The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2021.
We would like to inform you that the Chamber will be closed from Wednesday December 23rd until Sunday January 3rd. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
To help businesses to face covid-19 crisis and its impact on the economy, parliament on Thursday passed laws allowing two new forms of state aid, including compensation for the increase of the minimum wage.
Two new business aid measures, already outlined earlier this month by minister for small and medium-sized enterprises Lex Delles (DP), were adopted by MPs in the chamber on Thursday. Thery are aimed at helping businesses overcome the economic repercussions of the health crisis.
In order to help cover part of the uncovered costs of businesses in the restaurant, tourism, event, culture and entertainment sector, new financial assistance will be allocated in the form of monthly capital grants.
This contribution is only being allocated to companies that were already active in 2019. A company launched in April 2020, for instance, will not be eligible. In addition, in order access the grants, businesses must have suffered an economic loss of at least 40% during the period from 1 November 2020 to 30 March 2021, compared to the same period in 2019-2020.
Authorities will also take into account the size of the business. Accordingly, the maximum monthly subsidy is €20,000 for micro-enterprises (below 10 employees), €100,000 for small businesses (10-50 employees) and €200,000 for medium-sized (50-250 employees) and large businesses (more than 250 employees).
The form to request these aids can be found online.
Compensating the increase in minimum social wage
The aid announced by prime minister Xavier Bettel (DP) to compensate for the increase in the minimum social wage (SSM), which will come into play as of 1 January 2021, was also adopted by MPs on Thursday. This is a €500 capital subsidy that can only be paid once to businesses in sectors hit the hardest by the covid-19 crisis.
The amount is calculated on the basis of the number of full-time employees hired before 31 December 2020.
Extension of the short-time working scheme
Finally, during a meeting of the economic and social committee on 17 December, it was decided that businesses forced to keep their doors closed in light of the current restrictions, may, in exceptional cases, benefit from an additional period to apply for short-time work for the month of January 2021.
To this end, the companies in question, who have not yet submitted a short-time working application for the month of January will be able to do so via MyGuichet.lu until 30 December 2020 included.
This article was originally published in French on Paperjam.lu and translated and edited for Delano.
The Federation of Spanish Official Chambers of Commerce in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania (FEDECOM), of which the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg it is a member, presented its annual award to SEAT on Monday December 14th in Paris.
With this recognition, FEDECOM distinguishes every year a Spanish company that stands out for its commercial activity and international profile in one of the Federation’s member countries.
The ceremony, which took place at the Residence of the Spanish Ambassador in France, counted on the presence of Pedro Sánchez, President of the Spanish Government. Sánchez presented the award in a ceremony, highlighting SEAT’s projection as a recognised Spanish brand worldwide, an example of an export company that serves as a model for so many other companies, their commitment to sustainability and innovation, their resilience and capacity to reinvent, its alignment with European values and its commitment to the Spanish chamber system.
SEAT is the leading Spanish industrial investor in R&D and the leading export company in the Spanish manufacturing industry with an export volume of 9 billion euros in 2019. Its constant innovation and transformation over the past 70 years have marked its path to become 
a reference for mobility.
The President of the Government presented the FEDECOM Prize to the Director General of SEAT France, Robert Breschkow. Robert Breschkow underlined the satisfaction of “being recognised for promoting trade, the business development and our contribution to the good name of Spain and Spanish companies abroad”. Breschkow added that “we have been, are and will be a company that wants to generate wealth, share prosperity and offer the best mobility solutions to make life easier for people”.
FEDECOM President Eduardo Barrachina also spoke at the award ceremony held at the Spanish Embassy in Paris. Among other things, Barrachina said that “SEAT is industrial heritage and economic history of Spain”, adding that “SEAT has a place in the memory and e
motional universe of the Spanish, precisely because their cars have accompanied our prosperity”.
Barrachina has highlighted the extraordinary relationship between the Government (through the of State for Trade), the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and the Chambers of Commerce abroad, of which SEAT is a major and very important player. Furthermore, the President of FEDECOM took the opportunity to remind those present of the future projects in what the Federation is working on: the digitalisation of these institutions to bring the network of Chambers closer to all its users, the development of a map of services to collaborate with the Public Administration and improvement in communication and visibility to enhance the value of the work that is carried out by the institution does.
The FEDECOM Prize award ceremony was attended by about 40 guests, including personalities and representatives of Spanish companies in France.
On Thursday, December 17th, the fourth meeting of the Forums Committee took place online. The main functions of this working group are the proposal, the organization, and the supervision of all the events organized by the Chamber.
During the meeting, which was chaired by Pablo López Álvarez (FTI Consulting), an assessment was made of the latest events organised in the framework of the “business circle” tribune, as well as the online training course “Public advice strategies and dialogue with European institutions” which took place in mid-November.
In addition, the activities carried out and the events planned within the framework of the Spanish Financial Forum and Competencia España Committees were discussed. Finally, several topics and possible speakers were proposed to hold events that may be of interest to members and the Chamber’s network in the run-up to 2021.
About the Committees of the Chamber
The Committees are made up of some of the members, as well as the person in charge in the Chamber of the area in question.
These working groups have numerous functions: in-depth studies of proposals, problems, projects, and activities. Through them, the members influence the Chamber’s day-to-day life in order to better adapt the Chamber’s activities to the members’ needs.
At any time, a member can ask the chairman of a Committee to join it or ask the Secretary General to set up a new group.
On 16 December last, the Board of Directors of the Chamber met remotely.
During the meeting, a review was made of the current situation that the Chamber is going through as a result of theCOVID-19, the Competition Committees and the Spanish Financial Forum, two new working Committees recently created by the Chamber, were discussed, and the upcoming events and activities programmed were detailed.
Additionally the budget for 2021 was also presented and discussed. Finally, Bert Dehandschutter, from the law firm Racine, was appointed treasurer of the Chamber.
Last Friday December 4th, the Cultural and Scientific Department of the Spanish Embassy in Belgium, and the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, with the collaboration of the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) and the Spanish Office of Science and Technology (SOST) organized the third edition of the “Mediodías de la Embajada”, within the framework of the Spain means Innovation program.
The webinar was focused on “Towards new urban mobility: new alternatives to the automobile, digital technologies and transport innovations”, as part of the program of scientific diplomacy and dissemination of science, technology and innovation of Spain in Belgium. The event explored the innovation and business opportunities between Spain and Belgium in the field of electric mobility.
The Spanish Ambassador in Belgium, H.E. Mrs. Beatriz Larrotcha, started the event with the welcoming words and stressed the successful collaboration between Spain and Belgium in the field of science and technology among many others. H.E. Mrs. Beatriz Larrotcha thanked all the attendees for their presence and the speakers for sharing their story. Mr. Mikaël Van Eeckhoudt, mobility advisor, followed in the use of the floor on behalf of Elke Van den Brandt, Brussels’ Minister Mobility, Public Works and Road Safety, and highlighted the efforts carried out in Brussels and many other cities around Europe to ensure the correct transition into e-mobility taking care of aspects as the required infrastructures or reduction of pollutant mobility.
Noshin Omar, CEO of Belgian company Avesta Battery & Energy Engineering (ABEE) shared its experience of collaboration with Spain in the development of electric mobility solutions based on good practices and knowledge sharing as a fundamental part of the partnership without forgetting the importance of commercialization. From Ikerlan, the Spanish counterpart in this collaboration, Igor Villarreal Sarria, Head of Department, detailed the different initiatives and projects they are currently working in as well as the fluid relation with ABEE. After that, Marina Martínez, H2020 Programme Officer in the CDTI-SOST Office in Brussels, explained the very different opportunities for research and development of e-mobility solution under EU projects for Spanish companies.
Finally, during the debate moderated by Beatriz Ríos, Journalist, the speakers had the chance to discuss about the potential and future of green mobility innovation in the transition towards a decarbonized economy, the importance to put the citizens welfare in the center of all mobility policies, the need to smooth project management and reduce the administrative burden as well as the sensible issue of the origin of some critical raw materials like cobalt or lithium in some African countries.
From the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, we want to warmly thank all the attendees for their presence and the speakers for their interesting presentations.
On Thursday December 3rd 2020, 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 “Towards a new agri-food model. The implications of the ‘From Farm to Fork’ strategy in the Spanish agri-food sector”. Ricard Ramón i Sumoy, Deputy Head of Unit of DG-Agri at European Commission, took part in the debate, which was moderated by Mazaly Aguilar, Vice-President of the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. A discussion panel was then opened with Jose Carlos Caballero from Alianza Rural, Gabriel Trenzado, Director of European Union Affairs in Cooperativas Agroalimentarias de España and Juan Carlos Gallego, Farmer.
Pablo López Álvarez, Vice-President of the Chamber, made a brief introduction of the sector in our country and thanked all those present for their participation.
Mazaly Aguilar, Vice-President of the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and moderator of the event, introduced the different speakers and highlighted the importance of the agri-food sector and the farmers for our country due to its economic weight and territorial importance.
Ricard Ramón i Sumoy, Deputy Head of Unit of the European Commission’s DG-Agri, began his speech by explaining how the European Commission has worked hard to maintain a strong Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) based on direct allowances for farmers, which also involves maintaining the continuity and viability of agricultural holdings without forgetting responsible soil management in the medium term. The rapporteur highlighted how the agricultural sector is the first to be affected by climate change and the environmental challenges of sustainability.
In the current framework of the Green Deal, which aims to lead and accelerate the transformations needed to address the current climate emergency, the Commission is working on the Farm to Fork Strategy to address all these challenges.
This strategy is based on establishing common efforts and objectives for the whole Union and involves various legislative changes such as reducing the use of pesticides and fertilisers, promoting the organic sector in line with the market or reducing the use of medicines without forgetting the fundamental European strategic priority of defending biodiversity.
At the international level, it is hoped that European agri-food standards will be expanded internationally and will be a fundamental axis in the assessment of relations with third countries. Finally, Ramón i Sumoy highlighted the enormous opportunity represented by the recovery funds to undertake the changes and investments necessary to accelerate the indispensable transformation in various areas of the sector.
After the first intervention, the various guests at the discussion table were able to react, highlighting various aspects such as the importance of fund all legislation in scientific facts, the disjunction in terms of yields between organic and traditional agriculture, the need to focus on solutions for the sector rather than mere prohibitions, the role that technology will play in the transformation or the difficulty in measuring and quantifying the impacts on the sector.
The discussion panel was then opened to debate on various issues such as the challenges and opportunities posed by environmental regulations, the need to understand and adapt to the consumer, generating the right environment to take advantage of opportunities, as well as the impact of the Green Deal on relations with third countries.
Throughout the event, the attendees were able to express their doubts, questions, and comments on numerous issues of interest. Thus, topics such as the impact of European regulation in third countries where local conditions were not taken into account, the compatibility of European environmental standards with WTO rules, the adaptation of the CAP to the different territories, as well as the challenges of the sector to have profitability and fair prices that allow its viability were addressed.
From the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg we would like to thank all the speakers for their participation, as well as all those present for their attendance.
On November 25th, the General Assembly of the Network of Official Chambers of Commerce in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, FEDECOM, held an extraordinary meeting, attended by representatives of 23 Chambers, spread over the 4 continents.
The Assembly, chaired by Eduardo Barrachina (President of the Chamber in the United Kingdom), was attended by Cristina Olazabal, Deputy Director General of the Secretary of State for Trade and Jaime Montalvo, International Director of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce. Our Chamber was represented by our President, Juan Rodríguez-Villa.
The COVID-19 crisis is affecting the network’s chambers with different intensities, and synergies are being sought between chambers and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce to enable them to overcome the current situation.
FEDECOM’s structure into three Vice-Presidencies (Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Asia and Oceania) improves the service provided to the network as a whole.
Direct financial assistance is not considered in the GIPs, which are currently under discussion.
The draft budget includes an item of approximately EUR 800 000 for the digitisation of official cameras abroad, which are integrated into CAMACOES (FEDECOM + FECECA).
Information is provided on actions aimed at strengthening public-private collaboration: agreement between the Secretary of State for Trade – Spanish Chamber of Commerce – CEOE and possible opening up to advisory agreements, which may allow for effective interaction between the Administration and the business world. The chambers abroad should also play a leading role in the implementation of these actions.
Social communication networks are a privileged vehicle to use in communication. The exchange of information between cameras will give FEDECOM greater visibility.
On November 24th and 25th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, in collaboration with its member company CWC Consulting, organized a workshop on “Erasmus + KA2 Project: Prepare to receive funding”, which was given by Paloma Cantero, CEO of the company and expert in European affairs, European financing and network development.
The workshop gave the attendees the opportunity to better understand the Erasmus + program and the different funding opportunities within it. Specifically, the training addressed, in the first place, the different key actions, as well as their priority activities. Subsequently, the speaker moved to a more practical perspective, where she explained to the participants the different stages of the project application cycle: from registering on the program platform and obtaining an IOD number to tips, tricks, and best practices for writing and successfully submit a project proposal.
Lastly, during this training, which lasted a total of 4 hours, Paloma Cantero individually advised the participants on some key issues such as the creation of a consortia or the specific rules to participate in Belgium.
The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg is starting a new series of collaboration with Agoria, a Belgian association that brings together more than 1600 technology companies and whose main objective is to provide its member companies with personalized advice, access to market studies and a network of companies interested in collaborate in the field of technological innovation.
Last Th
ursday, November 26th, the Chamber co-organized with Agoria’s Energy Technology Club a webinar focused on the opportunities to invest in Spain in the energy sector.
P.J. Provoost, Agoria’s Business Development Manager and Marta González, the Chamber’s Secretary General, welcomed all the member companies and expressed their satisfaction with this new collaboration. After them, María Palanca, Counsellor of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy, explained the main energy policies in Spain and presented the areas in which investments are a priority as well as the relevant actors. For its part, the guest company, Iberdrola, described its main projects and explained the technologies in which they are interested in investing, through Diego Diaz Pilas, Head of New Ventures & Technology Prospects.
