België: e-business

Uitgebreide informatie over e-businesswetgeving is beschikbaar gesteld door de Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Meer informatie leest u in onderstaande summary van EIU.

According to the Belgian statistical office, 27% of the Belgian population had bought something over the Internet in the previous three months, based on a survey carried out in the second quarter of 2010. Though the amount improved sharply from just 14% in 2008, it is still below the EU15 average of 34%. BeCommerce, an industry group for distance sellers, found that online sales in Belgium increased by 17% in 2009, driven by a growing number of online shops, increased consumer confidence in e-commerce and new payment possibilities following the relaxation in selling laws. The latest annual report from the group, for 2009, shows more than 5,000 online shops were active in Belgium at end-2009, an increase of 138% on 2007.

E-commerce growth has also been helped by the government's emphasis on improving access to the Internet. Although Belgium is well covered with cable and telecom networks, broadband take-up has lagged behind some of its neighbours. The simplification in 2009 of government subsidies for acquiring computers and Internet subscriptions helped increase household Internet penetration to 78% in 2010, from 64% in 2008, according to the governmental statistics office.