Virtual breakfast-debate with Sergio Baches Opi from the EC Legal Service

The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg has hosted on Wednesday 29th June a new virtual breakfast-debate with Sergio Baches in the framework of the working group “Competition Spain”, a committee in which member companies of the Chamber address specific issues and aspects of European Competition Law and Policy that may affect them; or in which they are interested in deepening with the aim of positioning Spain as a leader in this field within the european sphere.

The event, followed by almost 20 companies, was led by Sergio Baches Opi, member of the legal service of the European Commission, who reviewed the recent jurisprudence of the Court of Justice on cartels and presented the most relevant cases of the last two years in this area: from the condenser cartel or the electrical cable cartel to the ‘Sumal case’.

Miguel Troncoso, President of the working group “Competition Spain”, acted as moderator during the webinar; in which he also encouraged participants to reflect on the scope of responsibility for the actions of the different parties that integrate a sanctioned company.

After an intense year of CJEU jurisprudence, Baches Opi has summarised the arguments used by the Executive of the European Union to determine whether or not there is bid rigging by the companies accused, and when the subsidiary can be held liable for the conduct of its parent company “directly” involved in the infraction.

Afterwork among members and entrepreneurs in Brussels

Last 28th June, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organised an afterwork among members and entrepreneurs in Brussels, in collaboration with the Eurostars Montgomery Hotel.

These events are an initiative of the Chamber that seeks to promote networking and the generation of entrepreneurial opportunities among its members and entrepreneurs.

The event was attended by 30 participants, including members of the Chamber, entrepreneurs, and Spanish and European public bodies.Attendees were able to discover the European programmes that the Chamber manages and could enjoy an aperitif in a relaxed and ideal atmosphere to interact and generate business opportunities.

This new edition of the already well-known afterworks organised by the Chamber was focused in introducing the StartCraft and the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Programme and once again demonstrated the success of this type of initiative and reaffirmed the organisation’s will to continue offering members, enterprises and entrepreneurs a suitable space where they can strengthen ties between different professionals.

The European Startcraft project continues to support the training of craft entrepreneurs

StartCraft, the craft entrepreneurship training project funded by the Erasmus+ programme, has already completed the first phase to enhance the skills entrepreneurs will need to manage their businesses and improve their productivity through online materials and teaching notes.

Once the learning packages and the market training tool have been developed, the partners have been in contact with craft students and experienced trainers and craftsmen in order to evaluate their outputs and offer a different perspective on how to improve the lessons.

Now, the project starts a new phase with the development of didactic notes for VET trainers. This will help VET students and new and future craft entrepreneurs to complete their online training with recommendations and pedagogical contents that will be divided into two parts.

Click here to access the newsletter for more details about the initiative.

Ordinary General Assembly 2022

On 20 June, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg held its Ordinary General Assembly 2022 at the Cervantes Institute in Brussels. The day resumed the attendance lost during the last assemblies due to Covid-19 and gathered a large number of members and different personalities among which the Ambassador of Spain in Belgium, H.E. Ms. Beatriz Larrotcha Palma, stood out.

The event was opened by the President Pablo López-Álvarez who wanted to thank all the members present and, in particular, the Honorary President, the already appointed Ambassador of Spain in Belgium, for their attendance. López-Álvarez also wanted to show once again his gratitude to everyone for the trust they placed in him more than a year ago when they appointed him President of the Chamber.

Positive trend

Following the Agenda, the Secretary General of the Chamber, Marta González Benguria reviewed the main activities and events organised by the Chamber in the past financial year 2021. She highlighted the positive trend that the organisation has been following in recent years in relation to the increase in the number of members and, consequently, in the number of dues. He also highlighted the increasingly relevant presence of the Chamber as a platform for debate and dialogue with EU institutions, as well as the diversification of its activities and participation in various European projects.

In the absence of the Treasurer and having previously sent the necessary documentation to the members, the Secretary General made a brief review of the accounting situation of the Chamber, having obtained a profit of almost 60,000 euros in the financial year 2021 and a total asset of 1,281,476 euros. Both the Secretary General and the Vice-president, Abelardo García, affirmed the good financial health of the entity and highlighted the high diversification of the income derived from its different commercial activities. This diversification was exposed as a great value that ensures the economic viability of the entity, making it less dependent on the difficulties that may arise from situations such as Covid.

Annual Accounts

The annual accounts and the disclaimer of the Board of Directors were approved by the assembly, and the next item on the agenda was the revision of membership fees and the reform of the Articles of Association.

After explaining that the Chamber’s membership fees have been frozen since 2016, the President pointed out that the accumulated inflation of this period has amounted to 13%, so that after deliberation the Board of Directors, as the governing body, proposed a 20% increase in membership fees for all members, exempting members in the “entrepreneurs” category.

The increase in fees, which was unanimously approved, will come into effect on 1 July for both renewals and new registrations. Automatic indexation for subsequent years was also ruled out, so that future assessments will be based on the economic situation and the state of inflation.

Regarding the reform of the statutes, the members were informed that a draft of the statutes had been consolidated and that work is underway on an explanatory report on the statutes. Once these two documents have been completed, the Economic and Commercial Department will be responsible for submitting them to the State Attorney General’s Office, which will be responsible for their revision, after which the statutes will again be submitted to the Board of Directors and subsequently presented to the members at the Extraordinary General Assembly for final approval.

Elections

The Secretary General announced the names of the members who will complete their term of office, as well as the candidatures received, which, in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, are standing for re-election.

This year, due to the limited number of nominations (6 nominations for 6 seats), all candidates were elected to serve as members of the Chamber’s Board of Directors for the next 3 years by popular acclamation.

The new members of the Board of Directors, as well as those revalidating their posts, are:

– Joseba Arriortua, Individual Member (Member)

– Eva Chamizo, Iberdrola (Member)

– Susana Garayoa, Zabala Innovation (Member)

– Andrea Oriol, LaLiga (Member)

– Angel Rebollo, Arpa EU Affairs & Communications (Member)

– Miguel Troncoso, Gómez-Acebo & Pombo (Member)

Departure from the Board of Directors:

– Juan Rodriguez-Villa Matons, Aspro Parks Group (Past President and Member)

– Manuel Mostaza, Atrevia (Member)

The President took the opportunity to thank the members who are leaving the Board of Directors for their intense work and dedication during these years, highlighting the important value and legacy that Past President Juan Rodriguez-Villa Matons leaves in the Chamber and his always unbeatable disposition for advice and accompaniment.

Ambassador

Ms. Beatriz Larrotcha Palma, Ambassador of Spain in Belgium, took the floor and expressed her gratitude to all the Spanish companies for representing a solid and fundamental business fabric for the Spanish economy. She highlighted the good work of the Chamber and its position as the most active of the national chambers, as well as its recognised prestige as a centre for debate and dialogue with the European institutions. He urged the highest representatives of the organisation to continue in the current line of work and stressed the importance of finalising the new statutes that guarantee a solid legal framework with regard to the administrations and members.

At the end of the Assembly, the President thanked the Spanish Ambassador, who will soon be leaving her diplomatic mission in Belgium. Rafael Chamorro Martín, the representative of the Spanish Tourist Office, was also bid farewell, highlighting the good relations that had been enjoyed during the years of his mandate.

Finally, the President of the Chamber thanked the Secretary General and her team for the work they have been doing. He highlighted the work of the interns who have been part of the team during these months, wishing them good luck in their professional future and highlighting their good work, training and knowledge acquired in the entity.

 

 

Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs consortium meets again in Valencia

On 13 and 14 June, the Chamber participated in the consortium meeting of the European Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme which was held again in person after almost two years of working together virtually.

The meeting was attended by representatives of all intermediary organisations of the consortium acting as the local contact point for the EYE programme.

These two days of meetings served to share experiences and further strengthen the collaboration between the partners, as well as to establish the next actions to continue supporting European entrepreneurs.

EYE is a transnational exchange programme funded by the European Commission that offers young entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn from experienced entrepreneurs running small businesses in other participating countries.

The Chamber, as the local contact point in Belgium and Luxembourg, offers practical and financial support to entrepreneurs and businesspeople in these countries.

For further information, please contact:

Noelia Sanchez, project manager

erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com

Online Training on “EU Funding for non-profit organizations- Project Management”

On June 15th, 16th and 17th the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organized the training on “European Funding for Non-Profit Organizations – Project Management” in collaboration with FondosEuropeos.eu and LocalEurope.

During these three days of virtual sessions, the best tools, and competences to access and manage European funds in the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 were presented to the participants.

In addition, during these three sessions, different topics were discussed, among which it is worth highlighting the European funding, the search for partners and projects, as well as the administrative, financial, and communicative Management necessary for a successful operation.

From the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg we would like to thank FondosEuropeos.eu and LocalEurope for their collaboration and dedication and the participants for their presence.

 

Luncheon-debate with José Manuel Campa, Chairperson of the European Banking Authority (EBA)

On 15 June, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium Luxembourg held a new luncheon-debate at the Cercle Münster in Luxembourg, which was attended by José Manuel Campa, Chairman of the European Banking Authority (EBA). The event was entitled “The major challenges for European banking in the current environment”.

A wide range of people attended the event, including executives from Spanish banks, consultancy firms and public bodies.

The event was opened by the President of the Chamber, Pablo López-Álvarez, who took the opportunity to thank all those present for their attendance. He then highlighted Campa’s extensive career, highlighting his experience as Secretary of State for the Economy at the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Finance and at Banco Santander as Global Head of Regulatory Affairs at Banco Santander. López-Álvarez also stressed the importance of monetary policies and banking regulations.

Campa took the floor and began his speech with a brief summary of the situation in recent years, since he took over the European Banking Authority in 2019 until today, emphasising the challenges of having to move the EBA headquarters from the UK to Paris at the beginning of his mandate due to the situation created by Brexit, in order to keep it within the EU.

Origins of EBA

After the introduction, the speaker went on to talk about the origins of his institution, which date back to 2011 as a consequence of the 2008 economic crisis, and proceeded to explain his role, which, in general terms, is to build a greater Europe from the banking sector.

He went on to talk about how the banks handled the pandemic situation, explaining that it turned out better than expected and reported that bankruptcy has decreased over the years.

However, Campa also placed particular emphasis on the current problems in the supply chain, which is not functioning properly and supply is not keeping up with demand. He concluded his speech by addressing the current banking problems related to the war that is generating a series of disruptive changes in the environment.

To conclude his speech, the president of the EBA explained the two major challenges facing the banking environment, which are technological changes (Fintech) and climate change.

The presentation was followed by a question and answer session where participants were able to express their opinions and raise different issues related to the presentation.

La presentación fue seguida de una sesión de preguntas y respuestas en la que los participantes pudieron expresar sus opiniones y plantear diferentes cuestiones relacionadas con la presentación.

 

14/06 Interview with Pablo Múgica FRIME

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Luncheon-debate with Florika Fink-Hoojier, Director General for Environment of the European Commission

On 10 June, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium Luxembourg held in Brussels a new luncheon-debate with the presence of Florika Fink-Hoojier, Director General for Environment of the European Commission. The event was entitled “Green transition: opportunities and challenges for European companies in an increasingly polarised world”.

A number of people attended the event, including company managers, delegates from the Autonomous Communities, representatives of Spanish and European organisations, consultants from different areas and various partners of the Chamber.

The conference was opened by the President of the Chamber, Pablo López-Álvarez, who took advantage of his speech to thank all those present for their attendance. He then highlighted the extensive career of the speaker Florika Fink-Hoojier, who has developed both in the private sector and in the European institutions, where she has held various positions of responsibility over the years.

López-Álvarez also took the opportunity to highlight how, in recent years, environmental policies have been becoming more important, to the point of becoming cross-cutting and key elements on which to build the EU’s future strategies.

Fink-Hoojier took the floor to begin his speech and to offer a brief review of the policies of her department in relation to the impulse that the institutions have given to the continent’s ecological transition. She pointed out that the packages of measures that have been used in recent months to respond to the Covid crisis are evidence of the commitment of the EU-27 to move towards the transformation of a new economic and social model that guarantees the sustainability of future generations.

Enviromental policies

The speaker highlighted how the recent crises have been a catalyst, so that, through the new financing mechanisms, more funds are allocated for the development of environmental policies that are now transversal to all the departments and measures promoted from Brussels.

Focusing on the role of industry and business in the continent’s green and digital transformation, which according to Fink-Hoojier must always go hand in hand, she highlighted how companies are increasingly aware of the great opportunity that the path towards climate neutrality and sustainability represents.

The ambitious plans of the Commission and the Member States, committed to a profound transformation in structural matters such as energy autonomy (REPowerEU) and the new European industrial policy, will involve the mobilisation of substantial funds. They are expected to be synonymous with the creation of thousands of jobs and a new green economy with a high degree of added value.

Fink-Hoojier also pointed out that her department, as well as the EU as a whole, sees the conservation of biodiversity as a key priority. Only in this way, we can prevent serious consequences that would have a major impact on our societies, such as future pandemics, as well as ensure key issues such as food security.

After the presentation, there was a round of questions where the participants could give their opinion and ask different questions about what was exposed, as well as creating an excellent environment for dialogue and debate.

From the Chamber we would like to show a special thanks to Bodegas “Encina Blanca de Albuquerque” whose wines “Blanco 12 Cepas” and “Tinto 9 Cepas” could be tasted by all the attendees, as well as to the participants, who made this event a very successful luncheon-debate.

 

07/06 Interview Innside Luxembourg – Javier Segura

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