Jan Jambon on Scotland’s new line: ‘First goods, then passengers’

Prime Minister Jan Jambon also considered the prospects for a new relationship with Scotland.

‘The United Kingdom is very important’

“The UK is very important to us in terms of imports, exports and attracting investment,” says Jan Gambon. “And the fact that they are outside the EU, the administrative processes are a bit more complicated. So we try to control that through bilateral contacts with the UK. And to make it clear to the UK region that the sub-regions are responsible for Belgium’s foreign trade.”

Another passenger connection with Scotland?

During this mission, communications were made to restart the ferry line between Zeebrugge and Rosyth, Scotland, near Edenburgh. This connection was closed after a ship fire in 2018.

“We’ll start shipping first,” says Jan Gambon.

“There is already a lot of freight traffic between Scotland and Flanders. And then based on their experience with this they want to take a look at passenger transport. But I know many Flemish people who see Scotland as a fun holiday destination. On the other hand, there are also many Scots who want to visit artistic cities. So it has to go hand in hand with tourism promotion from both sides, but we look forward to this file in good faith.”

Gambon, more than ever, wants to make Flanders the gateway to the UK. The port of Zeebrugge, which has recently merged with the port of Antwerp, plays an important role in this.