇪 🇮🇳 - 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟰: 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 - The 4th day of the mission, the delegation woke up in the vibrant city of Mumbai. This first day in Mumbai started with a visit to Route Mobile Limited, an Indian leader in communication services acquired by Proximus in 2024, where HRH Princess Astrid and Ministers attended a tech Forum organised by hub.brussels.  Belgian and Indian start-up tech companies pitched new technologies which left the delegation in awe such as the parcel delivery by drones. The official and business delegation then visited the campus and the exclusive Business Executive Briefing Centre of Tata Consultancy Services, a global Indian enterprise which services several Belgian companies. The guided tour included the history of TCS since the very beginning with Jamshedji Tata, an Indian industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Tata Group, India's biggest conglomerate company, in 1868 until today.  Before departure, the whole delegation was welcomed for a lunch in the beautiful Orchid cottage together with TCS top executives. In the afternoon, the participants attended a seminar on Innovation in the health sector organized in the Auditorium of the Veermata Jijabai Udyan Botanical Garden and Zoo. HRH Princess Astrid showed great interest in the treatment of the sickle cell disease and asked many questions on its treatment and prevention to Dr Dipty Jain, Chairperson of the national Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission. Julien Isoard, the CEO of Synabs explained how proton therapy works and what the advantages are of this targeted therapy for the patients, especially for children.  In the evening, the delegation went to the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel located just in front of the Gateway of India where the signing of 14 agreements was celebrated. Directly after the ceremony, HRH Princess Astrid, the Ministers and businessmen investing in Maharashtra, met with the Honorable Chief Minister of the State of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis.   Ministry of Foreign Affairs Belgium | Embassy of Belgium in New Delhi | Didier Vanderhasselt | Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai | Frank Geerkens | Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) | Flanders Investment & Trade - India | Eva Verstraelen | Babette Desfossez | hub.brussels | hub.brussels | Asia | Bart Vandeputte | Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX) | Wallonia Trade and Investment (AWEX) - India | Emmanuelle Timmermans | Guillaume de Bassompierre   📷 © BELGA (Benoit Doppagne)

#BEmissionIND 🇧🇪 🇮🇳 - 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟯: 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟰 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 - The third day began at the Travancore Palace with a roundtable on the Defence Sector, attended by several representatives from the Indian Ministry of Defence and where HE Theo Francken, Minister of Defence, addressed the public while Colonel KV Kuber, Director Aerospace and Defence, EY, took the role of Master of Ceremony. Directly after the meeting with the Indian Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, HRH Princess Astrid and the Ministers met with Shri Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India. The meeting with HRH Princess Astrid and our Ministers took much longer than expected as Premier Modi listened carefully to explanations on the various sectors our country has to offer. Later, the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium (FEB) and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) hosted 70 distinguished guests at the Belgian Residence for the traditional Power Lunch. After lunch, the traditional Signing Ceremony took place in the garden. Indeed, the audience witnessed the exchange of 24 signed agreements, the first fruits harvested during this mission. At the end of this ceremony, all the signing parties were invited for a group photo with HRH Princess Astrid and the Belgian ministers. In the afternoon, the delegation went to the Prime Minister’s Museum & Library to celebrate the successful collaboration with India in Astronomy and Astrophysics.  At their arrival, HRH Princess Astrid and HE Maxime Prévot, were traditionally welcomed by the Director and received a silk stole. Renowned Belgian professors in astrophysics and astronomy presented the different Belgian telescopes installed in the Indian mountains and the audience could witness a real-life liquid mirror telescope experiment. In the evening, the delegation took a flight to Mumbai, the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial capital of the country. It is the most populous city of India with an estimated population of 12.5 million. At their arrival at the hotel, participants were welcomed with the traditional tika and garland.   Ministry of Foreign Affairs Belgium | Embassy of Belgium in New Delhi | Didier Vanderhasselt | Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai | Frank Geerkens | Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) | Flanders Investment & Trade - India | Eva Verstraelen | Babette Desfossez | hub.brussels | hub.brussels | Asia | Bart Vandeputte | Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX) | Wallonia Trade and Investment (AWEX) - India | Emmanuelle Timmermans | Guillaume de Bassompierre   📷 © BELGA (Benoit Doppagne)

#BEmissionIND - 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟮: 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟯 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 - The second day of #BEmissionIND 🇧🇪 🇮🇳 began with a seminar on Water & Waste Management Solutions for a Climate-Resilient World, organized by Flanders Investment & Trade at the historical Travancore Palace in New Delhi. The day included two significant official meetings: first, with HE Shri Rajnath Singh, the Minister of Defence, and second, with HE Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Minister for External Affairs, who graciously hosted an official lunch at the stunning Hyderabad House where several group photos were taken in the beautiful interior gardens in the 2 courtyards. In the afternoon, HE Theo Francken attended a “Wreath laying Ceremony” at the famous war memorial of the Gate of India where he commemorated the death of the Indian soldiers who fell in France and Flanders during World War I. During the same afternoon, three other important events took place at the Belgian Residence: a panel discussion on "Empowering Women to Lead," the virtual inauguration of Silox’s Research and Innovation Centre in Ekalbara, Vadodara, Gujarat, and, in the evening, the Belgian Official Reception. The Belgian Residence was in all its glory that evening, thanks to the incredible night lighting, HE Didier Vanderhasselt, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the Republic of India, welcomed the participants and HRH Princess Astrid, who made a stunning entrance to the sound of Indian percussions and surrounded by dancers from Rajasthan in traditional dress, and delivered a speech remembering her last mission to India in 2013, that will live long in the memory the audience of over 800 Belgian and Indian guests. The evening continued with a reception and a delicious buffet dinner in a jazzy atmosphere in the beautiful gardens of the Belgian Residence!   Ministry of Foreign Affairs Belgium | Embassy of Belgium in New Delhi | Didier Vanderhasselt | Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai | Frank Geerkens | Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) | Flanders Investment & Trade - India | Eva Verstraelen | Babette Desfossez | hub.brussels | hub.brussels | Asia | Bart Vandeputte | Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX) | Wallonia Trade and Investment (AWEX) - India | Emmanuelle Timmermans | Guillaume de Bassompierre   📷 © BELGA (Benoit Doppagne)

The Belgian delegation has arrived in New Delhi and is ready to do business in India! 🇧🇪 🇮🇳 #BEmissionIND - 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟭 - After two days of overcast skies, the sun finally made its appearance in New Delhi on the first day of the mission! In the morning, HRH Princess Astrid and the ministers met with HE Hervé Delphin, the Ambassador of the EU to India. Following this insightful meeting, HRH Princess Astrid, the ministers, and part of the delegation travelled to the Uttar Pradesh state to visit the Agristo Masa Production Facility. In the evening, Didier Vanderhasselt, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the Republic of India, warmly welcomed the 326 members of the delegation in the gardens of the iconic Belgian Residence for the traditional information session. The session was led by regional representatives Babette Desfossez, Trade & Investment Commissioner of Flanders Investment & Trade, Emmanuelle Timmermans, Trade & Investment Commissioner of AWEX Mumbai, and Bart Vandeputte, Economic Counselor at hub.brussels. They shared valuable business insights and tips for a successful Belgian mission in India. During the same evening, HRH Princess Astrid and the 3 ministers had the opportunity to meet with Shri Piyush Goyal, the Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry.   Ministry of Foreign Affairs Belgium | Embassy of Belgium in New Delhi | Didier Vanderhasselt | Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai | Frank Geerkens | Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) | Flanders Investment & Trade - India | Eva Verstraelen | Babette Desfossez | hub.brussels | hub.brussels | Asia | Bart Vandeputte | Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX) | Wallonia Trade and Investment (AWEX) - India | Emmanuelle Timmermans | Guillaume de Bassompierre   📷 © BELGA (Benoit Doppagne)