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.

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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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Webinar on “Covid-19: consequences on employment relationships in Belgium”

On June 23rd, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, organized with SD Worx a webinar on “Covid-19: consequences on employment relationships”.

The conference was held by, Valérie t’Serstevents, legal consultant in national and international law at SD Worx, that spoke about key issues at the moment such as different telework schemes, changes in the situation of international workers who have moved to work in one territory, unemployment linked to covid-19, the parental leave by covid-19 recently introduced in Belgium, rules regarding dismissal or the possibility for workers to demand postponement of their holidays when they have coincided with the period of confinement.

After the presentation, the participants had the opportunity to ask their doubts about the topics discussed. The questions addressed to the speaker concerned the status of payments considered as ‘travel expenses’ when travels no longer take place or the differences between structural and occasional teleworking.

 

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Virtual round table on “The tourism sector in post-Covid-19 Europe: Challenges and opportunities”

On Wednesday, June 17th, from 11:00 to 12:30, the Embassy of Spain in the Kingdom of Belgium and the Spanish Tourist Office in Belgium, in collaboration with the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, organized a virtual round table on “The tourism sector in post-Covid-19 Europe: Challenges and opportunities”, a special edition that is part of the Mediodías de la Embajada events.blank

The debate was chaired by Rafael Chamorro, Director of Spanish Tourism Office in Belgium, and featured H. E. Ms. Beatriz Larrotcha Palma, Ambassador of Spain to the Kingdom of Belgium. For the roundtable the speakers were Eduardo Santander, CEO & Executive Director of European Travel Commission, Thomas Reynaert, Managing Director of Airlines for Europe, Sara Pastor, Managing Director, Destinations EMEA of Adara and Cristina Nuñez, Managing Director of Network of European Regions for a Sustainable and Competitive Tourism – NECSTouR.

The welcome words were given by H. E. Ms. Beatriz Larrotcha Palma, Ambassador of Spain to the Kingdom of Belgium, stating the importance of tourism for Spain and Europe and the great effort put in place by Spanish authorities to restore trust in Spain as a safe destination. The Ambassador also thanked all the organizers for the webinar as well as to all the attendants for their interest.

Following the welcome words, Rafael Chamorro, Director of Spanish Tourism Office in Belgium, Presented all the speakers and opened the roundtable by giving some key numbers about the critical importance of tourism sector not only for Spain but also for Europe as around 10% of EU’s GDP depends directly from this sector. Despite some disparities between EU countries, the economic importance of tourism in terms of employment and growth make compulsory for Europeans to be able to travel again with open borders.

blankDuring the debate, Eduardo Santander, CEO & Executive Director of European Travel Commission, insisted in the fact that this crisis might be the perfect opportunity to rethink tourism once the health crisis is over. As some symptoms of the lack of sustainability arise earlier than the COVID-19 crisis, it is the perfect time to think in a future of tourism with a green mark that gives opportunities to regions that traditionally were not receiving much tourism (España vaciada) rather than coming back to unsustainable massified destinations.

Thomas Reynaert, Managing Director of Airlines for Europe, gave his impressions on how severely this crisis has affected the airlines and how they are taking measures to recover from it. Airlines will also be key for the development of the green deal strategy in the near future in addition to some harmonization policies needed in the sector at the EU level. The speaker also highlighted the importance of individual responsibility in flights as long as the health crisis lasts even if the safety is completely ensured thanks to air technologies on planes.

Sara Pastor, Managing Director, Destinations EMEA of Adara, shared with the audience a general picture on how the crisis has been faced by the sector and how the data shows we are starting to rise the curve of reservations as Europeans have not lost their will to travel. This current scenario means that the right strategy to attract the tourists can make the difference for all actors in the sector (regions, hotels, airlines, etc.). A common strategy Europe-wide is needed to prevent comparative advantages (and disadvantages).blank

Cristina Nuñez, Managing Director of Network of European Regions for a Sustainable and Competitive Tourism – NECSTouR, highlighted the importance of regions in this sector recovery as it is crucial for them to keep attracting public attention by focusing on their strong points. She also agreed that this crisis can be a huge boost for rural areas or regions that traditionally were not among top destinations, therefore it is important to generate trust in the tourist that are looking for this non-massified destinations.

During the Q&A session, participants were able to raise questions of their interest. Some topics covered during this session were the need to restore trust in tourism or the opportunities given to rural areas.

 

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Webinar on “The appropriate word as a strategic instrument for international growth”

On June 4th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg hosted a webinar on “The appropriate word as a strategic instrument for international growth”, in collaboration with its member company Lextrad.

The aim of this webinar was to discover the keystones for productive communication with our international clients, guaranteeing quality multilingual content, adapted to the cultural-specific needs of the target country, generating interest and attracting potential customers.blank

Marina Lanckmans, CEO & Founder of Lextrad Group started by highlighting the multilingual need that can be generated in companies to achieve their objectives due to the great cultural and language diversity that exists seeing that 74.6% of internet users prefer to do their searches in their own language and not in English.

Next, the speaker informed about what are the great advantages of following a multilingual strategy since choosing the right language to enter in a specific market can increase our sales.

Finally, Lanckmans reported on the importance of the localization in the translation process, since its main objective is to adapt the website to the market and convince the users that the content is directed to them. Marina explained this phase with some examples, emphasizing the SEO positioning and keyword lists when following this strategy.

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 Chamber we want to thank Marina Lanckmans and Lextrad Group for their presentation and dedication, as well as all participants for their presence.

 

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Webinar LaLiga on “With the development of society through football”

On May 13th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg hosted a webinar on “With the development of society through football”, in collaboration with its member company LaLiga.

The aim of this webinar was to present and explain the different social, educational and sportive projects of LaLiga, as well as the new initiatives they have been organizing during the COVID-19 crisis to support society and get closer to their fans all over the world. The webinar, which was taught in English, aimed to explain how through these projects the values of football are the vehicle to build a better world.

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Andrea Oriol, LaLiga’s delegate in Benelux, started by informing about the important place these projects have in the company’s activity and explained that it is more than just about football and competition. “Giving back to society what society has given us” is the guiding theme of all these projects.

During the conference it was explained how due to the pandemic LaLiga has organized various activities under the subject of #LaLigaSeJuegaEnCasa. Among other examples, the association has organized its own initiatives such as “LaLiga Santander Festival” in which they managed to raise more than 1M € in donations from all over the world. At the same time, they have also participated in other initiatives run by other organisations such as the Red Cross in which they worked with their partner companies in China to donate medical supplies to Spain.

 

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In addition, she reported the digital transformation of all LaLiga Foundation’s sports programs due to the pandemic but stressed the importance, more than ever, of keeping these programs active. Social and sports projects around the world have been maintained thanks to the social work of LaLiga. These projects are spread all over the globe, for example in India to promote gender equality, or in Brazil to promote youth telent’s visibility. They also have social projects developed through programs as well known as LaLiga Genuine Santander, Social Fair Play or LaLiga Valores y Oportunidad.

To conclude, the speaker presented the objectives achieved so far in figures as a general balance and highlighted the three future objectives in this social work: giving continuity and monitoring all its projects, continue to generate opportunities and empowerment among its participants and continue to expand horizons to new projects and countries.

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 Chamber we want to thank Andrea Oriol and LaLiga for their presentation and dedication, as well as all participants for their presence.

Webinar on “Covid-19: How EU Programmes and Projects are affected?”

 

Last May 5th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce of in Belgium and Luxembourg, organized a webinar on “Covid-19: How EU Programmes and Projects are affected?”, in collaboration with our member Zabala Innovation Consulting.

The aim of this webinar was to present and explain the companies the different measures announced by the European Commission after the crisis caused by COVID-19 and to detail the new deadlines for presenting already established projects.

Marie Latour, Head of Zabala Brussels Office, began by informing that the Commission has extended the timeframe for projects to allow Member States to accelerate research, testing and production of products relevant to the coronavirus and thus protect jobs and to further support the economy during this crisis.

During the conference, Latour explained that, due to the global pandemic, the European budget will be affected and this could lead to the modification of the next Multiannual Financial Framework. She also detailed the measures taken by the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund. Then she described the European programs which have suffered some modifications due to the coronavirus and explained the changes in the existing calls. At the same time, the speaker reported on other interesting calls that are still open, such as EUREKA, the AMABLE project or SmartEEs2 project, among others.

Finally, Latour explained other aspects of the projects that have been affected by this crisis, such as evaluations, their execution, or their financing.

At the end, a round of questions was featured where the participants could ask their doubts about the information explained.

The Chamber wants to sincerely thank Marie Latour and Zavala Innovation Consulting once again for her presentation and her dedication, as well as to the participants for their attendance.

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Webinar on “Covid-19: analysis of the economic measures for businesses in Belgium”

On April 15th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce of in Belgium and Luxembourg, organized a webinar on “Covid-19: analysis of the economic measures for businesses in Belgium”, in collaboration with SPF Finance, Flanders Investment & Trade, Brussels Invest & Export, Invest in Wallonia and its member Paterna Professional. The webinar was attended by more than 50 companies.

blankThis webinar was aimed at Spanish companies stablished in Belgium, in order to help them identify the different financial and economic measures they can apply both for the regional (Brussels, Flanders and Wallonie), and federal levels.

The webinar was presented by Juan Rodríguez-Villa, President of the Chamber, who thanked the speakers from the different organisms and all the participants from different companies for their collaboration and mentioned the difficult and unprecedented situation that we are going through that means a great challenge for everyone.

The webinar started with Michela Ritondo, International tax expert from SPF Finance, who explained the measures taken by the Belgian federal authorities in relation to the payment of taxes and detailed other business support measures.

Then Antonia Macías, Enterprise Creator Advisor and Julie Chandellier, Legal Officer in Social Law, of Partena Professional summarized the measures taken at national level to help the self-employed in issues regarding social security. blankLikewise, they also mentioned the different procedures and temporary unemployment benefits for companies and their employees.

After it, the General Secretary of the Chamber, Marta González, introduced the representatives of the organizations of the different regions in Belgium. From the Brussels Region, Ariane Leonard, Economic and comercial Advisor, Representative of the Government of Brussels in Spain, and Aurore Boraczek, Inward Investment, hub.brussels, explained the measures taken in the Brussels Region such as the single bonus of € 4,000 for companies that have had to compulsorily close or the suspension of the so-called “city tax” for hotels. From Flanders Investment & Trade, Peter Verplancken, Deputy Director, Inward Investment & Aftercare, explained, among others, the financial incentives offered by the Flemish government or the postponement for the filing of taxes. Finally, Michel Winniczek, Project blankManager from Invest in Wallonia (AWEX), informed about the different measures offered by the Walloon region to companies, the procedures for requesting these grants and the postponement of payment of fees.

After the presentation, a round of questions was featured where the participants could ask their doubts about the measures explained.

The Chamber wants to sincerely thank the SPF Finance, Flanders Investment & Trade, Brussels Invest & Export, Invest in Wallonia and Partena Professional for having participated in this initiative.

 

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Breakfast-Conference: “Understand and promote the compliance”

Last 6th of February 2018, the Chamber organized a conference about the comprehension and the promotion of the compliance in collaboration with DS Avocats Law Firm. The event was attended by many representatives of Spanish and Belgian companies, as well as EU organization’s representatives, who were interested on the impact this topic could have on them, wanted to know which steps to follow in order to avoid the penalties their companies may suffer.  

First, Jean-Marie Salva, partner of DS Avocats, started by pronouncing some welcome words and by thanking the attendees for their participation before presenting the law office’s work around the world. Then, he presented Ángela López de Molina, partner of the law firm, who will set a headquarters office in Madrid on March 1st.

During her presentation, López Molina spoke about the current legislation in Spain, which since the change of the Penal Code in 2015 which allows to impute criminal responsibility to the legal persons, requires the companies to design a crime prevention plan.

The compliance was created in 1970, in response to the corruption experienced by the United States through the legal persons.

The crime prevention plan is set as a series of measures of surveillance and control implemented to prevent the commission of crimes or, at least, to try to reduce significantly the possibility of being committed. To do this, it is necessary to count on the “Compliance Officer”, that is a person in charge of preventing all the possible crime situations and trying to solve them.

Furthermore, it is necessary for all the employees to have access to that plan and to expressly accept it. As a conclusion, Ángela mentioned the prevention, detection, answer and supervision activities necessary to credit that the company acts according to the law.

Later, Michel Debroux, partner of DS Avocats, exposed the evolution of the compliance through the years in Europe, which changed from something voluntary to something mandatory.blank

Debroux pointed out the existence of cultural differences to show the difficulty in unifying the action criteria, even inside a same company with offices established in different places of the world. Thus, he underlined the necessity of taking into account the local specificities to suit in law.

In the case of a company with offices in different places of the world, it is necessary for all of them to apply to the rules of the headquarter office and to its owns, as they have to fit in the local customs.

Thus, the compliance is a process which requires the organization, integration and verification of the regulatory compliance.

As López Molina explained, the speaker described the main tasks that the “Compliance Officer” needs to accomplish. He needs to establish a list with the potential risks. Therefore, he will need to be totally integrated in the company and has to be able to deal with crisis.

Finally, to conclude, the partner of DS Avocats presented what they call “the 10 rules of the perfect compliance project” in which the main characteristics to respect in order to manage perfectly this project are summarized.

The conference took part in a participatory environment during which every attendee had the opportunity to express their doubts and talk with the speakers.

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