ditures of $7.17 billion (2000)

Industries: engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly,
processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass,
petroleum, coal

Industrial production growth rate: 4.5% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production: 79.348 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 40.31% hydro: 0.57%
other: 1.46% (2000) nuclear: 57.66%

Electricity - consumption: 78.13 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 7.309 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 11.645 billion kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain,
tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk

Exports: $160.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds,
metals and metal products

Exports - partners: EU 74% (France 18%, Germany 17%, Netherlands 13%,
UK 10%), US 6% (2000)

Imports: $154 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals and
metal products

Imports - partners: EU 68% (Germany 17%, Netherlands 17%, France 13%,
UK 9%) (2000)

Debt - external: $28.3 billion (1999 est.)

Economic aid - donor: ODA, $764 million (1997)

Currency: euro (EUR); Belgian franc (BEF) note: on 1 January 1999, the
European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be
used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002,
the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the
member countries

Currency code: EUR; BEF

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175
(2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Belgian francs per US dollar -
34.77 (January 1999), 36.229 (1998), 35.774 (1997)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Belgium

Telephones - main lines in use: 4.769 million (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 974,494 (1997)

Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed, technologically
advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone
and telegraph facilities domestic: nationwide cellular telephone
system; extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay network
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat

Radio broadcast stations: FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios: 8.075 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997)

Televis