Belgian trade official to address post-Brexit exporting with Yorkshire businesses

The first Belgian trade official to visit Yorkshire since the prime minister of the Flanders region urged for a post-BREXIT trade deal with the UK is to speak in Leeds this month.

Ben De Smit, an economic and commercial counsellor at the Belgium Embassy in London, is set to speak at an export networking event headed by Chamber International at commercial law firm Addleshaw Goddard’s base in Sovereign Street on September 14.

His visit follows a statement from the prime minister of Belgian region Flanders, Geert Bourgeois, who said that Flanders wants a UK trade deal as part of creating a North Sea Union which would operate in a similar way to the Mediterranean Union and could also comprise Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, and Norway.

Ben De Smit has said that his visit, organised separately to Geert Bourgeois’ comments, will discuss opportunities for UK exporters in continental Europe, including how they can use the ‘Low Countries’, such as The Netherlands and Belgium, as a gateway to trade throughout the continent.

The second speaker will be network development director Wayne Morris, who works at global early payment network, URICA Ltd, London. Wayne will explain how exporting businesses can pay and get paid on their own terms ‘without risk’.

Financed by the government via the British Business Bank, URICA provides small businesses with a form of supply chain funding to support exporters without any need for debt, security or personal guarantees.

Tim Bailey, director of Chamber International, said: “Belgium is our eighth largest export market, it’s within easy reach, English is widely spoken, market entry barriers are low and it wants to do more business with the UK. This makes it a perfect market for firms looking to build sales outside the UK.

“URICA is a dynamic new Internet-based approach to getting paid for your exports that offers enormous benefits to business and we’re pleased to help raise their profile in the region.”

Chamber International assists chambers of commerce with a wide range of specialist international trade services and is also supporting Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) by delivering its We Are International export campaign, which aims to bring an extra £1.6bn to ten local authority areas and create thousands of new jobs in the next five years.

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