The Consulate General of Belgium has engaged CooperKatz & Company to conduct a comprehensive study to determine the best ways to raise Belgium’s economic profile in the U.S.

The engagement will assess the country’s current image, unique benefits and competitive position as a convenient, cost-effective venue for U.S. companies considering establishing or expanding a base of operations abroad. Belgium is a key producer of high quality chocolate, textile, diamonds and beer, but is less well-known for its automotive industry or as a leader in medical technology, life sciences, pharmaceutical research and other fields.

“We selected CooperKatz because of their substantial experience in communicating to U.S. companies the advantages of investing in international countries,” said Mrs. Renilde Loeckx-Drozdiak, Consul General of Belgium in New York. “We were particularly impressed with the firm’s work for Invest Northern Ireland.”

“Belgium has many qualities of high interest to U.S. companies,” said Ralph Katz, Principal, CooperKatz. “Among them are its geographic proximity to key European markets; its ideal positioning – as the headquarters of the EU and NATO – for political/government/economic relations efforts; and its attractive tax and innovation policies.”