According to the "City Monitor Annual Survey" (Cushman and Wakefield, 2007) Brussels ranks 6th in the list of the best European business cities.

One of the principal reasons for the status of Brussels in the European economic sphere is that it is a centre of political decision-making.
Oft-quoted figures state that 70% of all rules governing the everyday life of European citizens emanates from the European Commission. As a result, companies flock here in order to be close to the centre of financial, business and political power in Europe.

                                                                                                                   The European Parliament - 2004
Brussels is the sort of city where connections are made.

The city is increasingly becoming a hub of international business. Lobbyists, international conferences (Brussels is, in fact, the 3rd most important conference centre in Europe) and symposia: all these and more mean that opportunities for enterprise and innovation abound.

The high density of international businesses in Brussels can be further explained by the superb transport and travel links to the city, the fact that its population is extremely capable in many languages and the high level of education that Belgian citizens receive.

Over 1300 foreign companies are based in Brussels (IBM, Toyota, Coca-Cola...) and most of them use the city as either a Benelux or European HQ. This taken into consideration, it is not surprising that a strong network of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) has developed to cater to the needs of the global business community in the Capital of Europe.