A strategic long-term plan paving way for further development of Belgium's diamond industry was unveiled recently by Governor Cathy Berx during the ceremony to inaugurate the Diamond Pavilion at the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS).
The Antwerp Diamond Masterplan ‘Diamonds love Antwerp 2020’ embracing such fields as education, job creation and community integration is to be implemented during the next eight years. Our correspondent in Belgium caught up with Ms. Berx to hear her comments on the event.
What is the main goal of the Antwerp Diamond Masterplan?
The Masterplan is a shared and very ambitious vision of what to be done in Antwerp to maintain and consolidate the position of Antwerp as the world capital of diamonds and to strengthen it and to have growth.
So, it is emphasizing our transparency which is very important for the reputation, for financing, for innovation and creativity and also for good integration with the large community and also for employment.
On different topics they worked together as a sector to set out goals and then to see how they could be working together to obtain those goals so the Antwerp and diamonds remain synonymous.
Is this Masterplan important for the city’s budget?
It is not only for the city and the province. It is the sector that for the first time in many years expresses and works on an elaborate shared vision. So it is a plan from the sector and it also defined some preconditions with which the governments know what is needed for the sector to really obtain these goals.
So it is really like a win-win if governments as well as the sector and the broader community just collaborate, work together, have good cross pollination to make sure that that aim is obtained.
What are your expectations in the field of job creation provided by the realization of the Masterplan?
We do believe that if you emphasize on innovation which is based on new technologies then you can bring more employment back to Antwerp.
Now many stones are manufactured abroad, so if you bring those new technologies and if you elaborate them, than you have also an opportunity to bring more jobs again to Antwerp where the high knowledge, the high skills are all concentrated to be able to polish those stones.
Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished, from Antwerp
