Luncheon-Debate with Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

Last June 22nd, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organized, in collaboration with ECOEMBES, a luncheon-debate with Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

Mr. Daniel Calleja, Director-General at DG Environment, also attended the event.

Between the participants, there were several members of the Chamber and representatives of Spanish and European companies and institutions.

Juan Rodríguez-Villa Matons, President of the Chamber, introduced the speaker and thanked for his contribution to the dialogue between the EU Executive and civil society and remarked the common interest on achieving the main goal of Circular Economy.

Under the title “CIRCULAR ECONOMY: THE ROLE OF BUSINESS IN DEVELOPING GREEN ECONOMY”, Commissioner Vella underlined the importance of applying the principle “nothing is lost, everything is transformed”, premise that concerns circular economy and the need to implement it globally.

The speaker referred to the legislative package on Circular Economy presented by the Commission a year and a half ago, which he described as ambitious and responsible, emphasizing on the global approach and more practical measures which benefit environment and increase sustainability.

 

On the other hand, the Commissioner underlined the great potential identified in Spain by the biannual “Environment Implementation Review” report, which presented several examples of Spanish pioneer companies in innovation. According to Mr. Vella, innovation is the key to a Green Economy, which needs investment and, in most of the cases, it is afforded by the private sector, either big firms or SMEs.

To conclude, he expressed the European Commission’s will to establish an easily compliable regulation for the private sector, highlighting the importance of continuous collaboration between all actors.

The wide experience of Commissioner Vella, in high responsibility positions in the private sector, shows the realistic criteria which aims to avoid the obstacles in the application of the legal requirements that are projected.

The speaker recognized the excellence of General Director of Environment, Daniel Calleja, and congratulated the human team he leads.

The event was sponsored by ECOEMBES. Its CEO, Óscar Martín, thanked the Commissioner and all the participants for their presence, assuring the position of ECOEMBES in favor of the legislative package. Martín remarked the importance of EPR –Extended Producer Responsability- as a very important step towards a Circular Economy, which has also had a large social impact.

Moreover, he weighed on the need to promote eco-design and innovation, not only to protect the environment, but also to raise its awareness.

To conclude, a round of questions was posed and answered, a time during which participants had the opportunity to interact with the Commissioner.

Mr. Juan Rodríguez-Villa joined Óscar Martín to give Commissioner Vella a symbolic present to thank him for his participation in the luncheon-debate and his work related to the circular economy.

The President also made a special mention to the firm La Buena Vida, for contributing with excellent wines to the luncheon.

You can check the full speech of the Commissioner here.

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In collaboration with:

General Ordinary Assembly 2017

Last 21st of June, the Chamber celebrated its 2017 General Ordinary Assembly, which took place at the Instituto Cervantes’ new headquarters in Brussels. For such an event Ms. Cecilia Yuste, Ambassador of Spain in Belgium and Honorary President of the Chamber, joined several members and representatives of Spanish public institutions who were also attending.

Juan Rodríguez-Villa Matons, President of the Chamber, welcomed all the attendees. He also congratulated Mr. José Gracia Barba, who has been recently elected as the Chamber’s Vice President in Luxembourg, and his predecessor, Mr. Sergio de Miguel-Jessel, on the great efforts endured during the establishment of the Chamber in Luxembourg in 2012, as well as its dedication to the Chamber ever since.

Afterwards, the Ambassador and Honorary President of the Chamber Ms. Cecilia Yuste, thanked all the attendees and the Chamber for its activities promoting commercial and cultural Spanish activities in Belgium. Mrs. Yuste also offered its support to the Chamber’s mission and restated its will to cooperate with initiatives to promote the “Spain Brand” like the Fiesta Nacional next October 12th.

The Assembly proceeded with the reading and following approval of the last General Extraordinary Assembly’s minutes, which took place on November 24th, 2016, by the Secretary-General, María Catalán. Once the minutes were approved, Ms. Catalán presented last year’s activities report. Among them, she highlighted the increase in members enrolled, commercial activities and events organized under the Business Circle tribune.

Moreover, she detailed the new workshops, the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Program and the novelties in the communication department, which include new webpages and improvements in those already in place.

To finish with, the Secretary-General reviewed the activities developed by FEDECOM (Federation of Official Chambers of Commerce of Spain in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania) and the upcoming activities for 2017.

After the approval of the list of members, Ms. Catalán exposed the annual account of 2016 to the Assembly. After a detailed explanation of the balance sheet and the outturn account, the annual account was approved unanimously by all the attendees.

Finally, the Secretary-General announced the candidatures received to replace the four committee members whose terms were over. Once they had all been presented to the audience, the Assembly proceeded to vote; resulting on the reelection for a new three-year term of:

Mr. Pablo López Álvarez (FTI Consulting)

Mr. Miguel Ángel Arrimadas García, in a personal capacity

Mr. David Luengo Riesco (Indra)

Mr. Carlos Rodríguez Cocina (Telefónica)

Furthermore, the Ambassador and the President thanked, in the name of all the attendees, Mr. Felipe Formariz, from the Spanish Tourism Office in Brussels as well as Institutional Board Member of the Chamber, for its support to the Chamber and its remarkable efforts during the past years.

Finally, the President of the Chamber and the Instituto Cervantes director, Mr. Felipe Santos, signed a collaboration agreement between both institutions to promote and strengthen the Spanish for business in Belgium and Luxembourg.

To close the Assembly, the attendees were greeted with a cocktail offered by Blasco Gourmet, a member company, at the Instituto Cervantes’ offices.

All the documentation relative to the 2017 General Ordinary Assembly will be at all the members’ disposal through the Chamber’s Intranet.

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Conference about international markets: “Brussels: gateway for the European Western market” in Madrid

Last June 20th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, represented by it Secretary-General María Catalán, participated in a conference organized by Brussels Invest & Export and the Chamber of Commerce of Madrid on ““Brussels: gateway for the European Western market”. The conference took place in the Chamber of Madrid’s headquarters and had the presence of more than twenty Spanish companies.

After a welcoming introduction by a representative of the Chamber of Madrid, Ariane Léonard, economic and commercial counselor of the region of Brussels-Capital, introduced the reasons why Brussels is considered as a city for stablishing foreign companies and investment projects.

Afterwards, Stefaan Lenaerts, Area Manager Invest Americas & S-Europe at BIE, explained the opportunities offered in the European capital for foreign investors and key sectors for Brussels economy. Thus, he introduced the Welcome Package, a free service that BIE offers to foreign companies interested in settling in Brussels.

Rafael Álvarez Campa, associate lawyer at WBCJ, informed the attendees about tax incentives in Brussels for FDI and innovative entrepreneurship. Bert Dehandschutter, associate lawyer at Racine, summarized the legal aspects that every company should know before stablishing a business in Belgium.

The General Director of Swan Consulting, Jorge Cisneros, explained the European funding opportunities for Spanish companies, underlining the added value for companies stablishing in the European capital.

María Catalán, Secretary-General of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, numbered some recommendations for the companies which were present in the conference and their future establishment in Brussels. She also explained the services offered by the Chamber to recently established companies in Brussels.

To conclude, Ángel Rebollo, Director of Atrevia Brussels Office, talked about his experience as representative of a Spanish company settled in Belgium and beneficiary of Brussels Invest & Export’s Welcome Package.

Once the presentations were finished, the attendees had the opportunity of clarifying all their doubts during a networking breakfast-

Al terminar las presentaciones los participantes tuvieron la ocasión de trasladar todas sus cuestiones a los ponentes durante un desayuno-networking.

In collaboration with:

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Belgium is currently one of the most open and dynamic economies in the world, with an estimated GDP growth of the 1.7% for 2017, according to the IMF. The geographic location of the country, in the center of Europe, along with its infrastructure in transportation, logistics and communications, allows a very fast access to European providers and markets. Belgium is one of the main foreign-investment recipients.

At the same time, the Belgian Government is applying new tax measures that are very attractive for r+d and software development. The political relecante of Brussels as the EU Capital and many international bodies broadens opportunities for foreign companies. Furthermore, Brussels property market is one of the most competitive in Western Europe.

II Golf Tournament of the Spanish Community at Luxembourg

 

Last Saturday June 17th, the Chamber participated in the 2nd edition of the Golf Tournament for the Spanish Community in Luxembourg, which took place in Kikuoka Country Club. This tournament is organized in benefit of the Spanish Stand to social work at the International Bazaar in Luxembourg, being all the sponsors’ investment donated, as well as the amount obtained in the post-tournament raffle, to the International Bazaar’s activity. The initiative, supported by the Embassy of Spain in Luxembourg and the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, led to the collection of 5,200 € that will be donated to the social activity developed by the International Bazaar.

The tournament counted with the sponsorship of BPP Crèdit Andorra Group, ANDBANK, Credit Agricole & Indosuez, LUXHOTELS, BBVA and CREA HOUSE; There were also presents from many different sponsors: AEFICE (Asociación de Españoles Funcionarios de las Instituciones Europeas), Vicente e Hijos, Cortijo El Madroño, Golf House and Restaurante La Boqueria.

The prizes for the winners were donated by Teresa de la Pisa. The winners of this edition were Borja Morilla in first level, Ferdinando Angeletti in second level and Beatriz Querol in lady level.

The organizing committee and the Spanish Stand in the International Bazaar of Luxembourg thank the participation of all the participants, as well as the support of different institutions for their collaboration and the sponsors.

Sponsored by:

1 GOLD BPP_WM_CAFG_H sep-01-4 1.2 GOLD ANDBANK privatebankers_highres LXT_logo_blanc Imagen1

 

With the collaboration of:

embesplux Camara de BELUX-es bazar
3.2 Regalos Logo AEFICE

 

Panel-debate: “The effects of Brexit on business relations between Spain and the UK”

On June 15th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, in collaboration with the British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium, organized a panel-debate regarding the “effects of Brexit on bilateral trade relations between Spain and the United Kingdom”. Among the attendees, the Trade and Investment Director General from the Economy, Industry and Competitivity Ministry joined representatives of the Spanish Government and the Spanish Embassy in Belgium, members of both chambers, representatives of companies and European institutions as well as members of regional delegations.

The event, which took place at the British Chamber’s headquarters in Brussels, was hosted and moderated by Thomas Spiller, President of the British Chamber, who also welcomed and introduced the participants to the debate.

The first lecturer, Ignasi Guardans, partner at K&L Gates and member of the Executive Board at the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce, explained the Spanish Chamber’s activities related to European affairs. Moreover, Mr. Guardans presented the main data on the Spain-United Kingdom trade forecast from the corporate perspective, emphasizing the role of the Anglo-Saxon country as one of Spain’s most important trade partners.

Next, Ignacio Molina, senior analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute, presented Brexit’s institutional approach, performing a synthesis from the think tank perspective, from the territorial conflicts in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Gibraltar, to the importance of bilateral freedom of movement, not only regarding tourism, but also long-term residents and workers.

After Mr. Molina’s intervention, Javier Arias, Head of European Affairs at BBVA, stressed the great uncertainty present in the agenda, especially in the financial sector. Moreover, he underlined the deadly effects of higher costs and an investments downfall.

To conclude, Dirk Van Ham, Corporate Relations Director at Diageo, highlighted the significance of an understanding related to a future international trade agreement which includes in its regulatory benchmark movement of goods, capital and people, as well as the need for effective cooperation at the international level.

Following Mr. Van Ham’s comments the debate began, characterized by a high participation. Topics like consumer protection, SME’s role in the trade agreement’s negotiations, the territorial conflict in Catalonia and, specially, Spain’s position on the creation of an effective regulatory agreement were discussed.

In collaboration with:

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Conference “strategic and legal mechanisms for promoting private investment in Peru”

Last June 14th, the Chamber organized, in collaboration with its member DS Avocats and the firm Invertir, a conference about “strategic and legal mechanisms for promoting private investment in Peru”. The event was attended by Mr. Gonzalo Gutiérrez, Ambassador of Peru before the European Union, the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, representatives of European Institutions and several Spanish, Peruvian and Belgian companies, as well as some of the Chamber’s members.

To begin with, Gonzalo Gutiérrez, Ambassador of Perú before the EU, started his intervention by thanking the attendees’ participation and the Chamber’s efforts to organize such an event. To continue, a brief introduction on the close ties between his country and Europe was made, as a factor to explain how Peru has multiplied its trade by 10 during the last few years, the country’s GDP has increased by a rate close to 6%, poverty has been reduced from 58% to 22% and the middle class has grown an 18%.

The Ambassador also highlighted Spain as an example on telecom, mining and financial investments. To conclude, trade and investment were remarked as the fuel for development and growth in Peru during the next 20 years.

Afterwards, Daniel Córdova, CEO of Invertir, gave a speech on “the mechanisms of Public Works Tax Deduction and others to promote private investment”. Among the many business opportunities in the country, he emphasized those found at the transport, energy, health and telecom sectors. He also underlined, however, the water and mining sectors, since a third of the population does not have access to drinking water or education. As advantageous assets for investments made in Peru, he mentioned stable prices, a remarkable reduction on inflation and the fact that for the last two decades the country has experienced the highest GDP growth in Latin America.

Moreover, he explained the reasoning behind Public Works Tax Deductions for which the private sector invests on public works of their choice to promote the country’s development. To conclude, Mr. Córdova emphasized the healthy performance of the Peruvian economy and the many opportunities provided for companies.

Finally, Patricia Cuba-Sichler, Lawyer Counsel at DS Avocats, manager of the Desk for Latin America and Managing Partner at DS Lima, spoke about general concepts on corporate and tax law for firms to invest or create a subsidiary in Peru. According to Cuba-Sichler, Peru offers a series of advantages; such as its economic openness and its dividend repatriation, among many others. In addition, the Peruvian Constitution establishes the equality of enterprise -be it foreign or local companies- when it comes to investing in the country and there is a serious political commitment to extinguish the many infrastructural deficiencies.

The conference was held in a participative atmosphere, thanks to which all the attendees had the opportunity to pose several questions to the lecturers and interact with them.

 

 

In collaboration with:

Luncheon-debate with Pablo García-Berdoy, Ambassador Permanent Representative of Spain to the European Union

The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg hosted last June 13th a luncheon-debate with Pablo García-Berdoy, Ambassador Permanent Representative of Spain to the European Union, on “European Agenda”. At the event, we had the presence of Ms. Cecilia Yuste, Ambassador of Spain in Belgium, and there were chamber members of the Chamber, business executives, members of the Spanish and international diplomatic bodies, as well as representatives of European institutions.

Juan Rodríguez-Villa Matons, president of the Chamber, thanked the Ambassador for its presence, highlighting his diplomatic career in representations like Bonn and Manila, Cabinet Chief of the Secretary of State of External Policy and for the European Union, Cabinet Chief of the President of the Congress of Deputies and Ambassador of Span in Rumania and Germany, between others. Plus, he underlined the importance of the Official Spanish Chambers of Commerce in different countries as a tool to contribute in economic diplomacy.

Afterwards, Íñigo de Palacio, Global Director of Institutional Relations of Indra, made a consideration -from the big company’s perspective– about the current European framework. De Palacio underlined that we are in a decisive moment, in which trust in European institutions and its integration project are a key for society and for companies, despite the uncertainty and the economic recession.

On the other hand, the representative of Indra proposed two important challenges for Europe: security and migrations, for which international cooperation and humanitarian aid are essential. Furthermore, he underlined the importance of globalization and the process of digitalization in the current political framework. At last, he pointed out the need to provide shared security services, through connectivity of European economies, technological innovation and mobility.

Pablo García-Berdoy, Ambassador Permanent Representative of Spain to the European Union, after thanking all the participants for their presence, he started his intervention considering globalization as one of the main current challenges, mainly in the technological sector, but also in terrorism and migrations.  To face it, he explained different EU policies regarding interoperability and borders’ improvement.

 

As a second challenge, Berdoy mentioned about how to face competitiveness and to maintain our social model, underlining the importance of integration measures and the White Paper of the European Commission, in which different scenarios for the future of Europe were presented.

In a third stage, he focused on the Brexit subject, assuring all member-states should get prepared, especially in the company sector, besides negotiating financial perspectives in an economical context which reduces our spending capacity. At last, he wanted to highlight the requirement of consideration by the European Union in the security field, given Russian policy and the new North American administration.

Pablo García-Berdoy finished his speech with conciliating words, remarking the importance of national and European politicians to work together and share projects.

To finish up, there was a question and answers turn, in which the participants could ask their questions to the ambassador, mainly about the post-Brexit political scenario and EU exportation policy.

Juan Rodríguez-Villa gave an award to the Ambassador as a thank you for his participation in the luncheon-debate and his work as a head of the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU.

The president also wanted to make a special mention to Bodegas La Emperatriz, sponsors of the event’s wine.

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Event sponsored by:

 

The Chamber’s Trade Missions

Among the different services the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg offers, a series of trade missions are proposed , both direct and inverse and of different magnitude. This service is available to any interested company, either member of the Chamber or not, although our members do benefit of preferential rates.

The first stage of a trade mission consists on the prospection of potential future clients, as well as their characteristics, always under the parameters set before hand by the contracting company.

Once such potential clients have been targeted, a second stage is put in motion when the Chamber proceeds to reach to these clients in order to present the contracting company, reinforcing its corporate brand thanks to the Chamber’s.

During the third stage, a series of meetings are set with those potential clients who proved to be interested in the company’s activities during the previous stage.

This kind of trade missions allow companies to improve its knowledge regarding the market of their interest, a vital asset when it comes to defining marketing, prospection, promotion and sales strategies.

Our last trade mission was developed for Begoña Pascual Hormías, CEO of our member company Ipsa Ratio S.L, a language consultancy firm based in Malaga which proposes an exclusive learning model for an adult and professional public looking for results due to differentiation and exclusivity.

All their learning schemes are concentrated in a short period of time of one or two weeks thanks to a complete language immersion and themed workshops, during which the learning experience is paired with different sport, cultural, gastronomical and social activities.

In Ipsa Ratio’s trade mission, our member sought potential final clients for its services or possible agents to represent its company, both in Belgium and Luxembourg; the Chamber therefore prepared a meeting agenda which included firms fulfilling their parameters as well as some proposals from our own Commercial department. Moreover, a trade advisor accompanied her to the meetings, and the Chamber’s Headquarters were made completely available to have any desired corporate meetings.

In Begoña Pascual’s own words, the trade mission’s result and its final success can be summed up as follows: “the representatives and employees at the Chamber immediately identified which could be the greatest potential for my company’s services in Belgium and Luxembourg. I was regularly updated regarding the meeting agenda and its final version was closed a week prior to my visit. What is most remarkable is the fact that the Chamber’s team kept looking for business opportunities for my firm to include in the agenda until the last second. The Chamber helped me understand the tools which help promote direct contact with the local market and its operators. The Chamber’s both human and organizational support throughout the three stages has been excellent”.

If you were interested in arranging a trade mission, do not hesitate on contacting our Commercial department: info@e-camara.com

Spanish wine tasting in Luxembourg organized by Bodegas Salferso Wines

During the 25th and 26th of May, the winery Salferso Wine organized, in collaboration of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, an Open Doors event for the first anniversary of its store in Walferdange.

The following wineries participated in the event : Trus / Ribera del Duero, Lagar d’Amprius / Teruel, Ardèvol / Priorato, Nodus / Valencia, Oxer Bastigieta / Rioja, Alter / Ribeir, y Rodríguez de Vera / Almansa

The participants had the chance to taste different wines and other gastronomic specialties.

Success of the 6th edition of the workshop on social media management for business and European projects

Last June 8th and 9th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg hosted the 6th edition of the workshop on social media management for business and European projects, in order to promote the image of the companies in the European market.

During the first day, after all the participants presentations, the teacher Philippe Schifflers started by explaining the role of a community manager, his/hers skills and things to take into account in this position. Afterwards, he explained the main highlights of different social networks such as Facebook, Slideshare, Google+ or Youtube, as well as many tools for the creation of visual content, design and even measuring you impact, all of them very easy to use.

During the second day, Schifflers focused in two of the most powerful networks: Linkedin and Twitter, and the different ways to use them for creating engagement and positioning our brand.

Every edition there are new sections in the program. This time there was a new section on event communication, in which participants could learn the process of communication and coverage in different types of institutional and corporate events through social media.

The workshop took place in a very participative and dynamic atmosphere, in which the participants had the opportunity to know the basis of a good social media management in their particular positions at institutions, organizations and companies.