11 Zeebrugge, operated by Fluxys have signed a major contract which will see the State of Qatar use the full capacity of the terminal until the year 2044. This cooperation started since March 2007, when the two companies signed the first liquefied gas contract. Qatar is the third largest liquefied gas supplier to Belgium. Qatar is working to strengthen its position in the Belgian market through this cooperation that confirms the crucial part Belgium is playing in the distribution of Qatari LNG, as the main gateway to Northwest Europe. The energy relations between the two partners is becoming more crucial than ever, especially in the current situation, the Ukraine crisis and Europe’s energy crisis, and with regards to the role of Belgium as platform for transporting gas to the rest of the European countries that try to reduce their dependence on Russian gas. We are also happy to see the important number of Belgian companies operating in Qatar (about 40 Belgian companies are active in our country) in awide range of sectors such as clean water technology, offshore drilling, maritime and naval engineering, dredging, transportation and others involved in projects in the sectors of construction and renewable energy, health, pharmaceutical industry, electrical equipment, modern management and in the agricultural sector. Many Belgian companies managed also projects and participated directly and indirectly in the preparation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, based on Belgian great reputation in organizing sporting events. As mentioned before, Belgian companies can with their Qatari partners contribute effectively in achieving Qatar Vision 2030 especially in the field of services and clean water technology, construction, engineering, offshore drilling, renewable energy, transportation, health services, pharmaceut i ca l i ndus t ry , elect r i ca l equ i pmen t , mode r n managemen t technologies, in the agricultural sector, and many other sector of Belgian expertise. With regard to trade exchange, between 2017 and 2021, all commercial indicators rose significantly. In the first six months of 2022 Qatari exports to Belgium have reached 1.9 billion euros, an increase of 471.3%, the main exports were liquefied natural gas, petroleum products and metal products (91.8%), chemicals (4.1%) and plastics (3.7%). As for Qatari imports from Belgium, they amounted to 237.1 million euros, a slight increase of 12.1% compared to last year. Most of the imports were chemicals (55.3%), machinery and equipment (15.8%) and basic metals (5.3 %). The State of Qatar is the 68th customer and the 24th supplier for the first six months of this year. The trade volume remains at a solid 1 billion 6 million euros for the first six months of 2022. There are 1172 Belgian companies exporting to Qatar and 2591 companies interested by its market. At the European level , Qatar is the third-biggest client to Europe. Belgium represented 4.2% of European exports to the country, making it the sixth largest European exporter to Qatar. Regarding European imports from Qatar, they amounted to 3.6 billion euros in 2020. Belgium’s share represented 9.7% of European imports, ranking fifth among the EU Member States. 5. What about synergies between Luxembourg and Qatar and have you set any goals during your mandate, where do you see room for improvement? How could these be further enhanced in the future? We have emphasized Qatar-Belgian trade exchanges, but what about the Duchy of Luxembourg? The State of Qatar has built strong relations with the Duchy and thanks
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