2026 has not invented anything new, but has turbocharged an ongoing process. Global trade tensions, uncertainty over US tariffs, and the fragility of international supply chains are pushing an increasing number of Italian companies to rethink their European map — and Belgium is confirming itself as one of the most strategic destinations for this repositioning.
The context: a 2026 of moving tariffs
After months of negotiations, the framework of trade relations between the European Union and the United States has found a more stable basis with the framework agreement signed at Turnberry between the European Commission and the US administration. The agreement sets a ceiling of 15% on most US tariffs on European products, including cars and components, in exchange for the EU eliminating tariffs on most American industrial goods and providing preferential access for certain US agricultural and fishery products.
The framework, however, remains far from definitive. Significant issues remain open regarding steel and aluminium, where US tariffs have remained at 50%: if Washington does not bring them back within the 15% ceiling by the end of 2026, Brussels has reserved the right to suspend the granted tariff concessions. The current rules will remain in effect only until 2029, with a review clause linked to the evolution of geopolitical balances. In short, a context in which the word "stability" should be used with caution.
For Italian companies, the impact is not theoretical: Italy is the third largest European country for exports to the United States, and sectors such as agri-food, mechanics, pharmaceuticals, and steel remain among the most exposed to fluctuations in American trade policy. In such a scenario, having a single access channel to the US market — and a production or logistics presence concentrated only in Italy — has become a risk that few companies can afford to ignore.
Why Belgium enters the equation
It is no coincidence that, in this repositioning, Belgium appears with increasing frequency in the strategies of Italian companies. Three elements make it an almost essential piece for those who want to strengthen their European presence:
The port of Antwerp-Bruges. The second largest European port for container traffic after Rotterdam, the port — born from the merger with Zeebrugge — has continued to grow even in the most turbulent years on the geopolitical front, confirming itself as one of the most resilient nodes in Northern Europe, particularly in the refrigerated container segment. For the Italy-Belgium trade alone, about 70% of the flows now pass through Antwerp. Not by chance, the FS Italiane Group has recently strengthened its presence at the Antwerp Mainhub terminal through a joint venture with the Belgian railway operator Lineas, to enhance intermodal connections on the Antwerp-Milan route — a clear signal of how Italian logistics is looking to Belgium as a platform for access to Northern Europe.
Brussels as an institutional hinge. Hosting the main EU institutions is not just a symbolic act: it means having direct access to the decision-making processes that shape the rules of the single market, to European funds, and to a network of institutional relationships that take years to build elsewhere.
The geographical position in the heart of the single market. With direct access to Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, Belgium allows an Italian company to reach a substantial part of the European GDP without having to multiply its commercial offices. It is not surprising that Italian groups such as A2A, Autogrill, Ariston Thermo, CNH Industrial, Eni, Enel, Ferrero, Pirelli, and Leonardo have long had a stable presence in the country, and that investments like Leonardo's in Telespazio Belgium confirm an ongoing interest.
The companies that are anticipating change
Those who are growing the most in this scenario today are not those who react to the latest announced tariff, but those who have built three elements in advance: a physical or legal presence in a solid European country, institutional relationships cultivated over time, and a network of reliable local partners — accountants, lawyers, freight forwarders, chambers of commerce. These are the same ingredients that make for an expansion that is not improvised, but sustainable over time, regardless of how the next chapter of the tariff dispute evolves.
The role of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Belgium
It is precisely in this transition — from reaction to strategy — that the role of a local institutional reference point becomes crucial. Knowing the Belgian regulatory framework, having access to an already established network of contacts, and being able to rely on a partner who speaks the same entrepreneurial language are advantages that significantly shorten the time to enter a new market, minimising the mistakes that are most costly precisely in the initial phases.
For Italian SMEs that are considering whether and how to strengthen their presence in continental Europe, the time to act is not when the next tariff is announced, but now — while the picture, however uncertain, still offers room for planning.
Sources: Confcommercio, Assocamerestero (Belgian-Italian Chamber of Commerce), infoMercatiEsteri, FS Italiane, IPSOA, Finera.