Meeting of the Forums Committee

On September 25th the third meeting of the year of the Forums Committee, a working group whose mission is to propose, organize and monitor the events organized by the Chamber, was organized telematically.

During the meeting, which was chaired by Pablo López Álvarez (FTI Consulting), a balance of the latest events organized by the “business circle” platform was made as well as new initiatives were proposed to be developed in the coming months, both locally and with the institutions of the European Union. Likewise, the activities carried out and the events planned within the framework of the Spanish Financial Forum and Competencia España Committees were discussed. Finally, the call for the 2020 Company of the Year Award, which is currently open, was discussed.

About the Chamber’s Committees

The Committees are made up by some of the members, as well as by the person in charge of the area in question in the Chamber.

These working groups have numerous functions: in-depth studies of proposals, problems, projects, and activities. Through them, the members influence the day-to-day life of the Chamber in order to better adapt the Chamber’s activities to the needs of the members.

At any time, a member can request the president of a Commission to join it or request the secretary general to create a new group.

Interview to José Luis Rodríguez, Rodal Advisory Sarl

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The Chamber and StepStone company have renewed their collaboration for the next 3 years

The Official Chamber of Commerce of Spain in Belgium and Luxembourg has renewed for the next 3 years its collaboration agreement with StepStone, a leading digital employment platform with more than 20 years of experience in the search of online workers, with the aim of helping all the users of the portal Empleobelux.com to find a job.
This collaboration will facilitate the job search for all users of the website managed by the Chamber as the number of offers published daily in which Spanish is in demand will be increased.
With this extension of the collaboration agreement, the Chamber seeks to provide a wider and more beneficial service for the users of EmpleoBelux, facilitating the recruitment processes in Belgium and/or Luxembourg thanks to a recognised company such as Stepstone.

 

National Security Council launches the risk management strategy

The National Security Council, enlarged to include the Minister-Presidents, met to discuss the work carried out by the evaluation unit (Celeval), who was asked to develop a longer-term vision of health risk management.

The six golden rules remain the same:

  1. Respect the rules of hygiene
  2. To practise your activities preferably outdoors
  3. Think about vulnerable people
  4. Keep your distance (1.5m)
  5. To limit close contact
  6. To follow the rules on gatherings

Concerning social contacts, citizens can see all the people they wish, provided they always keep their distance and, if this is not possible, wear a mask. In any case, citizens cannot see more than 10 people in the same place at the same time (excluding children).

Close contact with a person who is not part of their household, for more than 15 minutes without a distance of 1m50 and without a mask must be limited as much as possible. Given that studies show that most citizens need a numerical reference, the experts advise everyone not to have close contact with more than 5 people (outside the household) per month at this stage.

For events that are not organised by professionals, it is never possible to bring together more than 10 people at the same time in the same place (excluding children). On the other hand, events organised by professionals, under the cover of respect for the rules of the Horeca protocols, will not have a limit on the number of guests but will have to maintain a maximum of 10 people per table. Dancing will still not be allowed at this stage.

For events with audiences, the current rules will continue to apply until the protocols are adjusted. The National Security Council has asked Celeval to work with the relevant ministers and the different sectors to revise these rules to give stability and predictability to the sectors and give them the capacity to recover while continuing to protect public health.

Regarding wearing masks, it remains mandatory when safety distances cannot be guaranteed. Nevertheless, as it is unnecessary to impose it everywhere all the time, from 1 October masks will no longer be compulsory outdoors, except in extremely busy places where safety distances cannot be respected (determined by the local authorities) and in well-defined covered places such as public transport, shops or cinemas, for example, regardless of their level of attendance (see list in the ministerial order).

As far as shopping is concerned, there is no longer a limit on the number of people (always respecting the safety distance) and the time allowed for shopping.

In the professional environment, teleworking is still recommended.

On the basis of these six rules, Celeval’s experts continue to work on setting up a barometer of the epidemic at national, regional and also provincial level, which will be implemented gradually. This barometer needs to be further refined. It will operate according to a tiered principle: the more the situation worsens, the more restrictive measures need to be taken. It will be based mainly, but not exclusively, on the evolution of the number of hospitalisations. The aim is to reach a consensus in the Consultation Committee in a fortnight’ time.

A series of decisions have been taken on the subject of testing:

Increasing the testing capacity of existing triage centres and setting up new screening points. The federated entities are currently working on this.

The creation of a call-centre which will make it possible to concentrate all requests towards a single information point and relieve the burden on general practitioners.

The setting up of an appointment platform to dispatch requests through the available centres.

Reducing the administrative burden on doctors through the creation of a “Corona prescription” in mid-October for certain asymptomatic cases – such as return trips, for example.

Or encouraging patients to obtain the results of tests carried out directly on the internet, notably via the Cozo system or masanté.be.

About tracing, the Coronalert mobile application will be launched on 30 September. At the end of this month, a press conference will be organised with all the information about the application.

The quarantine has been shortened and simplified:

In the event of symptom(s), the patient must isolate himself immediately for 7 days and contact his doctor for a test as soon as possible. If the test is positive, the quarantine continues and if the test is negative, the patient can be released as soon as his/her clinical situation allows.

For asymptomatic persons who have had close contact with a positive person, as soon as the person learns or is contacted through contact tracing, the person immediately goes into quarantine for 7 days from the last day that the person had close contact with the infected person. This only in the case of close contact with the positive person. A single test is then necessary on the 5th day. If the test is positive, the quarantine is extended for another 7 days. If the test is negative, the quarantine ends after the 7th day.

As far as the return from holidays is concerned:

From Friday onwards, going to “red zone” region will be strongly discouraged but no longer forbidden.

Returning from an “orange zone” will no longer mean to be tested.

For travellers returning from a “red zone”, they will have to quarantine themselves from the 1st day of their return and test on the 5th day. They will be able to evade this obligation if they fill in a self-assessment document which, after analysis, authorises them to do so. These instructions do not apply to people who spend less than 48 hours in a red zone, such as cross-border commuters.

As regards couples of different nationalities and/or who reside in different countries, the conditions for their reunion have been relaxed. From now on, they will be required to prove at least six months (instead of one year) of living together, one year of relationship (instead of two) or, as before, the existence of a child together.

SOURCE:premier.be

Virtual breakfast-debate with MEPs Pilar del Castillo and Lina Gálvez: Priorities of the Committee on Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)

On September 22nd, the Spanish Official Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg hosted a new event within the cycle “Breakfasts with the European Parliament”, a platform for meetings between Spanish companies and the European Parliament, on the “Priorities of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) for the new term”. The event was attended by MEPs Pilar del Castillo (PP) and Lina Gálvez (PSOE), who belong to the Commission.

Pablo López Álvarez, Vice President of the Chamber and moderator of the event, welcomed and thanked the speakers for their participation and made a brief presentation.

Pilar del Castillo began by explaining how the energy sector is facing a wave of innovations related to the application of green energies and the decarbonization of the economy. The Commission has launched several communications on this subject, but has not yet published any legislation. The MEP also stressed the importance of innovation and research, as they are crucial for the whole economy and each of its sectors.

Del Castillo also emphasized the need for the legislative proposal made by the Commission to take into
account the entire value chain of the different industrial sectors. Finally, the speaker addressed the issue of digitization, highlighting that it was already an important issue before the coronavirus crisis, but now more than ever it is an indispensable element since it was the new technologies that sustained the economy and society during the toughest months of the crisis and continue to do so today. These new technologies also have to be applied as added value to the European Union in order to optimize their potential. The new technologies imply very important scales of investment, but they are even more necessary for the evolution of the SMEs.

As a member of the Artificial Intelligence Commission, the MEP also referred to AI as a central element that will revolutionize daily life and the economy, allowing for the optimization of investments and improving the competitiveness of companies. Del Castillo also referred to the importance of data in this process of digitalization, despite the fact that in Europe they are very compartmentalized. Therefore, a common space for European Union data would be necessary, which would be very useful to face, for example, health crises such as the one we are experiencing. All this without forgetting the crucial importance of privacy in this area.

Lina Gálvez took the floor talking, firstly, about the modification of the priorities of the ITRE committee as a result of the crisis of the COVID as well as the energy and digital transition (twin transition), mentioning the decrease in commitment to research and renewal by the EU in the latest budget negotiations, which she considers a big mistake. The MEP also explained how in Europe there has never been a single industrial strategy, although it is clear that there should be as a result of this crisis. Gálvez also stressed the importance of green energy, with the horizon of climate neutrality for 2050 to which not all member countries are at the same point. He also referred to how climate and energy legislation have a central weight in the regulatory agenda of the coming years: hydrogen, electric batteries and the long-term commitment to green energy are some of the items on the agenda.

Gálvez spoke of the power of the EU’s commitment to data strategy to benefit the industrial sector, along with the importance of the spirit of the European Union in the processing of this data, creating a common data strategy for all member countries to use for their benefit. Finally, the MEP stressed the importance of implementing a system so that citizens have rights and knowledge about the use of their personal data.

During the question time, the participants were able to ask several questions on various topics. Thus, topics such as the cuts in EU budgets and their impact on industry, the European Renovation Council, the preparation of the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience, the hopes and priorities of the new Commission on Artificial Intelligence, and finally on the ITRE Commission and its proposals to address the crisis were discussed.

From the Spanish Official Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg we would like to thank Lina Gálvez, Pilar del Castillo, and to all attendees for joining this event.

Meeting of the Board of Directors

On September 18th the Board of Directors of the Chamber met telematically.

During the meeting, a review was made of the current situation that the Chamber is going through as a result of the Covid-19, the Competition Committee and the Spanish Financial Forum were discussed and the next events and activities programmed were detailed.

In addition, the candidatures received for the Chamber’s Business of the Year Award were discussed, which will be resolved in the near future.

Online training course on “Preparing for the European Institutions competition tests”

Last Saturday 19th September, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organized an online training course on “Preparing for the European Institutions competition tests” with its company member ORSEU.

This 6-hour training course was aimed at graduates & professionals willing to work as a permanent civil servant in the European Institutions. This training course studied the 4 computer-based tests present in the Administrator competition (AD5) which are also applies to any other EU competitions organised by EPSO. The trainer explained in detail how the competition tests work and went in detail into the methodology of each computer-based test. The participants had the opportunity to practise on tests questions which were then corrected as well as they had the chance to ask their questions. At the end of the training day, the participants acquired the basics in each of the computer-based tests to improve their score at the EU competitions.

ORSEU is one of the leading specialists in the preparation for the EPSO EU competition tests. ORSEU is recognised for the emphasis on understanding the methodology that has been trialled and tested by thousands of candidates.

 

In collaboration with:

The Chamber helps entrepreneurs to improve their business projects through the EYE programme.

Fernando Chico and Emanuel Lemus-Monge are two entrepreneurs who have worked together thanks to the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) programme between July and September.

Emanuel Lemus-Monge is one of the Chamber’s young entrepreneurs within the EYE programme. He enrolled in the programme in May of this year because he wanted to discover more about the working dynamics in a start-up. In addition, he wished to improve his Spanish and discover a new culture for him, such as the Spanish one.

A few months after his registration he was put in contact Fernando, a passionate Spanish entrepreneur and founder of Focus360, thanks to this EU programme, which aims to promote the exchange of knowledge between entrepreneurs from different European countries.

Fernando, who has been participating in the programme since 2019, believes that one of the main advantages of this programme is its usefulness for entrepreneurs looking for to improve and perfect their project. In his case, his company, Focus360, is dedicated to facilitating and helping companies to manage their business in a simple and comfortable way.

Fernando and Emanuel began their collaboration in mid-July in Denia, Valencia. During their exchange, they worked mainly on promoting good communication within the team, organising meetings and visits with clients and future project partners and identifying potential investors. In addition, they have carried out research in databases and analysis, where Emanuel has been able to share his most academic point of view thanks to his studies.

Due to the Covid-19, Emanuel had to shorten his exchange and return to Belgium early. “Being on an exchange abroad during this particular time was a bit stressful at times,” he says. In spite of this, they were able to continue working and this situation didn’t have a great impact on the objectives they had set for this exchange, because as Fernando indicates “the team already had largely operated remotely, the adjustments were minimal”.

Now that the exchange is over, neither of them sees an end to their relationship, “We began to explore several interesting points for the future of Focus360° with Emanuel, I hope to be able to conclude most of those points with him and see what can be done to maintain that collaboration. Emanuel is now a partner in our project,” says Fernando. Emanuel is starting a master’s degree in data analysis this year and hopes to return to the Focus360° project in the future for a longer time and with more experience.

Click here to discover more about the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs.

Contact us to register in the program by sending an email to erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com

Interview to Paula Redondo Pereira, SOCIÉTÉ DE LA BOURSE DE LUXEMBOURG S.A.

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Webinar on “The tax obligations in Spain for individuals living abroad”

 

Last September 14th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organized a webinar on “The tax obligations in Spain of people who have moved abroad”, in collaboration with its member company B LAW&TAX. The webinar was given by Inmaculada Pineda and Almudena Soler, partner and tax advisor respectively at B LAW&TAX.

During this webinar the different tax obligations that displaced persons abroad can have in Spain were explained. For this purpose, in first place, the criteria used by the Spanish administration to determine tax residence through the personal income tax law or the different double taxation avoidance agreements were explained. The particular case of diplomats and officials of the European institutions was also addressed. In addition, it was presented the different formal requirements for making the change of tax residence effective.

Secondly, they discussed the different implications of tax residence in terms of taxation and profits, income from work for services rendered outside Spain, as well as the requirements for applying any exemptions in these cases. With regard to wealth tax, the applicable regulations were presented according to the residence, the limits and benefits applicable together with their different applicable deadlines. Then, the Model 720 for the declaration of goods and rights abroad was discussed, explaining who is obliged to present this model, the content, the deadlines and possible sanctions.

Finally, participants studied the implications of non-residence for taxation and tax benefits under Spanish law. They determined the possible taxation of income from real estate or movable capital, capital gains as well as the declaration models and deadlines. Lastly, new developments in the taxation of individuals were addressed.

Throughout the different blocks the participants were able to express their different doubts with the speakers. The questions dealt with different cases such as posted workers, the case of taxation of non-work income for officials of the European institutions or the formal obligations when indicating the address of residence.

From the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg we would like to thank BLAW & TAX for their excellent presentation as well as all the participants for their presence.