 In comparison with neighbouring countries, whose industries had been heavily damaged by fighting, the comparatively intact Belgian industrial base was able to restore its capacity to respond to the rise in demand.In 1946, the government announced its intention to increase production in Belgium's important coal mining industries by inaugurating a "Battle for Coal" ("Bataille du charbon").At the end of 1947, Belgium became the first former belligerent in Europe to reach its pre-war level of industrial output.