10/03 Conference “Energy for Europe: Shaping future EU industry”

Repsol, member of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, has the pleasure to invite you to the 5th edition of the annual conference “Energy for Europe”. The event will take place the next Thursday October 3rd from 4pm to 8pm at the Solvay Library (Parc Léopold, Rue Belliard 137, Brussels).

Several issues will be covered in the “Energy for Europe: Shaping future EU industry” conference, for instance, the protection of the competitiveness of the European industry, the potential risks and opportunities for a transitioning industry or the guarantee of social equitability during this transition.

The keynote speech will be delivered by a high-level European Commission representative. Hereafter, multiple experts in the topic will take part in a panel discussion.

Should you wish to register, please reply through this link.

We are looking forward to your participation.

21-22/09 Spain, guest country in the 19th edition of Folklorissimo festival in Brussels

Spain has been designated the guest of honour country in the 19th edition of the popular Folklorissimo Festival, based on the intellectual dialogue between folklore and traditions of Belgium and Spain. During the weekend of September 21 and 22, more than 100 artists and members of Spanish folkloric groups, as well as associations, autonomous communities and Spanish and Belgian companies, will offer a wide and diverse representation of folklore, gastronomy and traditions of Spain at the Grand Place of Brussels.

Attendees will enjoy a folklore of contemporary interpretation, which reflects the advanced social and cultural values ​​that Belgium and Spain share in matters of gender, sexual identity, youth or environmental sensitivity, with performances by Ball de Pastorets (Catalonia), Agrupación de Danzas de la Virgen de las Nieves (Cantabria), Centro Asturiano de Bruselas (Asturias), Fetén Fetén (Castile and León), Iñaki Plaza (Basque Country – Galicia), Cant d’Estil Valencià (Valencia), Sara Calero (Andalusia), Loockingback (Extremadura and Castile-La Mancha) and Fernando López (Andalusia).

The Spanish programme is organized by the  Spanish Embassy in Belgium. The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg collaborates in this initiative coordinating the participation of Spanish companies. The gastronomy offer will be guaranteed by Mediterranea Food and EventsWine Tales Restaurant and Pintxos BarChurros Valyser and Alma Envero (extra virgin olive oil). Moreover, the brand Lolitos, which is specialized in bags and espadrilles, will also be present in the event. The Autonomous Community of Cantabria will have a stand where they will exhibit their turistic offer, their culture and some of their typical products, such as anchovies.

Collaborating companies:

                                                           

                                                    

 

 

Workshop on “Digitalize your Business”

Last 18 June, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, in collaboration with Senda Consulting, organized the workshop “Digitalize your Business”. The purpose of the workshop was to provide an insight into the functioning and the utility of the digitalization for SMEs. The course, given by the entrepreneur of the Chamber, David Sánchez from Senda Consulting, was of great interest to the attendees, who were able to deepen their knowledge in the area. Sánchez began with an introduction to the term digitalization, its meaning and the reasons why it is presented as a point of interest for every business.

During the workshop, the necessary concepts to guarantee the security of the servers as well as the different online programs and platforms available for the management were tackled. The basic structure of the digital communication was also exposed and the mode of use and the characteristics of MailChimp, Google Analytics or Yoast, among others, were mentioned. To finish, Sánchez explained the benefits of digitalization for any business and resolved the doubts of the attendees.

 

 

1st Edition doubles paddle tennis tournament

 Last 15th June the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organized, in collaboration with La Casa del Padel, its first doubles paddle tennis tournament for the expat community in Belgium and Luxembourg with the aim of promoting professional networking among its contact network.

The event started with an introduction to paddle rules for all participants. After that, the division by groups was structured and the matches started. Among the 18 doubles teams, the winners of the absolute category were Ladislao Checa and Carles Giner, in the same way, Alberto Orsi and Stefano Delfino won in in the amateur group.

The participants enjoyed a nice evening of paddle followed by a networking cocktail and the awards ceremony, in which a Spanish food basked was given to the winners on both categories, and a raffle among the participants was made.

 

Sponsored by:

In collaboration with:

 

IV edition of the Social Networking Night

Last 13th of June took place in Brussels the IV edition of the Social Networking Night, an activity organized by the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg in the framework of its program Empleo BeLux. The main objective of this activity is to optimize the tools available in BeLux for the job search. The event took place at the BNP Paribas Fortis facilities in Brussels.

First of all, the Secretary General of the Chamber, María Catalán, thanked all the attendees, speakers and sponsors BNP Paribas Fortis and Esade Business School for their presence, and presented the program of the event and the website Empleo BeLux.

Then Salvatore Orlando, Expat Manager of BNP Paribas Fortis, addressed some tips for expats in Brussels, emphasizing how to develop and where to expand their contact network.

The first presentation of the event was in charge of Andrés Álvarez, Project Officer at the European Commission, who presented the different possibilities and options that exist to work in the European Union. Álvarez explained the range of possibilities for having access to institutions, emphasizing the different options available without the need to access through EPSO competitions, such as contractual contracts.

For her part, Ursi Van der Herten, Associate Director International Executive Programs at ESADE, made a presentation on how to study an Executive MBA can help accelerate your professional career, highlighting the importance of the business school choice. Among the advices, she remarked to seek information through the alumni network for the choice of the school.

Francesc Cots, Financial Director at Eurofirms, underlined the importance of the Personal Branding to finding employment and placed particular emphasis on Personal Branding on social media and specifically on LinkedIn. Cots advised to share activities carried out by the company that you work through your personal profile.

In this edition, the success story of “Emprende Belux” was led by Paloma Cantero, CEO of YouthProAktiv and CWC Consulting. Cantero shared her experience as an entrepreneur in Belgium and explained the difficulties she had to face, as well as the satisfactions and motivation to undertake in a foreign country. Likewise, the entrepreneur participates in the Erasmus Program for Young Entrepreneurs of the Chamber, which Arturo Ibáñez subsequently explained.

Arturo Ibáñez and Soraya Bravo, Project Managers of the Chamber, explained the main features of two Chamber’s programs related to entrepreneurship: the Erasmus Program for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE), a European program of transnational exchanges that offers new entrepreneurs and people who want to create a business the opportunity to learn from experienced entrepreneurs who run small businesses in other participating countries, which the Chamber is a local point of contact, and the Emprende BeLux, a program to support Spanish residents in Belgium and Luxembourg on the long road to entrepreneurship and business consolidation.

Among the different interventions, the attendees had the opportunity to participate in three workshops. In the first one, Asier Marquina, from Arcelomittal, highlighted the techniques to enhance networking and contact network, through a dynamic and participate intervention. In the second one, the life coach Marta Cela gave the keys to successfully answer the cheating questions in a job interview and she outlined the self-confidence and attitude when facing the interview as a candidate. In the last workshop, Victoria Martinez, HR Talent Acquisition Consultant in Everis, developed the importance of social networks as a jobs search tool and provided useful advices for making an attractive curriculum for the employer.

Finally, the attendees enjoyed a networking cocktail, in which they could interact with the speakers and other participants in a relaxed atmosphere.

Conference about “new Companies and Associations Code”

The Chamber, in collaboration with Estudio Legal Muñoz Gonzalo SLP and Philippe & Partners, organized next Tuesday June 11th  a conference in Brussels about “new Companies and Associations Code”.

To the event attended different entrepreneurs form the EmprendeBelux program, an initiative which aim is supporting Spanish entrepreneurs in Belgium and Luxembourg, serving as a platform for ongoing training and generating new contacts.

Among the main novelties of the new Companies and Associations Code that came into force last 1st May 2019 and were presented at the conference we can highlight:

  • The replacement of the «Société Privée à Responsabilité Limitée» (SPRL) by the «Société à Responsabilité Limitée» (SRL). 
  • The requirement of a minimum capital disappears.
  • The requirements for the financial plan are reinforced.
  • Limitation of the administrator’s responsibility.
  • English is allowed to be used in different statutory documents.
  • The rule of the distribution of dividends is linked to a dabble test:

      Balance test: The distribution of dividends will not be allowed if the net equity is negative.

      Liquidity test: The distribution of dividends will not be allowed if the company can not comply with its actual and future debts.

This new modification will imply a simplify and give greater flexibility to the new societies, with a diminution of the societal form; the Belgian code reduce from 17 to 9 the total amount of societies.

The companies have now until 1st January 2024 to adapt their statutes to the new regulation. However, since 1st January 2020 the new changes will apply to all companies.

 

  

Ingelia presents its HTC technology in Brussels within the Spain Means Innovation program

Last 4th June 219, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg , in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in the Kingdom of Belgium, organized the conference “Spanish Science Diplomacy. Ingelia, the success of a Spanish business model in Belgium based on HTC technology” within the Spain Means Innovation program.

During the conference, Marisa Hernández Latorre, founder of Ingelia and nominated last year for the EU Prize for Women Innovators, presented the technology developed by her company for 12 years, which has the aim of transforming waste into raw materials. Hernández highlighted the importance of HTC technology to support the local circular economy, not just because waste becomes raw materials that could be used for other industries, but because CO2 emission from transport could be reduce by installing transformations plants near the cities.

Moreover, the representative of Renasci, Luc Descender, partner of Ingelia in Ostende, standed out the difficulties that innovative technologies have to face, both administrative and funding, as well as the ones in product exportation.

The speakers remarked the relevance of this Spain means innovation’s kind of conferences in order to interact with other innovative companies and technologies, due to the fact that it was in a scientific forum where both companies met and started to collaborate together.

Lastly, Andrés Martínez, representative of the CDTI, highlighted the funding opportunities offered by his institution to innovative companies such as Ingelia, with which they have collaborated in its launch and growth.

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“Connecting you with the World of Finance” Seminar, organized in Madrid with the participation of Pierre Gramegna

The Vice-president of the Chamber, José Luis Rodríguez Álvarez, and the Secretary General, María Catalán, participated in the seminar “Connecting you with the world of finance” organized the 4th June in Madrid by Luxembourg for Finance.

The seminar was attended by Pierre Gramegna, Minister of Finance of Luxembourg, who presented his vision regarding Brexit, the challenges facing Europe and the respective positioning of the Grand Duchy.

Nicolas Mackel, CEO of Luxembourg for Finance,  and representatives from lhoFT, Luxembourg Green Exchange and Fondation de Luxembourg also took part in the seminar. They presented, from different points of view, the opportunities offered by the Luxembourg financial sector.

Thereafter, there were several discussion panels on wealth management, life insurance, alternative investments and private assets, among other topics.

The seminar had a wide audience mainly specialized in the financial sector.

Conference: “The Canary Islands: investment destination”

Last Tuesday 21st May, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organized in collaboration with PROEXCA, a public company whose main objective is the attraction of strategic investments in the Canary Islands, a conference under the topic “The Canary Islands: investment destination”. The event aimed to inform Belgian companies of renewable energy, ICT, BPO, audiovisual sector and animation about investment opportunities in the Islands.

María Catalán, Secretary General of the Chamber delivered welcome remarks and thanked the participation of all the attendees.

Afterwards, Pablo Martín-Carbajal, Chief Executive Officer of PROEXCA, presented the key economic assets of the Islands for foreign investment, highlighting, among others, the most relevant and booming sectors and tax advantages. He also explained several potential investment angles.

Later on, Jerónimo Falcón, Project Manager of the Canarian Society of Economic Development, presented the general panorama of the energy sector in the region, and in particular of renewable energies. He highlighted the unique natural characteristics of the Islands, as well as the differential infrastructures. In addition, he noted that the government offers various aid for productive investments in the sector and sustainable investment activities.

On the other hand, Olga Martín Pascual, Director of the ZEC (Canarian Special Zone) Consortium, announced the economic and fiscal opportunities of the Canary Islands Economic and Fiscal Regime (REF) and other benefits provided by operating in them. He also spoke about tax incentives such as the corporate tax of the Islands, the most advantageous in all of Europe and the particularities of the ZEC.

After the speeches, the participants were able to ask their questions and to have one-on-one meetings with the speakers.

In collaboration with:

Masterclass about Disruption, “Exonomics” & Tech Trends

 

On May 14th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, organized in collaboration with its member company ESADE Business School, a masterclass on “Disruption:”Exonomics “and technological trends”. The masterclass was given by Xavier Ferrás, Doctor in Economics and Business by the UB, MBA by ESADE and Telecommunications Engineer (UPC) and was attended by various associations, members of the Chamber and representatives of Spanish public institutions.

In the first place, Xavier gave a few words of welcome and thanked the attendees. Later, the main theme of the masterclass was presented: to provide a global view of global disruption trends, the interactions between established companies and new players, as well as the dynamics of teams and the leadership of innovation.

Throughout the talk, different key points were addressed. In the first place, an attempt was made to understand the global trends of disruption, detailing the most relevant and disruptive technologies that influence the technological environment of the economy. The commercial implications of exponential technologies were also pointed out, with special emphasis on how the productive and commercial processes have evolved in companies, generating the need for business transformation and adaptation to the environment.

Ferrás also wanted to expose the dynamics of the innovation teams, which represent engines of transformation for organizations, given that we are in an innovative and digital economy. Likewise, leadership in innovation was taken into consideration, presenting how the way of leading companies towards more innovative and productive ways has evolved.

Another important issue was the foundations of technology management, that is, the whole process of research, development and adaptation of new technologies in the company as a whole, taking into account those technologies used in management functions, as well as in the production of goods and services.

Additionally, there was a review of the current technologies with a faster development and evolution that are of great importance for the industry and its adjacent sectors. We are talking about technologies such as IoT (Internet of Things), Artificial Intelligence or Blockchain Technology, among others.

Finally, the floor was open for questions in which Ferras had the opportunity to provide further information about the subject.