Online Breakfast-Debate with Francisco Casalduero, Project Manager, Defence Development Programme, DG DEFIS: “The European Defence Fund: the European Commission’s view on the opportunity for Spanish industry”

On Thursday 19th November 2020, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organised a new virtual breakfast debate in the framework of its “Business Circle” platform. The breakfast focused on “The European Defence Fund: the European Commission’s View on the Opportunity for Spanish Industry” and Francisco Casalduero, Project Manager, Defence Development Programme (DG DEFIS), European Commission was the guest speaker.

Pablo López Álvarez, Vicepresident of the Chamber and event moderator, welcomed and thanked the speakers and all the attendees.

Afterwards, on behalf of the member company and sponsor of the event, SENER, Fernando Horcada, Head of the Representative Office in Brussels, Director EU and NATO Programmes, took the floor and thanked the speaker. Horcada highlighted SENER’s long history in the field of defence both at a national level and through NATO. First of all, he wanted to clarify that the future European Defence Fund (EDF) will not be part of the European recovery mechanism (Next Generation EU) but of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2021-2027. The EDF will mean that for the first time European Union funds can be devoted to the defence sector due to a change in the position of the Member States as a result of the need to generate greater strategic autonomy for the EU as a result of geopolitical changes such as Brexit or the position of the US administration with respect to the financing of defence in Europe.

Francisco Casalduero began by summarising the history of some pilot programmes such as the Preparatory Action on Defence Research and the current European defence industrial development programme (EDIDP). Both these pilot programmes and the future European Defence Fund (EDF) are devoted exclusively to research and development of military capabilities, never to training or the acquisition of assets by Member States. Furthermore, these European projects are distinguished from other European programmes in that they are based on exclusively military requirements and aspects. These defence sector projects are based on innovation and cooperation between entities from several Member States, which is at the same time their greatest asset and challenge. The development of the EDIDP 2019 has yielded interesting figures that invite optimism regarding the future EDF: an average of 14 entities from 7 Member States take part in the projects, including a significant number of SMEs, in which Spain plays a very important role with a success rate of approximately 60%. The speaker detailed the status of negotiations on the future European Defence Fund (EDF), which will form part of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2021-2027 and is therefore pending agreement between the European Parliament and the Council. The future EDF will be based on a work programme planned for the spring and will go beyond the classic military areas (land, sea, air) and will also integrate new areas such as cyber security, space and digital clusters.

During the round of questions, the attendees were able to put forward their doubts and comments on several areas of interest. Topics such as the eligibility of technologies and civilian technology centres for programmes in this field, the orientation of the programmes towards the Commission’s political priorities (Green Deal or digitalisation), the position of NRBC technologies in the future EDF, the facilities for applying to calls for proposals or participating in consortiums, and the continuity of projects between the various defence programmes were therefore addressed.

From the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg we would like to thank Francisco Casalduero, our partner company SENER Aerospace for sponsoring this event and all those present for their participation.

Event sponsored by:

The Chamber presents the EYE programme at KU Leuven University

On 16 November, the Chamber presented the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) programme to 35 students of the Master’s in Business Economics in the specialisation of entrepreneurship and innovation at KU Leuven University.

During the class “Foundations of Entrepreneurship”, Paula Úbeda, Project Assistant of the Chamber, gave the students information about what the EYE programme is, who can participate, the registration process and the benefits of this programme. Furthermore, as an additional element, the Chamber presented the profile of a Dutch host entrepreneur interested in new entrepreneurs in the sustainable design sector in Belgium.

This presentation and collaboration with the department of administration, strategy and innovation of the Katholieke Universiteit de Leuven demonstrates the importance of cooperation between universities and organisations to continue promoting and supporting future entrepreneurs in Europe.

The Chamber appreciates the invitation of KU Leuven University and Professors Michael Moedl and Pieter Vermeulen to present this international entrepreneurship opportunity to their students and looks forward to continuing collaboration with them to promote entrepreneurship and enterprise among university students.

If you would like to know more about the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme, please contact Soraya Bravo (project manager) sending an email to erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com.

Webinar: Substance requirements and future application of the MLI to Spanish infrastructure and real estate structures

On November 12th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organized a webinar on “Substance requirements and future application of the MLI to Spanish infrastructure and real estate structures” in collaboration with Deloitte Luxembourg, with the participation of three experts from Deloitte in this area: Francisco Da Cunha (Partner), Samara Brey (Senior Manager) and Victor Sanlorien (Senior). The webinar took place within the framework of the Spanish Financial Forum, a committee of the Chamber focused on the financial services industry.

Marta González Benguria, General Secretary of the Chamber, who acted as moderator of the event, introduced the speakers and thanked them for their participation.

Francisco da Cunha then took the floor and thanked the Chamber for the invitation and all the attendees for their interest in the event. The speaker began by explaining the concept of ‘Substance’ in the context of tax treaties against double taxation and how this concept has evolved throughout the different versions of the treaties in terms of impact and coherence.

Samara Brey went on to discuss the Multilateral Instrument (MLI), which is currently operational in 94 different jurisdictions including Spain and Luxembourg. She explained what steps were needed for the MLI to apply to a Double Taxation Convention between two countries and what the minimum standards were that countries could not change. Samara also explained the principle purpose test (PPT), the test which seeks to determine whether treaties to which the MLI applies are not used to create opportunities for non-taxation or reduction of taxation. Therefore, Brey recommends that companies document that their operations have a substance and legitimacy that goes beyond mere tax reasons. The rapporteur went on to talk about the Danish Cases, and the case law they have created.

Victor Salorien spoke about the interpretation of these rules by the Spanish administration and justice and in particular the interpretation of the term ‘substance’ in Spain and Luxembourg respectively.

After the presentation, a question session was opened during which the attendees were able to raise all the doubts that had arisen during the event.

From the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg we would like to thank Deloitte Luxembourg and the speakers for their collaboration in organising the webinar.

In collaboration with:

Deloitte Accountancy - Credit Expo België

Virtual breakfast-debate with MEP César Luena López: Priorities of the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI)

On Friday 13th November 2020, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organized a new conference as part of the “Breakfasts with the European Parliament” cycle, a platform for meetings between Spanish companies and the European Parliament. The breakfast focused on “The priorities of the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) for the new legislature” and was attended by MEP César Luena López, vice-president of the Committee.

 Pablo López Álvarez, Vice-president of the Chamber and moderator of the event, made a brief introduction of the speaker to whom he thanked for his participation as well as all the attendees.

César Luena López began his speech by emphasizing the recent approval of the European Parliament’s position on the European Climate Law. This position includes a series of binding targets for Member States and the Union as a whole with the aim of reducing emissions by 60% by 2030, establishing intermediate targets for 2040 and finally achieving climate neutrality on the continent by 2050. The speaker also wanted to highlight from this draft legislation, which now moves to negotiations under trilogues, the implementation of a budget linked on carbon and a European council on climate change. The rapporteur on the European strategy for biodiversity gave a few insights on the dossier that will establish binding targets, generate a paradigm shift in consumption or adaptation of agriculture and fisheries with appropriate budget support. This biodiversity strategy must be based on funding of at least an additional 10% apart from the existing climate funds and address issues such as legal protection of soil and the management of invasive alien species in our ecosystems.

During the question time, the attendees were able to present their doubts and comments on many issues of interest. Thus, topics such as improving collaboration between sectors involved in animal health, the strategy “farm to fork”, the latest trends in Brexit or the potential impact of U.S. elections on environmental issues were discussed.

From the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg we would like to thank César Luena López and all those present for their participation.

 

Interview to Rodrigo Peñas from Cacesa

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Online Breakfast-Debate with Cristina Lobillo Borrero, Director of Energy Policy at DG ENER of the European Commission: The role of European energetic policy in achieving the objectives of the Green Deal

On Tuesday 10th November, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organised a new virtual breakfast debate within the framework of its “Business Circle” platform. The breakfast focused on “The role of European energetic policy in achieving the objectives of the Green Deal” and Cristina Lobillo, Director of Energy Policy at DG ENER of the European Commission was the guest speaker.

Pablo López Álvarez, Vicepresident of the Chamber and moderator of the event, welcomed and thanked the speakers as well as all the attendees.

Afterwards, on behalf of the member company and sponsor of the event, Repsol, its Director of Institutional Affairs Spain & Europe, Marta Camacho Parejo, took the floor and thanked the speaker. Camacho highlighted the groundbreaking commitment of Repsol to the fight against climate change, as demonstrated by the fact of being the first energy company to commit to climate neutrality by 2050 or to sign the Kyoto Protocol. In order to achieve this ambitious goal, the enterprise is committed to a change of paradigm that involves the circular economy, technological neutrality, and the concept of the ‘refinery of the future’, based on hydrogen and synthetic fuels. Marta also pointed out urban fuels and biofuels as the necessary path for a relatively rapid decarbonisation of our economies, that will allow us to meet emission reduction and climate neutrality targets. Finally, she concluded by highlighting the value of industrial hubs in order to generate an innovative European industry that is a source of employment and economic value.

Cristina Lobillo Borrero began by outlining the strategy followed by the Commission over the last decade in terms of reduction of greenhouse gases, such as the reduction targets for 2020, the energy regulatory packages since 2007, and the Paris Agreement.Today, we face a scenario of renewed climate ambition.As a result of this ambition, the current European Commission made an ambitious commitment to reduce emissions by 55% for 2030 and achieve climate neutrality for the continent by 2050 through the Green Deal. Also, in this regard, the Commission launched the proposal for a Climate Law, currently under negotiation, as well as the implementation of a fair transition mechanism to assist with investments and adequate funds for those sectors that need more renovation or will be most affected.

Lobillo also put emphasis on the work being done by the Commission. They are working to propose in the work programme for 2021 a whole range of legislation that also includes the revision of some energy directives.  All this from a realistic approach based on impact studies. The speaker also explain the link between the recovery fund (Next Generation EU) and the Commission’s priorities, since obtaining these funds will be linked to the objectives of the Green Deal, the digital transition and the European semester. Finally, Lobillo highlighted the international reality in which it is more necessary than ever for the EU, which produces barely 9% of global emissions, to remain active in international forums in order to ensure that the major economic centres also commit to climate neutrality.

During the round of questions, the participants were able to express their doubts and comments on many areas of interest. Thus, topics such as the capacity of Member States to absorb all recovery funds given their volume, the proposals for the border adjustment mechanism with regard to carbon or the European hydrogen strategy or the renewal of the gas sector were discussed.

From the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg we would like to thank Cristina Lobillo Borrero, our member company Repsol for sponsoring this event and all attendees for joining this event.

Event sponsored by:

Cacesa chosen as Company of the Year 2020

The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg recognizes, in the VI Edition of its “Company of the Year” awards, the great trajectory of Cacesa and its relevance in the international and European market and especially in the Belgian one.

With this award, the Chamber of Commerce rewards the international presence of a company with more than 30 years of history, with operations in the 5 continents and with one of the most advanced messaging systems in the market. Cacesa has known how to adapt, at all times, to the needs of the market and its customers and has demonstrated leadership and competitiveness within its sector. In Belgium, the company has been able to accredit its quality and state-of-the-art technology for the massive and agile data processing and information exchange with customers, suppliers and customs authorities, deriving an image of excellence for the benefit of the Spanish industry.

The Spanish company is 75% owned by Iberia, which, since 2011, has been part of IAG, one of the world’s largest airline groups. It is a logistics operator specializing in transporting goods by air, land and sea with 6 complementary areas of services ranging from customs management to transport for e-commerce, a sector in which Cacesa has grown dramatically in recent years thanks to its collaboration with major online shopping platforms and the increase of this industry since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2019 they began their international expansion to other countries of the European Union and established at Liège Airport its third logistics hub for the reception and processing of e-commerce goods, logistics centre that this year has seen a large increase in the volume of parcel services. The advanced technological tools that they have developed internally, as well as their know-how, are their spearheads and have allowed them to advance into other markets, such as the one that is opening after Brexit. This has been the reason for the opening of the new delegation in Mouscron (Wallonia), to carry out the e-commerce customs activity between the European Union and the United Kingdom from the 1st of January. Without a doubt, for Cacesa, Belgium is the most important country after its Spanish parent company and its objective is to continue advancing in new activities and investments to be developed in the country throughout the following years.

Interview to José Serrano Sanz from DLINEA Architecture & Design

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Federal government votes in favor of comprehensive socio-economic support plan

The coronavirus crisis is not just a health crisis. It is also a serious socio-economic crisis that is hiting hard people and businesses. The federal government cannot and does not want to remain indifferent to all these people and businesses that are on the brink. They need help today: concrete support that is significant enough to get them through this second difficult period in less than a year.

This is why the government chooses not only to extend the support measures that were in force during the confinement imposed in the spring (until the first quarter of 2021 included), but also announces a whole new series of measures. The cost of this aid could be seen as a one-time expense, but it is much more than that: it is an investment in people and businesses that before the crisis were self-sufficient and economically sound, but they are no longer because of the difficult circumstances.

With these support measures, the federal government focuses on four main objectives:

1.support people who had a job but who, due to the difficult situation caused by the coronavirus, lost it or had to close their business. We want to support them both in their income and in maintaining their social rights;

2. Save healthy companies by supporting them both in terms of their liquidity (cash flow) and their solvency;

3. Support people living in poverty or at increased risk of poverty. As they are often disproportionately affected by the coronavirus crisis;

4. Strengthen crucial sectors which have been particularly affected by the crisis: in particular health care, education and agriculture and horticulture.

  1. Main measures

Extension of existing measures

1. Possibility of individual postponement of payments in the fiscal field without fines or late interest.

2. Tax exemption of subsidies granted by towns, municipalities and federated entities.

3. Reduction of VAT (6%) on hydroalcoholic gel and masks.

4. Extension of free notarial powers of attorney avoiding going to the notary.

Suspension of checks on the residence condition (maximum 29 days abroad per year) under the income guarantee for the elderly (GRAPA).

  • Business support

Extension of existing measures

6. Extension of the increased deduction for investment of 25% until the end of 2022, allowing SMEs, one-person businesses and the liberal professions to deduct a large part of their investments from their taxable income.

7. Extension of the SME guarantee scheme and the credit insurance guarantee scheme until June 30, 2021. Simultaneously with this extension, the Ministry of Finance will extend, in consultation with the financial sector, the current moratorium for loans to companies.

8. Reopening of temporary unemployment due to force majeure to all companies. During this period, the temporarily unemployed salaried worker receives compensation equal to 70% of his gross monthly salary (capped at 2,754.76 euros). In addition, the salaried worker receives an allowance from the ONEM of 5.63 euros per day of temporary unemployment. This measure will apply until March 31, 2021, with the possibility of extension.

New measures

9. Implementation of the agreement of the social partners by which the State partially intervenes in the financing of the holiday pay for the temporarily unemployed. In the calculation of this holiday pay, the days of temporary unemployment are assimilated to days worked.

10. Broadening of the scope of the exemption from social security contributions for the third quarter of 2020 to other sectors (than the hotel and catering industry and the events sector) which have been forced to close. Suppliers in sectors that have had to shut down can also resort to this measure if they can provide evidence of a loss of sales of at least 65%. A ceiling will be applied per company with regard to the total amount of this exemption.

  • Support for self-employed workers

Extension of existing measures

11. Extension of the double “droit passerelle” right in force until December 2020 inclusive for all sectors that have had to close. For a self-employed person with no family, this amounts to 2,583.4 euros per month. For a self-employed person with a dependent family, this amounts to 3,228.2 euros per month.

12. A new “droit passerelle” will come into force from 1 January 2021, which can still be invoked in the event of a crisis. It will be based on a significant decrease in turnover. The concrete modalities will soon be developed taking into account the opinions of the General Management Committee.

13. Additional postponement for the payment of the contribution payable by companies until the end of 2020. A postponement was already planned until October 31, 2020; it is now extended until December 31, 2020.

14. Supplementary allowance for incapacity for work so that self-employed cohabitants who are sick also benefit from an allowance as high as the “droit passerelle” (this is already the case for single self-employed workers and self-employed workers with family responsibilities) . Concretely, this is a premium of more than 300 euros per month.

New measures

15. Temporary improvement of traditional “droit passerelle”, in particular through better accessibility for starters and maintenance of the constitution of pensions.

16. Payment plans for self-employed workers who have obtained a deferral of payment of social contributions, while retaining the right to reimbursement of health care costs. Until December 31, 2021.

  • Support for salaried workers

Extension of existing measures

17. Reduction in the withholding tax for temporary unemployment.

18. The Ministry of Finance and the Minister of the Economy will consult with the financial sector in order to extend the current moratorium on mortgage and consumer loans. The consultation will also concern “leasing”.

19. Temporary unemployment due to a child in quarantine. The current measure will be extended to other situations where the child must be placed in quarantine, with a certificate of control.

20. Additional allowances for incapacity for work to reach the level of temporary unemployment benefit. Concretely, this means that, if the incapacity for work allowance is less than 70% of the average gross monthly salary (capped at 2,754.76 euros), it will be accompanied by a supplement of 5.63 euros per day. up to that amount.

Flexible access to unemployment for artists. Artists who can provide proof of at least 10 artistic performances or 20 days of work during the period from March 13, 2019 to March 13, 2020, are granted access to artist unemployment.

22. Additional budget of 13.07 million euros for consumer vouchers in the healthcare sector and extension of the validity of consumer vouchers until the end of 2021.

New measures

23. Payment by the ONEM of a supplement to the end-of-year bonus to workers who have been temporarily unemployed for a long time. Workers who have been temporarily unemployed for at least 52 days in 2020 will receive a supplement to their end-of-year bonus of 10 euros per additional day of temporary unemployment (beyond 52 days). For any worker meeting the conditions, the total supplement will always amount to a minimum of 150 euros.

24. Support plan for (tele) services and teleworking of civil servants. Concretely, this involves providing coaches and training in stress resistance and the fight against burnout for managers in the context of remote management of staff, improving the effectiveness of interviews and selection tests and improvement of digital communication for civil servants.

25. A single envelope of 200 million euro is foreseen for hospital staff (salaried and self-employed workers). The competent minister will consult with the social partners to finalize these support measures for hospital staff. Consultation will also take place with the federated entities in the Interministerial Public Health Conference.

  • Support for the most vulnerable

Extension of existing measures

26. Grant of 50 euros per month for beneficiaries of the integration income, the income guarantee for the elderly (GRAPA) and the income replacement allowance (ARR).

27. Extension on the freeze of the degression of unemployment benefits until the end of 2020. As a result, the unemployed will not experience a reduction in their unemployment benefits from April 1 to December 31, 2020.

28. Continuation of winter plan for homeless people.

29. Increase in the reimbursement percentage (up to 15%) to the CPAS for the payment of integration income.

New measures

30. Entry into action of the Vulnerable Groups Task Force. This task force will develop measures, in collaboration with actors on the ground, to support the most vulnerable. A budget of 75 million euros is foreseen for this purpose.

  • Additional workers in critical sectors

Extension of existing measures

31. Increase in the quota of voluntary overtime up to 220 hours in the healthcare sector, other crucial sectors and essential services. This additional overtime will be tax exempt; no additional salary will be applied.

32. Facilitate the temporary posting of workers to another employer in the healthcare or education sector.

33. Temporarily unemployed people can work in agriculture and horticulture, healthcare and education, with 75% of their benefits maintained.

34. Allow the temporarily unemployed to conclude successive fixed-term contracts of at least 7 days with another employer, in the care and education sectors.

35. Increase in the ceiling for the accumulation of integration income with seasonal work income and student work income with a study grant.

36. Extension of COVID-19 Volunteer Compensation Fund and Authorization for Commercial Hospitals to Engage Volunteers.

37. Extension of measures relating to pensions. The aim is, among other things, that pensioners who have an activity as an employee or self-employed can combine their pension with temporary unemployment compensation or “droit passerelle”. In addition, the constitution of the pension of temporarily unemployed persons will be preserved, including the constitution of the second pillar. It is also necessary to prevent pensioners who temporarily resume an activity, for example in the health care or education sector, from losing part of their pension.

38. Doubling of the seasonal work quota also in 2021 and temporary unemployment for seasonal workers who arrive in Belgium and must be placed in quarantine.

Source: belgium.be

Online-Breakfast Debate: “European Recovery Plan: Current situation and future perspectives”

On Thursday 5 November, the  Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organised a new virtual breakfast debate in the framework of its “Business Circle” platform, which focused on the “European Recovery Plan: current status and perspectives” and featured Enrique Verdeguer Puig, Counsellor of Economy in the Spanish Representation to the EU, Marta Marin Sanchez, Delegate of the Basque Country to the EU and Patricia Cirez Miqueleiz, Permanent Delegate of the CEOE to the EU.

Pablo López Álvarez, Vice-president of the Chamber and moderator of the event, welcomed and thanked the speakers and all those present for their participation.

Next, on behalf of the partner company and sponsor of the event, Ruth Estrada, partner in Schuman Associates, took the floor. Estrada initially stressed the unprecedented scale of the recovery funds under the Next Generation EU funds for a total of 750.000 million euros, of which Spain will be the second country to benefit most with 140.000 million, which represents 1.8% of the European Union’s GDP and around 70% of the 2020-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework. These investments, which are eminently public, must go hand in hand with public-private collaboration in order to immediately face the economic consequences of the current pandemic and, in the medium and long term, comply with the Union’s strategic objectives regarding the decarbonisation and digital transition of our economies. Estrada also wanted to highlight the fact that these European investments will be managed at the level of the Member States through national budgets.

 

Enrique Verdeguer Puig began his speech by describing the latest developments in the Next Generation EU’s negotiation, which are part of a broader debate with the Multi-annual Financial Framework and are complicated by certain sensitive points such as the rule of law or its link with other European programs. From the Council of the European Union, Member States have already concluded the appropriate agreements and everything is on track for the imminent opening of negotiations with the European Parliament through the trilogues. Despite the progress made in the negotiations and the general optimism, there are some specific points which are causing concern among the Union’s partners, such as the governance of payments in complex administrative contexts such as Spain, and the European Commission’s audit and control mechanisms over these funds. In this particular context, the Spanish administration is in constant dialogue with the European Commission through the competent task force. Finally, the Counsellor of Economy wanted to highlight the approval scheme that the Member State will have to go through before receiving the payments, such as the presentation of the national plans (until April) that will have to be linked to the recommendations of the European semester and the medium-term objectives of the European Union.

Secondly, Marta Marin Sánchez took the floor and referred to the need for the Autonomous Communities to be features within Spain’s national plan in those areas of their competence such as health, employment and education. The Basque Government Delegate in Brussels wanted to highlight how part of the recovery funds should be channelled to the Autonomous Communities through transfers from the state level and then implemented under programs or tenders that fit in with other strategic projects. In this scheme, it is also important to take into account the local level in order to try to adapt investments as much as possible to the terrain, and this is where opportunities for public-private partnerships can arise.

Thirdly, Patricia Cirez Miqueleiz made an intervention, presenting the business perspective on the Next Generation EU. The permanent delegate wanted to highlight the effort being made by CEOE to disseminate the opportunities presented by these funds for the private sector through the opening of a technical office and the creation of a digital platform to address the concerns of Spanish companies. In order to efficiently optimise these funds, it will be necessary to reform the administrative regulations in Spain to limit or shorten the deadlines and requirements of some administrative mechanisms given the size of the investments and the short time frame for their execution. Cirez also highlighted the fact that these funds must go hand in hand with structural reforms in areas such as the labour market, maintenance of pensions or ecological and digital transformation in order to comply with the recommendations of the European semester. Furthermore, these funds must not lose sight of recovery in the short term and must therefore be urgently directed towards the most affected sectors by the Covid crisis.

During the time for questions, the attendees were able to express their doubts and comments on numerous issues of interest such as the reduction of the administrative burden for companies that participate in these mechanisms, the different sensitivities present in the negotiations, the possibilities of public-private collaboration that includes the third sector, as well as the objectives of convergence and integration of the European Union in the recovery funds.

From the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg we would like to thank Enrique Verdeguer Puig, Marta Marin Sánchez and Patricia Cirez Miqueleiz for their participation, and our partner company Schuman Associates for sponsoring this breakfast debate and all those present for their attendance.