The Walloon Government has approved the strategic vision drawn up for La Louvière and the Centre region. This decision precedes the visit of His Majesty the King to La Louvière on Tuesday 22 September and the planned signing of a memorandum of understanding with the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Launched at the end of 2024 on royal initiative, this process grew out of work carried out with entrepreneurs and local stakeholders. It aims to better connect existing projects and develop them around a shared ambition: boosting employment and activity in the Centre region by working on the circular economy, reindustrialisation, health, training and improving quality of life.
To steer the next steps, the Government has appointed Damien de Dorlodot as “Delegated Commissioner for the revival of La Louvière and the Centre region”. He will chair the Executive Committee responsible for deepening the strategic vision and turning it into concrete projects.
“This work grew out of what's happening on the ground. The Government is now providing a framework to move from vision to projects. We will examine those that fall within our competences and we will be able to support them when they meet the criteria of the regional schemes,” said Minister-President Adrien Dolimont.
The Government has also tasked the Minister-President with formalising a memorandum of understanding with the EIB. This is meant to frame their cooperation on projects that could potentially be supported by the European institution, without prejudging any funding decision. This MoU will be signed at the close of the round table in the presence of His Majesty the King.
The next step will be to define the projects, their timeline and their funding needs. The Executive Committee will work with local stakeholders and relevant operators to identify which ones can move forward as a priority.
Practical information for the visit of His Majesty the King on Tuesday 22 September:
Château Boël: Press meeting point: 11:20am, rue Tout-Y-Faut, La Louvière (next to the lift at Rue Tout-y-Faut 168).
- 11:50am: Arrival of the King at Château Boël
- 12:00pm: Presentation of 7 industrial projects
- 12:40pm: Round table (a few minutes at the start)
- 1:40pm: Signing of the MoU
- 1:45pm: End of press opportunities
For press accreditation, registrations must be made by midday today via this form.