Belgium Seeks Honorary Consul for South Carolina as Investment Ties Grow

The Consulate General of Belgium in Atlanta is looking to extend its network around the Southeast U.S. through the appointment of a new honorary consul in South Carolina.

Belgium, which already has more than 30 honorary consuls around the U.S., recently found new consuls for western Florida and Alabama.

It has yet to announce one for Tennessee, where the country had also solicited applications. See the full list of Belgian honorary consuls here

According to a posting on LinkedIn, the consulate is looking for someone who can represent the country’s interests in South Carolina while being a point of contact for Belgian nationals living and working in the state.

South Carolina has seen growing attention from Belgian companies, especially in manufacturing. The upstate area alone has attracted 13 Belgian companies, including Pozyx, a Ghent-based firm making hardware for asset tracking in logistics settings like warehousing. Pozyx set up shop in Greenville in 2021, seeing the city as a “beachhead for conquering the rest of the U.S. market.”

Yves Ghys, the former chief commercial officer for Pozyx, branched out on his own to help Belgian companies he saw as getting incomplete information about the massive U.S. market. Pozyx had sought contacts in the automotive industry, for instance, and the massive hub developing in the Southeast U.S. had barely come on the radar.

“Despite my research, no one pointed this out to me, which was scary when looking to establish a business and relocate. This made me realize that if I could miss such a crucial aspect, even while actively searching, how could others be expected to know about these opportunities?” Mr. Ghys said in a recent interview with the consulate. See Belgian firms donated by the country’s flag among 1,200 international companies in South Carolina

Honorary consuls generally are asked to help cure such ignorance through a variety of initiatives, from handling arrangements for inbound delegations to reporting back to the consulate about political and economic conditions in their respective jurisdictions as related to Belgian companies and interests.

Candidates should “be of impeccable conduct and enjoy an honorable reputation,” should live in South Carolina with demonstrated civic engagement and influence, and should be able to maintain an office for hosting functions and receiving Belgian expatriates and guests.

The position is not paid, but certain expenses incurred in carrying out consular duties may be reimbursable.

The consulate has previously sought “non-traditional” honorary consuls that break the standard mold of attorneys, accountants, and other service providers, though no such requirement has been floated for the South Carolina position.

Georgia is home to more than 40 honorary consuls, diplomats selected by a foreign ministry of the appointing country to represent its interests in a certain geographic area.

In contrast to career diplomats, who work directly for their countries and are generally rotated to various international locations every couple of years, honorary consuls are usually permanent community members who understand the local landscape and enjoy extensive social networks where they serve.

Belgium has also periodically sought separate economic advisors to help with the country’s outreach to various U.S. regions.

To apply by Nov. 15, the consulate asks candidates to send…

• A recent CV
• A motivation letter for the position, describing your interest in the role and your eligibility for the above criteria

…to Deputy Consul Jannes Dewulf at jannes.dewulf@diplobel.fed.be with the subject ‘honorary consul application”. Learn more here