Thursday 05 June 2026
Wallonia has been dedicated "European creative district" with Tuscany over more than 40 candidate regions in Europe. After two successful years of implementation of the Creative Wallonia programme, the European Commission considered our action as exemplary. Building on this programme and with the recognition of the European Commission, a new project was launched : Wallonia European Creative District.
Five Walloon partners (the SPW/DG06, Wallonie Design, StArt Invest, the "Agence Wallonne des tlcommunications" and ID campus) are working together to boost the potential of creative and cultural industries to transform a region under industrial redeployment.
Added value is created in the regional economy through some unexpected tools : co-creation, design, cross-sectoral hybridization and many other things. The challenge is also to promote Creative Wallonia at an international level to show what Wallonia is capable both in terms of competitiveness and innovation. This new Walloon label was worthily celebrated at the launch party of the " Wallonia European Creative District" at the " Thtre Royal de Namur" in the presence of personalities such as the Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, the Minister Jean-Claude Marcourt, the President of the European Alliance for Creative Industries", Rasmus Wiinstedt Tscherning, Director of the DG enterprise and industries of the European Commission, Daniel Calleja Crespo, the representative of the region of Tuscany, Cristina Scaletti.
The numerous actions of the project are structured in four priorities : Mutual Transnational Policy Learning, Better Business Support, Better Financial Support and Facilitating Clusters and Networking Activities. After six months of preparation and installation of the teams, the first actions are taking shape and materializing for all the partners.
For example, the first coaching of entrepreneurs in their relations with investors was directed by StArt. Numerous international contacts have been performed in order to let the actions and the Walloon ICCs be known, and this, in particular, within the framework of actions to internationalize the Boost-up Industries Cratives programme or the co-working spaces (CoWallonia). A High-Level Group was set up to inspire the implementation of the project. It is composed of national and international experts, high-ranked as regards innovation and creative economy; a further evidence of the appeal of this project beyond our regional borders.
This group of experts is responsible for advising the partners with respect to the overall strategy, internationalization opportunities and the methodology used in implementing the actions. This High-Level Group will be chaired by Henri Monceau, in charge, at the cabinet of the Minister Marcourt, of creativity, innovation and new technologies.
The first meeting will take place on July 3 at the "Ple Image" in Lige, emblematic place illustrating the redeployment potential of the ICCs as regards a post-industrial place. Toscany has also staged a launch conference in which a Walloon delegation was present to establish contacts and prepare future collaborations : it was composed of the regional Councillor Joelle Kapompole and Vinoj Schmetz, the project manager of Wallonia European Creative District.
Another illustration of the international dimension of the project can be seen in the new rank assigned to Wallonia within theEuropean Alliance for Creative Industries. This platform promotes the development of creative industries and, thanks to the many exchanges that it allows, disseminates best practices to policy makers in European regions.
The " Wallonia European Creative District" is structuring, strengthening and taking off; it will be soon on the Creative Wallonia website, Linkedin and even Twitter ! So, stay tuned ... !