General Ordinary Assembly 2015

Last 24th of June the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg celebrated the General Ordinary Assembly at the NH Grand Sablon in Brussels. The meeting was attended by many partners and by David Martínez Hornillos, the Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Embassy of Spain, and Felipe Formariz, Counselor of Tourism.

todos_retocada

The President of the Chamber, Juan Rodríguez-Villa, welcomed the attendees and welcomed the large audience, a symptom of the good activity of the Chamber of Commerce the last years.

gente_sitios_retocadaSubsequently, the Secretary General , María Catalán, presented the activities undertaken during the year 2014, highlighting the significant increase in the number of partners, the organization of events and increasing trade missions successfully completed. She also presented the activities under the employment project funded by the Ministry of Employment and Social Security and the results obtained from the beginning of its development in March 2014.

The Treasurer, Miguel Ángel Arrimadas, presented the balance sheet and income statement for the year 2014, noting the positive continuity of the financial status of the Chamber of Commerce since 2011.

Subsequently, the General Secretariat presented to the audience the applications received by the partners to join the Board of Directors of the Chamber.

 

After a presentation for the audience of each of the candidates, they proceeded with the vote. Finally, they were renovated and appointed for a period of three years:

votando_retocada

  • Óscar Abril Arranz (Everis)
  • Sergio de Miguel-Jessel
  • Bert Dehandschutter (Racine & Vergels)
  • José Luis Rodríguez (BBVA LuxInvest)
  • José Gracia (Meteora)
  • Ramón Lozano (Gas Natural)
  • María Recalde (CECA Bank)
  • Guillermo Sanz Murat (Santander)

Finally, the Chairman reported on the activity of FEDECOM (Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Spain in Europe-Africa-Asia-Oceania), highlighting the event organized in the Expo in Milan, where the Federation awarded the Company Prize Year to NH Hotel Group and the Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, presented in honor the President and CEO. Also the Vice President, Pablo López Álvarez, reported on upcoming events planning in the Chamber of Commerce.
After the General Assembly attendees could enjoy a cocktail in the halls of the Hotel NH Grand Sablon.

FEDECOM awards the Company of the Year 2015 Award to NH Hotel Group

On 15 June, FEDECOM, the Federation of Spanish Chambers of Commerce in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, granted the award for Company of the year 2015 to NH Hotel Group, multinational operator with about 400 hotels and 60.000 rooms in 29 countries in Europe, America and Africa.

rajoy4

The President of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, wanted to support the Official Spanish Chambers abroad by participating in the award ceremony of the FEDECOM Company of the Year 2015 Award, granted to the NH Hotel Group. This way, the impulse for internationalization and the commitment of NH Hotel Group with its excellence services was recognized.

Juan Rodríguez-Villa, President of FEDECOM, commented that “when we live abroad or when we travel frequently outside of Spain, we are proud to discover the emblems of the NH Hotel Group within the landscape of so many cities in the world, at the facades of prestigious buildings and in the best urban areas. If we make use of the facilities the NH hotels offer us, we will find, here and there, references to the quality of the services, the tasteful wink to the Spanish gastronomy or the decorative detail that approaches us at home”.rajoy3

On the other hand, Federico J. González Tejera, CEO of the NH Hotel Group, mentioned that “the recognition of a prestigious organization that is present in every city in the world in which we operate and that boosts the development of economic and business relations on an international level with so much dedication and passion, involves a true honor for anyone who is a member of the Group and encourages us to keep growing and transforming the Company to offer memorable experiences and convert NH Hotel Group in the reference destination of the consumers when they plan a trip or a meeting for leisure or for business”. rajoy2

The President and the CEO of the NH Hotel Group, Rodrigo Echenique y Federico J. González Tejera, have received the award at the Spanish Pavilion at the Universal Exposition of Milan from the President of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, at an event that has counted on the presence of José Luis Bonet, President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce.

 

 

Conference support cultural entrepreneurship of young Spaniards abroad – CULTUP

The Minister of Employment and Social Security, Vicente Perez Menayo, and the Minister of Culture, Joaquín Durán Garach, chaired the event, along with the Director of the Latin American Foundation for the Cultural and Creative Industries (Fibicc) Santiago Arroyo. They coordinated the presentations and interventions concerning the issue of entrepreneurship and cultural management.

8The General Secretary of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, María Catalán, participated in the panel discussion on funding and supporting cultural entrepreneurship in Belgium. At the debate we talked about the services provided through the BeLux Youth program managed by the Chamber of Commerce and supported by the Ministry of Employment and Social Security. More than 150 young people in Belgium have already benefited from the free services of this project.

During the second day of the event, organizations such as Guichet des Arts or Arteconomy spoke about the importance of funding for cultural projects and the role of cultural management companies as mediator between the business sector and the ICC. During the talks, issues such as authorship of the creators, the instrumentalization of art or the legal issues surrounding the world of cultural enterprise were also discussed.

3
The day ended with the presentation of some projects promoted by young people in the cultural sector in Belgium. Cultural entrepreneurship projects like the magazine Acentos or Art Viewer were some of the initiatives presented.

The event was held under the framework of the Youth program strategy of the Directorate General of Immigration, Ministry of Employment and Social Security of the Government of Spain, promoted by the Ibero-American Foundation for Cultural and Creative Industries (FIBICC).

Luncheon-Debate with Román Escolano, Vice president of the European Investment Bank

Last Tuesday, 2nd of June, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organized a luncheon-debate with Román Escolano, Vice president of the European Investment Bank. The event was attended by the Ambassador of Spain in Luxembourg, Carlos Lojendio y Pardo Manuel de Villena, as well as European Institutions’ representatives, members of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and corporate executives, among other participants. The luncheon-debate was sponsored by the technology consultant INDRA.
The President of the Chamber of Commerce, Juan Rodríguez-Villa Matons, welcomed the attendees and the Vice president, Sergio de Miguel-Jessel, presented the speaker to the audience, going over his trajectory and highlighting his relevant professional experience.

The Vice president of the European Investment Bank started his intervention presenting the particularities of the EIB functioning and its principal figures. Román Escolano highlighted the financial strength of the EIB, based on a strong capitalization, liquidity, stable deposits (2,6 billion in the last year and benefits weren’t disrupted not even during the crisis) and improved leverage, followed by a capital increase. Then, he noted that Spain is the main loan beneficiary, particularly transports, as the principal sector. “The BEI is the first funder of Spain”, he indicated.

In the second part of his speech, the Vice President focused on the eligibility and the objectives that should be accomplished by the various projects presented every year by the EIB and, finally, the high standards applied by the courts of the EIB in the selection it.

Following the presentation, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions to the Vice President, who provided detailed replies to all of them.

The event ended with the delivery of a gift to Román Escolano by the Chamber and by INDRA, as an expression of gratitude for his collaboration with the institution. The Ambassador of Spain in Luxembourg, Carlos Pardo Manuel Lojendio y Villena, thanked the Chamber for organizing the event and highlighted the importance of Spaniards in many important positions of the European Institutions in Luxembourg, such as Román Escolano. The director of INDRA in Brussels, David Luengo also thanked the Vice President for the splendid intervention carried out.

 

 

[AFG_gallery id=’24’]