Welvaartscreatie in het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest: een perspectief over 20 jaar in België

This study quantifies the economic importance of the Brussels-Capital Region (BCR) and its wider metropolitan area within the Belgian economy. Brussels – broadly defined – remains by far the country's leading economic hub. However, since 2003, growth in economic activity has been weaker in BCR than in its surrounding areas and the rest of the country. There are two reasons for this: on the one hand, BCR is heavily exposed to declining economic sectors; and on the other, it has experienced weaker growth in expanding sectors, particularly in market services. The activities which underpin economic growth in BCR are primarily linked to political and economic command functions: public administration, corporate management, financial services, etc. This specialisation highlights the complementarities and interdependencies between BCR and the rest of the country. By contrast, the economic structure of the outskirts of the Brussels metropolitan area resembles that of the rest of the country, specialising in goods production, transport and logistics, and market services.