Editing Charleroi (section)

==Economy==
[[File:Charleroi - Place Verte 2017-03-11 - 07.jpg|thumb|Rive Gauche]]

Charleroi was in the center of a coal basin as well as steel and glass industries. Even so, due to the widespread loss in industrial power in the area since the 1970s, the coal and steel areas experienced a significant decline for most of the 1980s and 1990s.

From these industrial activities, the region of Charleroi has inherited a wide industrial area for electrical engineering and production of iron, steel, glass and chemicals. The conglomerate [[ArcelorMittal]] subdivided its [[Industeel]] unit to encompass the Charleroi steelworks.<ref name="nlejsl">{{cite news |title=ArcelorMittal se donne six mois pour vendre Industeel |url=https://www.lejsl.com/economie/2020/11/20/arcelormittal-se-donne-six-mois-pour-vendre-industeel |publisher=Le Journal de Saône et Loire |date=20 November 2020}}</ref><ref name="jlejsl">{{cite news |title=Vente d'Industeel : la CGT en appelle à l'intervention de l'Etat |url=https://www.lejsl.com/economie/2021/01/11/vente-d-industeel-la-cgt-en-appelle-a-l-intervention-de-l-etat |publisher=Le Journal de Saône et Loire |date=11 January 2021}}</ref>

Moreover, from the early 2000s, the overall economy of the area has diversified to include health care, logistics, biotechnologies, energy (Suez), railway transportation (Alstom) and telecommunications (Alcatel).

More recently, other sectors have developed, mainly civil and military aeronautics (SABCA, SONACA), logistics, printing and biotechnology. The aeronautics and space industry is developing rapidly around Charleroi-Brussels-South airport with the foundation of two university research centres: the Center of Excellence in Information Technologies (CETIC) serving as a center of expertise for the development of Walloon companies and founded by UCLouvain with the universities of Namur and Mons, as well as the Cenaero (Centre for research in aeronautics) of the University of Liège (ULiège), the University of Louvain (UCLouvain) and the University of Brussels (ULB).

Likewise, the Brussels South Charleroi Airport has evolved in a major commercial success with a grow of passengers from 210.000 in 1998<ref>{{cite web|access-date=22 May 2023|title=Statistiques et chiffres clés|url=https://www.brussels-charleroi-airport.com/fr/statistiques-et-chiffres-cles|website=Brussels South Charleroi Airport}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> to 8.3 millions passengers in 2023.<ref>{{Cite journal|author1=Agence Belga|title=L'aéroport de Charleroi dépasse sa fréquentation pré-Covid, Liège et Bruxelles progressent en 2022|periodical=La Dernière Heure|date=30 January 2023|url=https://www.dhnet.be/conso/vacances/2023/01/30/laeroport-de-charleroi-depasse-sa-frequentation-pre-covid-liege-et-bruxelles-progressent-en-2022-IZ2P23AT6ZEYRPZJCJIBYILVPQ/}}</ref> Therefore, it has become the second airport of Belgium for passenger transport which is a  substantial asset for the economical and commercial development of the region of Charleroi. The activity of the airport thus generates numerous direct and indirect jobs.

The Intercommunale Igretec is the official body of the region of Charleroi giving assistance and support for the installation and development of high-tech companies around the airport and in the region of Charleroi.

Charleroi is also connected through highways with all the major cities of Belgium and the French border. It has also a port ("Port autonome de Charleroi") and a river network giving access to three major ports (Dunkirk, Antwerp and Rotterdam).

From the 1990s, two big shopping malls (Ville 2 and Rive Gauche), cinemas and even a local craft brewery have been created in and around the city center also bringing back shops and customers downtown.