First industry mission to France

Under the leadership of the Minister-President, Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) and the four major industry federations (Agoria Flanders, essenscia Flanders, Fedustria, and Fevia Flanders) will travel to three French cities (Lyon, Paris, and Lille) from Tuesday, April 23rd to Thursday, April 25th. The aim of this mission is to strengthen the industrial ecosystems of both regions through strategic partnerships between governmental bodies, businesses and academic institutions. This is the first time that Flanders has ever undertaken such a specific industry mission.

This expertise mission on industry and innovation is the first concrete follow-up of the "Future Pact for Flemish Industry”, which the government of Flanders, together with the four largest industry associations, signed on March 23, 2024, at the very first Flemish Industry Summit on the sidelines of Flanders Technology & Innovation/FTI. This new festival brought together all stakeholders and the general public around technology and innovation, setting the future for Flanders. This 'future pact' also defines the priorities that Flanders emphasizes within the Belgian EU presidency.

The focus of the economic mission is on the leading role that Flanders and France play in industrial innovation. The aim of this mission is twofold. On the one hand, the mission aims to highlight the strengths of Flanders. On the other hand, it aims to exchange as many best practices as possible within the respective industry sectors, so that Flanders and France can strengthen each other as industrial partners. This is necessary to address today's economic challenges, such as the US Inflation Reduction Act, which threatens to keep investors away from the European market. The emphasis is on the industry of the future.

France is a logical choice in the search for strong new industrial partnerships. Not only is there geographical proximity to Flanders, but France is also one of the most important trading and investment partners for Flanders. France was Flanders' third trading partner in 2023, and in terms of investments in Flanders, France even held the second position, following the UK when looking at investment amounts (€1.34 billion, UK: €1.38 billion, partly due to the Ineos investment in 2023). France ranks ahead of Turkey (3), Switzerland (4), and the United States (5).

France plays a crucial role as a trading partner for Fevia Flanders, representing the Flemish food industry. The export figures for 2023 show that France is the second most important export destination for the Flemish food industry. France accounts for just under 19% of the total Flemish exports within this sector, totaling €7.25 billion. Only the Netherlands ranks higher in that list.

However, collaboration with France is equally vital for other industry associations, particularly essenscia, the federation representing the chemical industry and life sciences sector. An impressive 22% of the total Flemish exports to France are goods from the chemical and pharmaceutical sector. For chemicals, pharma and plastics, France is the third export destination, accounting for nearly 10% of the sector's total exports, amounting to €11.8 billion.

For Flemish export of goods in the technological sector, represented by Agoria, France ranks second among export destinations, with 12% in 2023, amounting to €13.2 billion.

France emerges as the leading export market for Fedustria sector (textiles, woodworking and furniture industries) with €3.7 billion in exports. This translates to a substantial 21.9% share of Flanders' global exports in these sectors.

These figures indicate that a notable portion of Flemish exports is directed towards our southern neighbor and partner, France. This highlights the importance of actively supporting this ecosystem through such missions.

The industry mission is not a typical B2B mission but consists of a three-day group program with visits to French innovation clusters for textiles and chemistry (Techtera and Axelera), to R&D centers of major multinationals with a strong presence in Flanders (Danone, Lesaffre) and to initiatives around circularity (Recyc'Elit, Decathlon). There will also be meetings with French players involved in significant cooperation projects with and in Flanders, linked to aviation and defense, Industry 4.0 and innovative solutions such as Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) for a more sustainable future.

Digitalization also features prominently on the agenda with high-level discussions between Minister-President and French Secretary of State Marina Ferrari.

During this industry mission, two MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding) will be signed (Lesaffre and Euratechnologies). This first MoU will be signed in the presence of the Flemish Minister-President and François Decoster, Vice President of the Hauts-de-France Region responsible for international relations. The first MoU concerns a cross-border project in the field of Health Tech.

The second MoU formalizes cooperation in the Flemish and Northern French startup ecosystem. This MoU will be concluded between Euratechnologies and six Flemish actors: Corda Campus, Limburg Startup, The Beacon, Leuven Mindgate, Wintercircus Gent and Hangar K.

Catalisti, the spearhead cluster for the chemical and plastics industry in Flanders, will sign a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the French chemistry cluster Axelera in the Lyon region, with the aim of fostering future collaborative innovation projects.

The strong Flemish delegation consists, in addition to the government of Flanders and FIT, of high-level representatives from the four industry associations and innovation clusters, as well as exemplary companies and startups excelling in industrial innovation, industrial transition and circular economy. In total, there are 41 companies and institutions and 50 people who are part of this Flemish delegation.

With this industry mission, France and Flanders reaffirm their close economic relationship. This is part of a larger package of efforts within European cooperation under the Belgian/Flemish EU presidency. Both parties, Flanders and France, are further committing to a sustainable ecosystem that shapes the industry of tomorrow with this mission.