The Vlaams Economisch Verbond (VEV) is a Flemish

employers' organization An employers' organization or employers' association is a collective organization of manufacturers, retailers, or other employers of wage labor. Employers' organizations seek to coordinate the behavior of their member companies in matters of mutual ...

and

lobbying group In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

. The main objectives of the organization were the development of the Flemish economy and to improve the status of

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

as a business language in Flanders. It is an important partner of the

Flemish government The Flemish Government ( nl, Vlaamse regering ) is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region of Belgium. It consists of a government cabinet, headed by the Minister-President and accountable to the Flemish Parliament, a ...

on business in Flanders, and also participates in the Socio-economic Council of Flanders.

History

It was founded in 1908, by among others

Lieven Gevaert Lieven Gevaert (28 May 1868 – 2 February 1935) was a Flanders, Flemish industrialist. His father died when he was only three years old. He started his career in the company he founded together with his mother in 1889, which produced photograph ...

as the ''Vlaamsch Handelsverbond'', to create a Flemish counterpart of the

Federation of Belgian Enterprises The Federation of Enterprises in Belgium ( nl, Verbond van Belgische Ondernemingen, VBO, french: Fédération des Entreprises de Belgique, FEB) is the only Belgian non-profit organization representing companies in all three regions of Belgium. Its ...

, and it became the VEV in 1926. From 1971 to 1993,

René De Feyter René De Feyter (193023 March 2011) was a Belgian politician, the managing director of the VEV from 1971 to 1993. Biography From 1956 to 1960, René de Feyter worked as a state official in Belgian Congo. In 1961, he started to work on the develo ...

was the managing director of the VEV.

In 2004, VEV formed an alliance with the Flemish Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI's) to create . Today, there are still eight Voka - Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI) in Flanders (West Flanders, East Flanders, Antwerp-Waasland, Kempen, Mechelen, Halle-Vilvoorde, Leuven and Limburg). Together with the VEV, these eight CCI's form the Voka-Alliance, the largest Flemish network of enterprises. This 'Voka-Alliance' unites more than 17,000 businesses from all sectors within the

Flemish region The Flemish Region ( nl, Vlaams Gewest, ),; german: Flämische Region usually simply referred to as Flanders ( nl, link=no, Vlaanderen ) ; german: link=no, Flandern is one of the three regions of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and t ...

. The alliance is politically independent; there is no structural funding from government. It is a non-profit organisation: small, medium and large-sized companies of all sectors everywhere in Flanders can become member on a voluntary basis.

References

External links

voka.be
Labor relations organizations Trade associations based in Belgium Economy of Belgium Employers' organizations 1926 establishments in Belgium Flanders Organizations established in 1926 {{Belgium-stub

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links