Atouts du Pays de Liège Atouts du Pays de Liège ( Décembre 2005 ) Atouts Socio – Economiques et Redéploiement du Pays de Liège Module de Formation / Information : Atouts Socio – Economiques et Redéploiement du Pays de Liège " Ambassadeurs du Pays de Liège " & " Ambassadeurs du Pays de Liège " Séance : Etudiants Erasmus de HEMES : Gramme & Saint – Laurent Une Approche Positive !

Regional Key Competencies 2005 of the Liège Region Strengths of the Liège Region Economic Redeployment of the Liège area Importance of Communication and Image

Programme Philippe Chodé ‘Liège Demain’ and ‘GRE Liège’ ( Group for Economic Redeployment – Liège )  DVD « Welcome to the Liège Region »  The socio - economic strengths of Liège  The socio - economic strengths of Liège  Time for questions Regional Key Competencies 2005 Economic Redeployment of the Liège area Importance of communication and image

Mutation of the Liège Region 4 axes for Economic Redeployment :  Group « Companies»: - activities & new companies, - consolidation of existing companies  City planning & new destinations for existing sites  Culture & Tourism  Communication, image of the region, community & well-being Regional Key Competencies 2005 Economic Redeployment of the Liège area Importance of communication and image

Communication and Image Axis n° 4 In this presentation, we concentrate on Axis n° 4 « Redeployment is about innovation and creation; but most of all, it’s about capitalising your assets ! » This information/training document, called « Socio-economic strengths of Liège », was developed for the « Ambassadors of the Liège region » Regional Key Competencies 2005 Economic Redeployment of the Liège area Importance of communication and image

Ambassadors A positive approach, whithout denying the problems  A positive approach, whithout denying the problems Some negative observations:  Some negative observations:  Heavy, important restructuring  Lack of medium sized and large companies  Need for clustering, promote co-operation  « Entrepreneurial » initiative  Lack of private companies in the service sector  Unemployment rates and educational levels Regional Key Competencies 2005 Economic Redeployment of the Liège area Importance of communication and image

Strengths Positive observations :  Positive observations :   Geographical position: the 4 aces  Levels of productivity & quality of labour force  Industrial tradition  Quality of life & conviviality  Partial reconversion / R&D potential  « Plan Marshall de la Région Wallonne »  PARTNERSHIPS (GRE Liège)  City planning & urbanism - Available industrial sites - Telecommunication infrastructure - Infrastructure for cultural activities & sport

Location and accessibility

PopulationPopulation SurfaceSurface inhabitants (10% of Belgium) (33 % of Wallonia) km² (13% of Belgium) Province of Liège ExportExport million € (2001) decreasing  Greater Liège inhabitants 2nd exporting province

Skilled Labor Force

Labor force Province of Liège Labor Force  162 high schools  129 technical schools  35 institutions for higher education  1 University (University of Liège - ULG)  Skilled:  Productive: Among the highest percentages of productivity in the world

Multilinguism Province of Liège Labor Force  French: inhabitants  German: inhabitants  Province of Liège: 2 official languages  3 official languages (French, Dutch & German)  4 countries (Belgium, France, Netherlands & Germany)  inhabitants  Within 60 km/35 miles :

Province of Liège Labor Force Multilinguisme Wallonia French Wallonia French miles Flanders & Netherlands Dutch Flanders & Netherlands Dutch Germany German Germany German

 Quality of life Castle of Harzé Liege yacht harbor « Great local cooking » Old Thermal center of Spa

Sectors of Activity Well-developed, still growing sectors :  Well-developed, still growing sectors : Chemical industryMachinery Electrical equipment Construction Sectors with potential:  Sectors with potential: Space industryHigh Tech & Multimedia TransportBio-industries Farming and food productionMaterials Micro-TechnologyTourism, Culture, … Sustainable development & the Environment Regional Key Competencies 2005 Economic Redeployment of the Liège area Importance of communication and image

Infrastructure and equipments Province of Liège Strengths  Large and quick transportation network : Easily accessible via rail, road, river, air  Over 40 sites of economic activity situated on major communication axes  Multimodal transportation platform

SPATIAL INDUSTRY University of Liège Research & Development  Centre Spatial de LIEGE (CSL) = 1 of the 4 European Space Agency centres  AMOS  SAMTECH  SPACEBEL  IONIC SOFTWARE  COMGIS ……  WSL  OPTRION  LASEA  MICROMEGA DYNAMICS  OOFELIE

University of Liège Research & Development Around BIOLIEGE  EUROGENTEC  BIOCODE  PRO-BIOX  DYAX ... BIOTECHNOLOGIES

Province of Liège Experience in the Steel Industry A TRADITION IN STEEL AND MECHANICS A future in the fields of  Precision Mechanics - Micromechanics  SIMONIS PLASTIC  BRITTE  Fine Steel Works  AMTB  Special steel: e.g. galvanised  EUROGAL  Micro-electronics  BEA  CE+T

Province of Liège VERVIERS - EUPEN - St VITH  DISTRIBUTION CENTRES The most dynamic region goes international ! Most important transport companies:  GHEMAR  FABRY  Jean HECK  GALLIKER ...

Province of Liège VERVIERS - EUPEN - St VITH  FOOD  In the regions of AUBEL and HERVE  Cheese  Liège Sirup (MEURENS)  DETRY - GHL  Cider - Water  GABRIEL / JACQUES -GALLER  NMC (GPWE 2002)  KABELWERK EUPEN  Two 100% BELGIAN GIANTS

To reinforce / consolidate:  applied research and industrial transposition: Certificates, potential for innovation, structural funds, …  «Entrepreneurship»: Financing, Guidance & assistance (Seed, Wallonie Entreprendre)  Strategic vision: a pro active approach (Liège 2020, GRE)  Partnerships, «clusters», networks Regional Key Competencies 2005 Economic Redeployment of the Liège area Importance of communication and image

Teaching & Research Université of Liège Research & Development  University of Liège  researchers and professors  22 centres of excellence  students  53 spin-offs  1 science parc

Competetive strengths  Conditions : Coherent & clear Vision, Partnerships Characteristics of the region, Mobilisation Industrial Past Human Resources Stock and capital  Have to be reinforced: Productive structure Innovation & Accessibility Level of labour force (education) Social capital: Innovation, Information & communication Technology, … Marketing, financial tools, struggle against pollution, Training & Education

As of 01/01/ businesses

A remarkable case  European Centre of Distribution: High technology Use of foreign languages Lower unemployment rates  Conditions for expansion: Availability of the Liège Airport Available building sites, Investment Noise of the airplanes Infrastructure for communication Vocational training in transport Language skills Regional Key Competencies 2005 Economic Redeployment of the Liège area Importance of communication and image

International economy  Euregio Meuse / Rhin  Geographical situation  Percentage of exported goods  2nd largest fluvial Port in Europe  Exchange programmes for students  AWEX: Walloon Export Agency / Office for Foreign Investors  High Speed Train Connection  Airport  “City of Media” : Culture / Patrimony / Tourism  Transnational Groups (multinationals)  Sports ( Spa – Francorchamps, … )  Multicultural metropolis Regional Key Competencies 2005 Economic Redeployment of the Liège area Importance of communication and image

International economy  Research centers  Technopolis: SpatiopôleElectropôle Mosatech Micro – technologies NanotechnologiesSciences du Vivant Giga & Bioliège Cluster Nutrition Pôle Matériaux & Pôle MétalAgrobiopôle Cluster AutomobileSports Moteurs Pôle Transports & Logistique EnvironmentAquapôle …

 Access by air Province of Liège Transport Liège Airport Within the Top 10 of european airfreight airports

One of the top three river ports in Europe Le port autonome de Liège

Province of Liège Transport  Access by railway : TGV (high-speed)Londres-Paris-Bruxelles-Berlin

Future train station of Liege

Province of Liège Transport  Access via the road Seven highways intersect in Liège

 Logistic infrastructures Multimodal platforms

Liège is more than a 1000 years old ! Province of Liège Quality of Life  Museums  Royal Opera of Wallonia  Philharmonic orchestra of Liège  Theatres  Gastronomie  Liège, a cultural city  Leisure zones  Castles and abbayes  Sports  Lovely Villages and alleys  Differents landscapes

Architecture et folklore Province of Liège Quality of Life

Formula 1 :Grand Prix de Belgique Province of Liège Quality of Life

Character Harmony Art de Vivre...

Regional Key Competencies 2005 Economic Redeployment of the Liège area Importance of communication and image

Websites and contacts : BREL, Province of Liège And for the Ambassadors : BREL, Province of Liège BREL Telephone BREL : / Fax: / Regional Key Competencies 2005 Economic Redeployment of the Liège area Importance of communication and image

With the Support of : AWEX / OFI Liège SPI + PROVINCE of LIEGE Regional Key Competencies 2005 Economic Redeployment of the Liège area Importance of communication and image