Gov. Tony Evers, together with Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes and a delegation of Wisconsin companies, will visit Europe in September to pursue new trade relationships and showcase the state’s expertise in advanced manufacturing, biotech, food manufacturing, energy, and water technology industries, according to a recent press release.
Ten Wisconsin companies will attend the mission, which will feature stops in Brussels in Belgium, Amsterdam and Leeuwarden in the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Planned stops include tours of Vrije Universiteit Brussel’s Green Energy Park and the Water Campus at Leeuwarden, which serves as a major European water technology hub, and more.
Belgium was among the top 10 destinations for Wisconsin exports in 2021, and the Netherlands ranked 11. When treated as a single market, the Benelux region purchases more Wisconsin exports than Germany, Wisconsin’s fourth-highest export destination.
The Netherlands is the world’s second-largest exporter of food, just after the U.S., and the U.S. is the sixth-largest agricultural supplier to the country. Many U.S. food products are exported from the Netherlands after being processed there. Top exports to Belgium include chemicals, plastics, and machinery.
