Flanders’ provinces among EU’s most competitive regions
Flanders is doing extremely well in terms of regional competitiveness. The province of East Flanders, in particular, is strongly claiming its spot in the limelight. This is evident from the latest EU Regional Competitiveness Index in which East Flanders ranks tenth.
On the rise
Flanders’ provinces are performing increasingly well in the EU Regional Competitiveness Index. Since 2010, this study has analyzed the performance of 234 European regions (which generally overlap with provincial borders). The index is based on 64 parameters, from employment rate to proximity to universities and R&D investment.
In 2019, Antwerp was Flanders’ best-placed province in 17th place. In the latest calculation, based on figures from 2022, the province of Antwerp rose to place 12. Even more spectacular is the performance of East Flanders. This province ranked 21st in 2019 but rose to number 10 in the most recent ranking, jumping over Antwerp and becoming Flanders’ best performing province in the EU Regional Competitiveness Index.
Other provinces of Flanders also continue to rise in the ranking: Limburg rose from spot 24 to 20 while West Flanders moved up from place 40 to 25.
Clusters of excellence
The fact that Flanders’ provinces score so well in the ranking showcases the success of the growing innovation clusters around university cities such as Ghent and Leuven. The results also highlight the effect of strong investments in R&D and innovation across the entire region of Flanders as well as the advance of incubators, accelerators and startup hubs around numerous cities.
Reported by
newspaper De Standaard
