When a country holds the world record for the number of days taken to form a democratic government, you know it’s a country like no other.
And Belgium really is unique. With one king, one prime minister, three languages, three regions, three communities, six governments, ten provinces and 581 municipalities... that’s a lot of administrative mazes to negotiate!
So if you’re a company planning to operate in Belgium, you’re obviously going to need help navigating the many layers of this multi-administration lasagne.
But what about the opposite situation? What happens when Belgian enterprises want to work with the rest of the world and they suddenly find themselves confronted with situations where there aren’t manifold layers of administration to deal with, or where the corporate or country cultures are very different from their own necessarily pragmatic and flexible ways of working?
We take a look at the stumbling blocks to establishing a corporate presence in Belgium, how Belgian companies sometimes go wrong when they venture beyond the borders of their own country – and where you can find help to navigate the complex waters of international trade with and from this unique territory.
Know thyself
Whether you’re a company hoping to gain a foothold in Belgium, or a Belgian firm looking further afield, the first thing you should do before plunging into contracts and agreements is to examine your own working practices and cultural norms. Only then can you begin to understand the differences between your behaviours and those you’ll encounter in your new market.
Do you have a company code of conduct or diversity targets? Are you living by the code you’ve drawn up, and achieving your diversity targets? If you’re trying to establish your business in Belgium, you’ll need to do both of these things. Meanwhile, what happens if you’re a Belgian corporation setting up a subsidiary in Dubai? What does that mean for your diversity policy and Western company culture?
Never assume
We all know what assumptions make, and when you’re venturing into new territory it’s particularly important not to assume that the way you’ve always done things is going to be equally effective. It can also be easy to conflate knowing something about one country or cultural identity with knowing something about another.
Examples of this include equating Arab with Muslim, or even assuming that all parts of the “Arab World” work in the same way – or that every Asian country’s New Year falls on the same date. Meanwhile, those encountering Belgium for the first time are often surprised to discover that not all Belgians speak the same language, or that for a company wanting to work with the Flemish market, it might make more sense to register a company in Flanders rather than in Brussels.
See the positives
But as well as pitfalls to watch out for, there are many gains to be made from adapting to the cultural practices in your new target market. Business and economics are essentially about human relationships and intercultural communication. So if you get those right, you’re well on your way to achieving better business!
And while you may be considering establishing your company in Belgium for the excellent connections with the rest of Europe, dealing with Belgian administrative infrastructure can be complex. But it also brings less well-known benefits in terms of a workforce with a productive, problem-solving approach.
Well hello there!
Beci’s Hello World and Hello Brussels events offer guidance for individuals and companies on both sides of the cultural divide – whether Belgian enterprises taking the step out into the wider world or international companies discovering the complexities of Belgian governance for the first time.
These events include workshops, bilateral meetings, sessions on geopolitical trends or regulations and a range of seminars and panel discussions.
The panel for discussing a particular topic might include Belgians with international experience, long-term immigrants to Belgium and subject experts in the country only for a brief stay – all providing their own slant on the discussion.
And on the Hello World side, Beci organises country and region-specific events to help Belgian businesses understand their new operating context.
Tailored information sessions
Beci can also help businesses or delegations wanting a more customised introduction to doing business in Belgium. Ekaterina Clifford, one of Beci’s International Community Managers, explains that these entities often visit the country for a short period, with their own fully-packed agenda of meetings. By preceding this schedule with an initial lecture highlighting the cultural differences to watch out for, the rest of their visit becomes more effective.
One thing that Ekaterina, herself an immigrant to Belgium, always does is to check the information she provides to businesses with her Belgian colleagues. Sometimes even they are surprised at how their country functions!
Sources of advice
"There’s no such thing as too much advice when it comes to establishing a business in any new country. The types of company, regulations, taxation rules etc. vary from one country to another, so it’s essential to take on board as much information as possible before embarking on what could be a costly course of action." Ekaterina Clifford
To set up a business in Belgium, the first step is to register the company with a guichet d’entreprise, such as Beci’s trusted partner Partena Professional, which covers the whole country. Region-specific agencies also provide general advice: Hub.brussels, Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT) or Wallonia Export and Investment Agency (AWEX).
And if you want to start your business in Brussels, Beci can offer guidance, referrals to the right partners and useful events. Beci members also have access to more in-depth advisory services and matchmaking – and above all to networking and the Beci community, which are vital to new arrivals.
For information on future Hello World and Hello Brussels events, or to arrange your own customised introduction to Belgium, contact Ekaterina Clifford or Jean-Philippe Mergen at international@beci.be.