THE REASONS WHY THE FRENCH LOVE SO MUCH BRUSSELS

The French are more and more numerous to succumb to the charms of Belgium, and more precisely of Brussels. It must be said that the flat country is their favorite for expatriation after Switzerland, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The French community in Belgium is estimated at more than 250,000 nationals, according to figures from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but this figure does not reflect the exact number of expatriates, registration at the consulate is optional. It would amount to more than 300,000 people according to the latest statistics.

It is the first foreign community in the country, ahead of the Italians and the Dutch. Half of them live in or around Brussels. A significant part of our neighbors definitely settle there every year, but what do they come for?

Tax benefits at stake
The fiscal advantages of Belgium such as the absence of solidarity wealth tax (ISF), as well as the advantages in real estate and stock market investment are attractive for the French.
(For more details see Click here for the tax comparison).

Indeed, the property tax coupled with the housing tax in France represents a significant cost. Being an owner in France can sometimes prove to be a luxury ... In Belgium, the owners will only have to bear an annual invoice relating to the cadastral income of the property, namely the property tax.

Belgian legislation on taxation of capital gains on second homes and rentals is also much more attractive (total tax exemption after only 5 years instead of 30 years for France), which offers them many investment possibilities.

A quality of life unique in Europe
The attractiveness of Brussels can also be explained by the quality of life found there, the diverse cultural offer and the authenticity of its heritage. The people of Brussels are known for being welcoming, accessible and good living, moreover their sense of compromise appeals to the French.

For those who have lived in Paris, on the contrary, the Belgian capital is paradise, the housing being cheaper and larger with many green spaces. That it is essentially French-speaking (92% of the population) and close to Paris is necessarily an advantage. Many are indeed those who live in Brussels and who work in Paris.

The French community in Brussels is made up of a very large working population (according to the French Consulate General). They are represented in particular by senior and middle managers, as well as in the liberal professions.

But where do they reside on the Brussels map?
Their first choice is Ixelles, with more than 15% of the population coming from France, it is at the top of the list of municipalities chosen. When we talk about the French living in Ixelles, we immediately think of the districts of Châtelain, Place Brugmann and Avenue Louis Lepoutre (little Paris), you can do your shopping like in Paris, have breakfast there at the “Voltaire” café, or even have a traditional market there, which has made it their favorite neighborhood.

Another area much loved by the French is Uccle. It is the preferred choice of French families, due to its proximity to the Lycée Français Jean Monnet. If some people love to live there because they have the feeling of recreating a hexagonal network there, others appreciate it less, feeling that they are losing the opportunity to discover what could bring them new Belgian friendships.

Brussels, a French-speaking metropolis on a human scale, with an international influence and a more reasonable real estate market than that of Paris, thus seduces these hundreds of thousands of French people.

Lecobel Vaneau
Place Brugmann 11, Ixelles 1050
Tel : +32 2 340 72 70
@ : lecobel@lecobel.be