David Clarinval, Minister for the Economy, and Eléonore Simonet, Minister for the Middle Classes, Self-Employed and SMEs, present two initiatives designed to strengthen information for Belgian companies active on the American market: access to information on customs duties and a new tool for monitoring trade between the two countries. These 2 initiatives are available on the website of the FPS Economy.
The United States remains a major strategic economic partner for Belgium and for the European Union. It ranks 4th among Belgium's trading partners, both for exports and imports.
That is why it is essential to closely monitor the evolution of American trade policy, even though it sometimes remains difficult to anticipate due to the multitude of instruments used and the frequent shifts in the American administration's position.
Informing and supporting businesses in the face of high regulatory volatility
In this context marked by high regulatory volatility, the Government continues its efforts to inform and support businesses. That is why it is now making all information on these transatlantic trade exchanges available on the website of the FPS Economy. The aim is to provide businesses with information that is as objective, up to date and operational as possible, to support their ability to adapt on the American market. The website includes in particular the European Access2Markets tool, which allows checking the customs duty applicable to a given product.
A monitoring tool
At the same time, the FPS Economy is also developing a monitoring system designed to continuously track the evolution of American trade policy and its potential impact on Belgian businesses.
This tool makes it possible to:
- take stock of the customs duties applied between Belgium and the United States and understand their impact;
- provide a quick overview of trade relations between Belgium and the United States, by tracking the evolution of exports, imports and the trade balance;
- identify at a glance the sectors and products most affected, both upward and downward.
From this first report, the following findings can be drawn:
EXPORTS
- The 2025 data highlight a year-on-year decline in export value for most sectors, including pharmaceuticals (-3.9%), automotive (-22%) and base metals such as steel, iron, copper and aluminium (-30.3%). Some sectors, however, see their exports rise in 2025, such as the chemical industry and food industries, but not sufficiently to offset the declines in other sectors.
- Belgian exports to the United States decline in 2025, amid geopolitical and trade tensions, but this also confirms a downward trend observed for several years. Alongside the pharmaceutical sector, which was almost entirely excluded from the additional customs duties, the sectors subject to high surtariffs, such as base metals and the automotive sector, are also the sectors that saw a significant decline in their exports to the United States.
IMPORTS
- The rise in import value observed in 2025 mainly comes from the pharmaceutical sector (+62.4%), base metals (+72%) and agriculture (+67.8%), but also masks some declines, such as in the chemical industry, cars and machinery.
CONCLUSION
- In 2025, Belgium still recorded a trade surplus with the United States, despite the decline in exports and the rise in imports.
- The pharmaceutical sector remains central, but shows signs of decline in exports, while imports of this sector from the United States have risen sharply, altering the sectoral balance of trade, even though the products traded may differ.
- Finally, part of the decline in trade fits into a global dynamic. Indeed, the declines observed in Belgian exports to the United States are not always specific to this market, as they are also declining towards the rest of the world.
Here is the link to the full monitoring report, which will be updated every 6 months:
Monitoring of trade between Belgium and the United States of America - Spring 2026 | FPS Economy
A valuable tool for businesses and SMEs
These initiatives form part of the implementation of measure 40 of the SME Plan, jointly carried by the Minister for SMEs and the Minister for the Economy. They illustrate the Government's determination to coordinate actions in favour of businesses, in order to provide them with reliable and up-to-date information on developments in international trade.
Implementation of this measure relies on close cooperation between the competent departments of the FPS Economy, in particular the Directorate-General for SME Policy and the Directorate-General for Economic Analyses and International Economy, driven by the two Ministers concerned.
These tools thus constitute valuable resources for Belgian businesses and SMEs that need to assess whether it is worthwhile to start or maintain their exports to the United States.
David Clarinval, Minister for the Economy: "The United States and Belgium have always maintained excellent transatlantic and trade relations. Today, these are evolving in a context marked by strategic and economic divergences that generate greater uncertainty. What I want above all is an open market, where competition is fair and the rules of the game are equitable.
Our companies need visibility to make their investment, export and development decisions in the United States. While we cannot control the unilateral decisions taken by the American administration, it is our responsibility to support our companies as best as possible with tools of this kind that offer economic data, analyses and up-to-date information on customs duties."
Eléonore Simonet, Minister for the Middle Classes, Self-Employed and SMEs: "Clear, objective and centralised information on the evolution of customs tariffs allows our SMEs and self-employed to assess both risks and opportunities, and thus be better protected against volatile trade policies. That is the whole point of our action: giving our businesses the means to freely choose their partners and strengthen their resilience."
"The Government is making objective and up-to-date information on the evolution of the tariff situation available centrally and publicly, so as to allow Belgian businesses to assess their risks and their capacity to cope with the American market."