Belgium - Safety and SecurityBelgium - Safety and Security
Overview
Belgium ranks 19th for Safety in the Global Peace Index, the presence of several international organizations and embassies has increased the demand for sophisticated security equipment and guarding services. Interest has also risen due to recent terrorist attacks and the inflow of refugees from the Middle East, which have increased security awareness. A strong emphasis has been placed on counter-terrorism, homeland security, transportation, and critical infrastructure protection.
The Belgian market for security equipment is largely an import market, where approximately 90% of the equipment is imported from neighboring countries. Only very special and customized products and safety apparel are manufactured locally. Direct sales are still the main channel for products that require consulting, although E-trade is getting foothold. With the strong industry clusters such as petro-chemicals, food, the building and construction industry and pharmaceutical research centers, the Belgian market for safety equipment and safety apparel can be seen as a strong relatively mature market worth $ 450 million.
Belgian authorities developed an extensive legislative framework on workplace safety, mainly in order to protect workers and employees from safety risks. This legislation is bundled in the general regulations on labor protection, the so called “A.R.A.B.” Belgium also applied EU Directive 89/686 on personal protective equipment. Very recently this directive has been followed with the enactment 2016/425 which adapts the existing regulation to the current market situation. In terms of security, the law from January 13, 2014, defines the scope of the market for security firms. The installation and use of camera systems for policing are strictly regulated by the law on cameras published on March 21, 2007, all other systems fallow the regulation of the Belgian and European privacy law.
The introduction of electronics such as active RFID chips, body and surrounding monitoring sensors in apparel, robotic equipment such as drones and improved communication tools will support growth in this sector. There will be an increased attention towards safety and health protection of workers through adapted personal protective gear in which evolutions such as antibacterial, self-repairing and lighter products in which the use of very specialized fibers and technologies will give a competitive advantage. Other distinctive selling proposition will be linked to durability, used “clean” energy sources and the cradle-to-cradle philosophy.
The market for electronic detection systems, such as fire detection, camera monitoring, burglary prevention and access control are considered as growing. A stronger interest is noticed for technology that can facilitate the task of security service providers. The increased attention to terrorism seems to be a catalyst for growth for high tech security equipment and installation services. Since the regulation on drones took effect there is a noticeable and increased interest in the use of UAV within security environment but also in anti-UAV’s equipment and detection devices.
Leading Sub-Sectors
Products in the HS categories 9027 and 852190 are considered best prospects for export to Belgium. Over the years there is a substantial increase in camera monitoring systems installed in Belgium. A large part of the security related equipment is U.S. Export.
* HS codes included: 852190 Other Video Recording or Reproducing Apparatus; 854370 Electrical Machines And Apparatus, Having Individual Functions; 8531. Electric sound or visual signaling apparatus, pts; 9006 Cameras used for divers purposes; 9027. Instruments etc. for physical etc. analysis etc., microtome, pts; 9105 Clocks, with clock movements other than instrument panel etc..
Sources: Global Trade Atlas, CBPL Year review 2015
Opportunities
The introduction of electronics such as active RFID chips; body and surrounding monitoring sensors in apparel; robotic equipment such as drones; and improved communication tools will support growth in this sector. There will be an increased attention towards safety and health protection of workers through adapted personal protective gear in which features such as antibacterial, self-repairing and lighter products in which the use of very specialized fibers and technologies will give a competitive advantage. Another distinctive selling proposition will be linked to durability, using “clean” energy sources.
The market for electronic detection systems, such as fire detection, camera monitoring, burglary prevention and access control are growing. There is growing interest in technology that can facilitate the task of security service providers. The increased attention to terrorism is a catalyst for the growth of high tech security equipment and installation services. Since the regulation of drones took effect there is a noticeable and increased interest in the use of UAVs within security environments but also in anti-UAV equipment and detection devices.
The Belgian authorities plan to invest €110 million in order to digitalize police operations. The budget will be used for “enterprise cloud solutions” (improving communication sharing between different services); for “artificial search intelligence” (searching tools for criminal patterns in data); and “automated follow-up and alarming systems” which would warn users when new relevant data is available.
Web Resources
Infosecurity.be /Brussels Expo
Location: Brussels Expo – Trade Show and Seminars on IT Security
Date: March, 2020
URL: https://www.infosecurity.be/
Description: With 130 exhibitors, 4500 visitors this trade fair offers ICT professionals an overview of the latest IT security technologies, products and services.
INFOPOL 2021
Location: Kortrijk
Date: April, 2021
URL: http://www.infopol-xpo112.be/
Description: International biannual trade fair for the equipment for police, surveillance and security services.
Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.
Belgium ranks 19th for Safety in the Global Peace Index, the presence of several international organizations and embassies has increased the demand for sophisticated security equipment and guarding services. Interest has also risen due to recent terrorist attacks and the inflow of refugees from the Middle East, which have increased security awareness. A strong emphasis has been placed on counter-terrorism, homeland security, transportation, and critical infrastructure protection.
The Belgian market for security equipment is largely an import market, where approximately 90% of the equipment is imported from neighboring countries. Only very special and customized products and safety apparel are manufactured locally. Direct sales are still the main channel for products that require consulting, although E-trade is getting foothold. With the strong industry clusters such as petro-chemicals, food, the building and construction industry and pharmaceutical research centers, the Belgian market for safety equipment and safety apparel can be seen as a strong relatively mature market worth $ 450 million.
Belgian authorities developed an extensive legislative framework on workplace safety, mainly in order to protect workers and employees from safety risks. This legislation is bundled in the general regulations on labor protection, the so called “A.R.A.B.” Belgium also applied EU Directive 89/686 on personal protective equipment. Very recently this directive has been followed with the enactment 2016/425 which adapts the existing regulation to the current market situation. In terms of security, the law from January 13, 2014, defines the scope of the market for security firms. The installation and use of camera systems for policing are strictly regulated by the law on cameras published on March 21, 2007, all other systems fallow the regulation of the Belgian and European privacy law.
The introduction of electronics such as active RFID chips, body and surrounding monitoring sensors in apparel, robotic equipment such as drones and improved communication tools will support growth in this sector. There will be an increased attention towards safety and health protection of workers through adapted personal protective gear in which evolutions such as antibacterial, self-repairing and lighter products in which the use of very specialized fibers and technologies will give a competitive advantage. Other distinctive selling proposition will be linked to durability, used “clean” energy sources and the cradle-to-cradle philosophy.
The market for electronic detection systems, such as fire detection, camera monitoring, burglary prevention and access control are considered as growing. A stronger interest is noticed for technology that can facilitate the task of security service providers. The increased attention to terrorism seems to be a catalyst for growth for high tech security equipment and installation services. Since the regulation on drones took effect there is a noticeable and increased interest in the use of UAV within security environment but also in anti-UAV’s equipment and detection devices.
Leading Sub-Sectors
Products in the HS categories 9027 and 852190 are considered best prospects for export to Belgium. Over the years there is a substantial increase in camera monitoring systems installed in Belgium. A large part of the security related equipment is U.S. Export.
| Registered Security Cameras in Belgium | ||||
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 (est) |
| 259,850 | 287,236 | 319,186 | 357,489 | 393,238 |
| U.S. Export ($ 000) to Belgium of security equipment related materials* | ||||
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* |
| 288,115 | 276,579 | 261,602 | 277,298 | 288,390 |
Sources: Global Trade Atlas, CBPL Year review 2015
Opportunities
The introduction of electronics such as active RFID chips; body and surrounding monitoring sensors in apparel; robotic equipment such as drones; and improved communication tools will support growth in this sector. There will be an increased attention towards safety and health protection of workers through adapted personal protective gear in which features such as antibacterial, self-repairing and lighter products in which the use of very specialized fibers and technologies will give a competitive advantage. Another distinctive selling proposition will be linked to durability, using “clean” energy sources.
The market for electronic detection systems, such as fire detection, camera monitoring, burglary prevention and access control are growing. There is growing interest in technology that can facilitate the task of security service providers. The increased attention to terrorism is a catalyst for the growth of high tech security equipment and installation services. Since the regulation of drones took effect there is a noticeable and increased interest in the use of UAVs within security environments but also in anti-UAV equipment and detection devices.
The Belgian authorities plan to invest €110 million in order to digitalize police operations. The budget will be used for “enterprise cloud solutions” (improving communication sharing between different services); for “artificial search intelligence” (searching tools for criminal patterns in data); and “automated follow-up and alarming systems” which would warn users when new relevant data is available.
Web Resources
Infosecurity.be /Brussels Expo
Location: Brussels Expo – Trade Show and Seminars on IT Security
Date: March, 2020
URL: https://www.infosecurity.be/
Description: With 130 exhibitors, 4500 visitors this trade fair offers ICT professionals an overview of the latest IT security technologies, products and services.
INFOPOL 2021
Location: Kortrijk
Date: April, 2021
URL: http://www.infopol-xpo112.be/
Description: International biannual trade fair for the equipment for police, surveillance and security services.
Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.