Risks That Matter 2018 Country Highlights: Belgium

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, will be in Brussels on 8 July 2019 to attend the EU Employment and Social Policy Council meeting, where he will present the OECD report on the Economy of Well-Being.

This country note explains how Belgium taxes energy use. The note shows the distribution of effective energy tax rates across all domestic energy use. It also details the country-specific assumptions made when calculating effective energy tax rates and matching tax rates to the corresponding energy base.

The tax-to-GDP ratio in Belgium increased by 0.3 percentage points from 44.5% in 2017 to 44.8% in 2018. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was a slight increase of 0.1 percentage point from 34.2% to 34.3% over the same period.

The Secretary-General of the OECD, Mr. Angel Gurría, will be in Brussels on 3 February 2020 to present the 2020 OECD Economic Survey of Belgium, alongside Ms. Sophie Wilmès, Prime Minister of Belgium.

Belgium’s tax, labour, pension and education reforms have improved the potential for stronger, sustainable and inclusive growth over the long term. Keeping up this momentum on structural reforms is key to energise the economy and keep it resilient to external risks and uncertainties, according to a new OECD report.

This note presents selected findings based on the set of well-being indicators published in How's Life? 2020.

The tax wedge for the average single worker in Belgium decreased by 0.5 percentage points from 52.7 in 2018 to 52.2 in 2019. The OECD average tax wedge in 2019 was 36.0 (2018, 36.1). In 2019 Belgium had the highest tax wedge among the 36 OECD member countries, occupying the same position in 2018.

Electricity Production in Mali decreased to 453.86 Gigawatt-hour in August from 539.23 Gigawatt-hour in May of 2016. Electricity Production in Mali averaged 260.60 Gigawatt-hour from 2000 until 2016, reaching an all time high of 539.23 Gigawatt-hour in May of 2016 and a record low of 110.49 Gigawatt-hour in February of 2000. This page provides - Mali Electricity Production- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Exports to Ireland in Turkey decreased to 42031.14 USD THO in March from 49347.75 USD THO in February of 2020. Exports to Ireland in Turkey averaged 45940.94 USD THO from 2014 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 162400.21 USD THO in November of 2018 and a record low of 1024 USD THO in April of 2014. This page includes a chart with historical data for Turkey Exports to Ireland.

Exports to Israel in Turkey increased to 389.46 USD Million in March from 375.65 USD Million in February of 2020. Exports to Israel in Turkey averaged 286.23 USD Million from 2014 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 453.15 USD Million in March of 2019 and a record low of 175.77 USD Million in January of 2015. This page includes a chart with historical data for Turkey Exports to Israel.

Exports to Belgium in Turkey decreased to 262.34 USD Million in March from 312.17 USD Million in February of 2020. Exports to Belgium in Turkey averaged 257.43 USD Million from 2014 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 406.07 USD Million in November of 2018 and a record low of 172.07 USD Million in July of 2016. This page includes a chart with historical data for Turkey Exports to Belgium.

Imports from Israel in Turkey increased to 130840.11 USD THO in March from 119346.78 USD THO in February of 2020. Imports from Israel in Turkey averaged 145487.95 USD THO from 2014 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 310542 USD THO in May of 2014 and a record low of 88632.64 USD THO in March of 2016. This page includes a chart with historical data for Turkey Imports from Israel.

Imports from Ireland in Turkey increased to 85762.05 USD THO in March from 76637.94 USD THO in February of 2020. Imports from Ireland in Turkey averaged 73214.44 USD THO from 2014 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 126012 USD THO in December of 2015 and a record low of 47429.32 USD THO in January of 2016. This page includes a chart with historical data for Turkey Imports from Ireland.

This note is taken from Chapter 2 of Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2011.

This note is taken from Chapter 2 of Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2011.

This note is taken from Chapter 2 of Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2011.

The Irish economy still faces tough challenges as the country exits from a deep recession and banking crisis, but its long-term prospects now appear better than many of the other hard hit European countries, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Survey of Ireland.

OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría has welcomed the measures adopted by the Italian government to address fiscal sustainability while boosting growth and equity.

This note is taken from Chapter 2 of Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2012.

This note is taken from Chapter 2 of Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2012.

This note is taken from Chapter 2 of Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2012.

This note is taken from Chapter 2 of Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2012.

The tertiary education system in Canada performs well in fostering a skilled workforce with generally good labour market outcomes and is internationally recognised for its research contributions.

OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría welcomes the Spanish government's budget and the economic policy measures announced yesterday.

Micro, small and medium-sized firms (MSMEs) are a key source of employment and economic growth in Indonesia. They contributed to the country’s economic resilience during the 2008-09 financial crisis.

A major step forward towards putting the measurement of well-being at the heart of policy-making was taken at a four-day international conference which ended in New Delhi today.

Restoring competitiveness is one of the key challenges to bring European economies back on a path of strong, sustainable and balanced growth. Europe could improve its growth prospects by implementing a strategic reform agenda with a broad range of policy reforms to increase productivity, dynamism and employment.

The Secretary-General presents the OECD’s views on “new approaches to economic development” at the 4th Annual Global Perspectives Conference, one of the most important gatherings of Civil Society Organisations.

Palabras de Angel Gurría,Secretario General OCDE, Lanzamiento del Informe Perspectivas Económicas de América Latina 2013: Transformación de la Estructura Productiva y Papel de las PYMES en el Desarrollo Regional

This paper uses household level data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) over the period 1991 to 2008 to analyse the driving factors of movements in the German household savings rate.

The global crisis led to a smaller increase in the unemployment rate than in most other OECD countries as employment has been sustained through intensive use of reduced working time schemes.

This paper discusses the pros and cons of a single labour contract. After reviewing the current state of dualism in labour markets and the recent labour reforms in Europe, we discuss the various proposals to eliminate dualism.

OECD’s PISA publications highlight the impact of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) on students’ results within countries. The focus here is to investigate whether ESCS measures could contribute to differences in aggregate educational outcomes between countries.

In his speech to OECD Ambassadors, the President of Iceland discussed how Iceland could offer lessons on the nature of a clean energy economy; and presented some insights from Iceland's recent challenges in dealing with the financial crisis.

Instead of resorting to trade measures such as export restrictions, Chile manages its minerals sector through a combination of balanced taxation, stable investment measures, good management of tax revenue, exchange rate policy and initiatives aimed at producing a multiplier effect of economy-wide development, according to this study.

Employment has risen by more and unemployment has risen less than expected, given the path of output. Nevertheless, long-term and youth unemployment and involuntary part-time work are high. A polarised labour market risks worsening income inequality, which is high by OECD standards, despite a recent and likely temporary decline.

This paper provides both descriptive and empirical evidence about the main youth labour market problems in Spain. Using the experiences of other EU economies as a benchmark, we document the performance of Spain as regards a wide set of youth labour market dimensions.

Today the OECD is publishing a report on Portugal's challenges as far as structural reform is concerned. The OECD is an outstanding reference for policy-makers all around the world and I wanted my country to benefit from your skills, experience, and insights, especially on the question of structural reform, said the Portuguese Prime Minister.

Recent OECD research has utilised harmonised cross-country firm level data to explore the contribution of public policies to cross-country differences in productivity, innovation and resource allocation.

Notwithstanding a very strong economic performance over the past decade or so, Poland’s per capita income is substantially lower in comparison with the United States and per capita income growth will be sharply slowing down over the coming decades under the scenario of gradual policy changes mostly because of population ageing.

In this paper we assess the determinants of secondary school outcomes in South Africa. We use Bayesian Averaging Model techniques to account for uncertainty in the set of underlying factors that are chosen among a very large pool of explanatory variables in order to minimize the risk of omitted variable bias.

This paper derives estimates of the efficiency of welfare spending in Slovenia and the other OECD countries from data envelopment analysis based on model specifications used in earlier OECD studies.

Belgium has a good record in delivering accessible care, but adaptation to population ageing will be complicated by the fragmentation of responsibilities in the healthcare system and a strong reliance on government regulations.

The 2011 disaster and nuclear problems opened the door to a new energy policy, as they raised fundamental questions about the electricity system’s ability to prevent and respond to accidents.

La OCDE acoge el plan de Chile para mejorar la metodología de cálculo de su Índice de Precios al Consumidor (IPC).

Austria enjoys strong material well-being and high quality of life. Steady convergence with top GDP per capita levels translated into decisive improvements in household disposable incomes while significant redistribution has ensured low income inequality and poverty.

Important challenges for the future of Austrian well-being arise from demographic and environmental trends. The ageing of the population calls for a fair balance between life-time pension contributions and entitlements, drawing on the recent pension reform.

Sound macroeconomic policies and the commodity boom have helped Chile record an enviable period of economic growth and job creation. Further reforms are needed to make the labour market more inclusive and growth greener, while more could be done to support innovation and entrepreneurship, according to the latest OECD Economic Survey of Chile.

This report provides a framework to understand the changing relationships between urban and rural areas. Specifically, it documents the characteristics of these partnerships and the factors that can hinder as well as enable rural-urban co-operation.