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A smart region

The smart city concept is becoming increasingly widespread. In the Brussels-Capital Region too. The government acknowledged the importance of the concept a number of times in its Government Accord. In its white paper the BRIC set out the path to smart region status. Experts, polotical representatives and economic players also debated a smart strategy at the Brussels Smart City Summit on 3 June 2015.

Every election year the BRIC publishes a white paper for the public, private and social sectors. It is an opportunity for the BRIC to examine the Region's issues with regard to new technologies and the proposed areas in which the new legislature could work.

The 2014 edition of our white paper examines the smart city concept. It's not simply a case of offering free Wi-Fi in public spaces. First and foremost it's about integrating information and communication technology solutions that the BRIC has been working with for the past 30 years in all urban functions, including transport, environment, safety, education, health, work and administration.

In 2014 we organised a field trip to Amsterdam, one of the trailblazers in this area, to find out more about Amsterdam Smart City.

Our white paper proposes a smart strategy at the regional level. The regional government incorporated this dimension into its Government Accord for the administration as a whole. The new minister in charge of the BRIC, Bianca Debaets, is responsible for informatics but also digital transition.

In the chapter on transforming Brussels into a digital capital, the Government Accord stipulates the organisation of a digital agreement. The BRIC worked with the staff of Ms Debaets to arrange the Brussels Smart City Summit on 3 June 2015, which brought together Belgian and international experts, Belgian CEOs and the Brussels political set.

The expert's recommendations to take full advantage of the Region's digital potential will be submitted to the Brussels Government by the end of 2015.

The smartcity.brussels portal has already gone live. It explains the smart city strategy and enables citizens to suggest solutions to transform the Brussels-Capital Region into a smart region. The general public will have the opportunity to discuss the smart city concept and these initiatives at a mass event.