FPB: Belgian economy to expand 1.4% in 2014

 The Belgian economy would expand 1.4 percent in 2014 and 1.8 percent in 2015 respectively, according to the forecasts of the independent public agency, the Federal Planning Bureau of Belgium (FPB), on Thursday.
The Belgian economy resumed growth in the second quarter of 2013 after several quarters of negative growth, thanks to a rebound in exports, the FPB said in a statement released Thursday.
During the second half of 2013, the Belgian economy was supported by the recovery of the European economy and recorded an average GDP growth of 0.3 percent per quarter, according to the statement.
In 2014 and 2015, export growth would intensify and domestic demand would come back on the rise after declining over the past two years, the FPB explained.
The Belgian exports would benefit from the gradual recovery of the global economy and increase by 2.3 percent in 2014 and 3.6 percent in 2015 respectively, the statement added.