Comercial opportunities in Belgium and Luxembourg after COVID-19

COVID-19 has had a very different impact in Belgium and Luxembourg marked by a light lockdown and strong determination by public administration to support its business and protect employment. This health crisis has been without any doubt a mayor disruptive factor that highlighted some existing tendencies already putting in place in both markets. That is why, despite the limited uncertainty, some opportunity window seem to be opening in the next months in Belgium and Luxembourg in the upcoming months making them two very interesting destinations for internationalization strategies for Spanish companies.

In this context, the Chamber has developed a series of collaborations with various Spanish territorial chambers to present the Belgian and Luxembourg markets to Spanish companies. In particular, presentations were made for the Chamber of Commerce of Pontevedra, Vigo and Villagarcía de Arousa, Madrid Network and the Chambers of Commerce of Zaragoza and Mallorca. Throughout these webinars, the main sectors of interest in each country were presented and a series of recommendations were given to companies interested in internationalizing their product or service.

The internationalization of companies will be a key element for their survival in the post-Covid situation.

During the months of September and October, the Chamber is planning new presentations.

These are the dates:

  • In collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Gran Canaria, 17th September at 11:00
  • In collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Huelva, September 29th at 11:00
  • In collaboration with the Chambers of Avilés, Gijón and Oviedo, 30th September at 11:00
  • In collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Huesca, October 2st at 9:00
  • In collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of La Rioja, 6th October at 9.30am.

Webinar on “Impact of Covid-19 on the Spain’s Real Estate Industry and on the value of assets”

On July 8th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, organized a webinar on “Impact of Covid-19 on the Spain’s Real Estate Industry and on the value of assets”, in collaboration with Gesvalt.

The event was organized within the framework of the Spanish Financial Forum (SFF), a Committee through which the Chamber aims to create a space for opinion and debate on economic and financial issues in Luxembourg where members can share experiences, establish collaborations and exchange information on trends in the sector.

The Vice-president of the Chamber and President of the SFF, Jose Luis Rodriguez Alvarez, highlighted the professional career of the speaker and appreciated her participation in the webinar.

Sandra Daza, General Director of Gesvalt, made a presentation about the effects of Covid-19 in the real estate sector in Spain, and the trends that can be expected. In her presentation she went into detail about which values have been more or less affected, the state of the hospitality sector, how the demand will evolve within the real estate sector, what changes we can expect in the price of assets, what will happen with prices when they return to normal and, consequently, the possible business opportunities.

During the question time, the participants could present their comments and questions on many interesting issues. Thus, various topics were discussed such as the situation of vacation real estate assets located on the coast in the face of declining tourism or what consequences the increase in eCom transactions we are experiencing today will have for the retail sector.

In collaboration with:

The Interinstitutional Concertation Committee extends the obligation to wear a mask in Belgium

The Interinstitutional Concertation Committee held a meeting on Thursday 9 July in the presence of the members of the Exit Strategy Expert Group (GEES). On this occasion, the members presented a new report to the political leaders in which they recommend the extension of the mandatory use of the mask. They agree with the opinion issued by the Superior Council of Health. On this basis, the Interinstitutional Concertation Committee decided to extend the compulsory use of masks, therefore following the new recommendations of the GEES.

As a reminder, the use of the mask was already compulsory in a limited number of situations, such as in public transport or in the exercise of a profession with close contact with the public (hairdressing, etc.) for instance.

From Saturday 11 July, the use of the mask will also be compulsory:

– in shops and shopping centres;

– in cinemas, theatres, concert halls, conference rooms, auditoriums, places of worship, museums, and libraries

This list could change over time, depending on the epidemiological situation in Belgium. The use of masks is still recommended in other situations.

Citizens who do not respect the obligation to wear a mask in the cases mentioned above may be subject to penal sanctions as stipulated in the ministerial decree. In addition, this decree will specifically consider the possibility to close establishments which repeatedly violate the current rules.

As a reminder, the mask is not compulsory for children under 12 years old. Particular provisions are also made for persons who cannot wear a mask for medical reasons.

A National Electronic Safety Council will ratify this decision on Friday 10th.

The authorities recall and insist that the mask is an additional protection that does not dispense with the six “golden rules” of deconfinement, namely:

– Apply hygiene measures such as regular hand washing;

– Encourage open-air activities;

– Pay particular attention to vulnerable groups;

– Maintain a safety distance of 1.5m as far as possible;

– Limit the number of contacts (15 people per week);

– Limit the size of meetings (15 people).

These six golden rules remain the first line of defence against the virus.

The Chamber presents the Erasmus program for Young Entrepreneurs in the Midis de l’emploi of the ULB

On July 3 the Chamber participated in the Midis de l’emploi, a series of workshops organized by the Université libre de Bruxelles with the aim of informing their students about the different employment options after their studies.

During the workshop entitled “Is the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program for me?“, the Chamber had the opportunity to discuss about entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills with the students, in addition to presenting this mobility program for entrepreneurs in Europe.

The workshop was also attended by Emanuel Lemus-Monge, a young entrepreneur who registered through the Chamber who will begin his exchange in Spain in the coming days.

The students were very interested and presented their questions to the manager of the project at the Chamber, Soraya Bravo, who gave them individualized recommendations for their exchanges abroad.

Interview to David Sanchez (AtelierDavidSanchez)

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Extension of the agreement with Belgium on the social security affiliation of cross-border workers teleworking until August 31st, 2020

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Luxembourg, many companies have implemented measures to increase the use of the telework. However, working from the home for cross-border workers may have consequences for their affiliation to social security under the provisions of European legislation for the coordination of the social security systems of Member States.

Romain Schneider, Minister of Social Security, from the beginning of the crisis contacted his Belgian, German and French counterparts to find an agreement to avoid an affiliation change if a certain threshold was exceeded (a 25% according to the EU regulation) for workers and employees affected. Following these contacts, it was decided that, in view of the current exceptional situation, the days of telework due to the COVID-19 crisis would not be taken into account for the determination of the social security legislation applicable to the workers in question, and therefore would have no influence on your affiliation to social security.

This agreement has just been extended with Belgium until August 31st, 2020. With regard to France and Germany, an official response should soon arrive.

Romain Schneider points out: “The extension of this agreement is a strong gesture of solidarity from our neighboring countries. Telework is an important tool in the fight against the spread of COVID-19, so companies and employees must be able to continue without suffer any undesirable consequences. I am sure that France and Germany will also support this approach by extending the agreement that we have had so far”.

 

Communicate of the Ministry of Social Security

 

Source: Gouvernement.lu

Interview to Rogier Van Zantem, Hotel Meliá Luxembourg

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Webinar on “VAT and international transactions”

On July 2nd, the Spanish Official Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, organized a webinar on “VAT and international transactions” in collaboration with its member company Spanish Vat Services.

The speaker, Fernando Matesanz, Managing Director of Spanish VAT Services, explained the new regulations of the European Directive on the tax aspects of intracommunity operations, emphasizing the implications that these have in relation to VAT, citing among others; call off stocks, chain transactions or the importance of VAT identification. He then explained the recent legislation proposed by the European Commission and their main developments, in order to facilitate and harmonize the rules applicable to the taxation of VAT in e-commerce, as well as its current status and future measures applicable to digital platforms from next year 2021.

At the end, a Q&A round was held in which the participants were able to raise their doubts about the information presented.

From the Spanish Official Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, we would like to thank Fernando Matesanz for his presentation and dedication, as well as the participants for their presence.

 

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FEDECOM Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceanía

For the third time so far this year, the General Assembly of the Federation of Official Chambers of Commerce of Spain in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania (FEDECOM) was held.

On this occasion, the main reason of the meeting was to inform about the measures planned to face the consequences, essentially economic, that affect the chambers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Along with the Strategic Plan presented by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, specially aimed to reinforce the relationship between the territorial chambers and the network abroad, some formulas that affect the financial support necessary to cope with the crisis are under study.

The intervention of the Secretary of State for Commerce, Xiana Méndez, revealed the difficulties to find an immediate solution to the problem, that some chambers of the federation are starting to struggle with.

During the meeting some formulas were raised, that will be studied, to deal with the rising treasury needs.