Expats Golf Trophy

Last 24th April the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg collaborated in the 4th edition of “Expat Golf Trophy”, which was celebrated at the Golf Club d´Hulencourt.

The event had more than forty participants, including ten members of the Chamber as well as representatives of the diplomatic body and international companies and members of other Chambers. The participants, divided in beginner and advanced level, enjoyed a nice evening of golf followed by a networking cocktail and the awards ceremony.

This event was organized in collaboration with:

 

Ten Belgian political representatives present their proposals for the country in the #Yes2Belgium Election Debate

Last April 3 took place the debate about the Belgian elections “#Yes2Belgium Election Debate” at the ING´s Manix Auditorium in Brussels. This debate was supported by 12 foreign chambers of commerce in Belgium and is part of their objective to involve their member companies in the upcoming federal, regional and European elections that will take place on May 26.

The event featured the participation of prominent personalities from 10 different parties that shared their vision and solutions to the problems that foreign companies identify as a priority; mobility, tax system and competitiveness, labour market and governance.

 

Mobility

The main topic for discussion was about the possibility to involve the private sector in the management of the Belgian public transports.

Even though there was not a consensus on this issue, they agreed that climate change, efficiency in transport and deficient infrastructure are still some of the key problems to tackle. The digitalization and the new transport models such as the autonomous cars were presented as new opportunities to these problems.

 

Labour market

The imbalance between the increasing demand of qualified workers and the rise of unemployment among less qualified candidates concentrated an important part of the political proposals that presented the training adapted to the market’s needs as main solution.

The labour costs remain still a key problem for the companies based in the country. Some of the candidates suggested to adapt the labour costs to the productivity and to move towards an adequate balance between labour flexibility and a solid social security system.

 

Tax system

The tax system assumed by the companies its perceived as a disadvantage when it comes to positioning Belgium as an attractive country from a tax perspective.

Different candidates agreed that the answer can not be national but European, to avoid the fiscal dumping among member states. They also presented different measures to attract investment in different sectors such as renewable energy and new technologies.

 

Governance

The participants agreed that the inefficiency as regards to governance is not linked to the system itself but rather on the necessity to improve the collaboration between the different political parties to reach agreements on key national political issues.

Different candidates presented the possibility to refederalize certain competences on key topics that require a national answer to avoid inefficiencies.

 

The different political representatives converged on the importance of the foreign investment in the country and the need to generate an attractive framework to foreign companies. The different subjects discussed were considered as crucial to improve the competitiveness of the country and to continue positioning Belgium as a lead country to attract capital and talent.

The Secretary of State for Trade thanks the Official Spanish Chambers of Commerce Abroad for their work

The Secretary of State for Trade, Xiana Méndez, has offered all the support of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism to the Official Spanish Chambers of Commerce Abroad. At the closing of the meeting that the CAMACOES have held for two days in Madrid, Xiana Méndez highlighted the work of these Chambers: “You are private institutions, you respond to your members and you design your services to offer them exactly what they need. I would like to thank you for your dedication and work, which is common to the objectives of the Secretary of State for Trade: the defence of Spain’s interests and the improvement of bilateral relations”.

The President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Bonet, has also taken part, underlining the links between the 41 Official Spanish Chambers of Commerce Abroad and the 85 territorial Chambers of Commerce, and encouraged to continue strengthening this collaboration. “Spain has the opportunity to run a lot and is doing so, and meetings like this one are vital to achieve it. Bonet congratulated the presidents of FECECA, the Federation that groups the Chambers of Commerce in the American continent, Brian Dunning, and Eduardo Barrachina, the new head of FEDECOM, which groups the European, Asian and African Chambers, showing his support to the request of holding the Assemblies of CAMACOES once a year instead of biennially as it has been done until now.

Source: Spanish Chamber of Commerce

Workshop in Spanish taxes for individuals living abroad

Last 6th of March, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organized, in collaboration with its member BLAW & TAX, a conference about the “Spanish Taxes for Individuals Living Abroad” at its headquarters in Brussels. The event gathered representatives of different Spanish and Belgian companies, members of the Chamber, representatives of European Institutions and Spanish regional delegations.

The conference was run by Inmaculada Pineda and Elsa Ochoa, partner and tax advisor of BLAW & TAX, a firm specialized in international taxation and legal-tax consulting at national and international scope related to corporate aspects.

The conference focused on two main issues: fiscal residency and its implications, regarding the taxation and fiscal benefits provided by the Spanish domestic legislation.

First, the different criteria established in the LIRPF for the determination of tax residency in Spain were presented, a fundamental element for determining the tax obligations of natural persons in the country.

Thus, the Spanish regulation incorporates the criteria of residence, location of economic interests and the presumption of tax residency in case the spouse or the children are tax residents in Spain.

Then, the speaker made reference to the situation of tax havens and the rule of “tax quarantine”, according to which taxation continues to pay taxes in Spain during the transfer year and the following four years.

They described two basic circumstances that determine fiscal residence: having had a presence in Spain more than 183 days during the year or that the center of economic or professional interests is in Spain; both circumstances are recidivists.

Afterwards, Elsa detailed the conventions to avoid double taxation signed by Spain. Specifically, the conference focused on the OECD Model Convention. These conventions are of great importance because they have primacy over Spanish internal regulations. Likewise, special cases were discussed about diplomats, officials and personnel at the service of the European Union.

 

 

21-22/05 B2fair @ ICT Spring Europe

We have the pleasure to inform you that the Enterprise Europe Network-Luxembourg of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce will organise the 4th edition of the international b2fair Matchmaking Event @ ICT Spring Europe on 21st & 22nd May 2019 in collaboration with Farvest at the European Convention Center. Since 2016, the b2fair Matchmaking Event at ICT Spring has brought together 600 participants from 25 countries and organised close to 2000 business meetings.

As an influential voice in the worldwide Tech community, the aim of ICT Spring is to encourage emulation and networking between business decisions makers, innovation managers, start-ups, researchers and venture capitalists on a European scale. It is a yearly event held in the modern premises of the European Convention Center in Luxembourg City which will highlight the latest technology trends and IT innovations as well as discuss their impact on the society and the business community. ICT Spring represents an exciting array of fantastic opportunities with the participation of key decision makers coming from 72 countries including leaders, innovators, investors, entrepreneurs, start-ups etc. For more information on ICT Spring, visit the official website: www.ictspring.com.

The 2019’s edition will feature 4 main topics:

  • FINTECH
  • DIGITAL
  • SPACE
  • ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

The ICT Spring will also house the PITCH YOUR START-UP, an international pitch-based competition that aims to attract the best and brightest startups from around the world. Hundreds of startups apply each year to compete for PYSU’s €100,000 in prize money.

b2fair ICT Spring 2019:                                 

  • two days of intense business meetings
  • an opportunity to build strong relationships and partnerships in the ICT sector
  • an excellent networking opportunity for digital leaders, innovation managers, researchers, start-ups etc.
  • a possibility to find your right business partner in one single meeting place
  • company visits

Participation Conditions:

  • Exhibitors: Free of charge
  • Early Bird until 1st April: EUR 100 / company. EUR 50 per additional participant
  • After 1st April: 150.00 € / company. EUR 75.00 € per additional participant.

The entrance to the ICT Spring for foreign companies is included in the participation fee.

More information:  luxemburgo@e-camara.com

“Fiesta española” in Luxembourg

Annually, the FAEL (Federation of Spanish Associations in Luxembourg) organizes the Fiesta española, an activity aimed at the Spanish-speaking public resident in Luxembourg and with an extensive program of cultural and gastronomic activities.

This year the Fiesta española will take place on Sunday, January 20, 2019 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Center Culturel de Hollerich (36, rue Emile Lavandier), and has the support of the Embassy of Spain in Luxembourg.

In this edition, the Chamber and the FAEL are coordinating the organization of a stand that aims to promote Spanish companies and professionals who provide their services in Luxembourg. The environment of this event, which last year brought together more than 500 participants, is an excellent opportunity to promote the activity of Spanish professionals among the Hispanic public residing in Luxembourg.

The idea is that each professional or company interested in participating, can have a shared space in this stand to distribute information about their activity. To cover the expenses of organizing the stand, a symbolic cost of 10 euros will be applied to each participant.

If you are interested in participating, please fill in the form that you will find on the following website: https://spain-lux-business.com/ or send an email to: info@spain-lux-business.com

LËTZBIZ INTERNATIONAL: The journeys of international trade

On December 11 and 12,  theChamber of Commerce of Luxembourg and the Europe-Luxembourg Business Network organized the event “LëtzBiz International: the days of international trade“, an international forum with round tables, thematic workshops, exhibitions, pitches and meetings b2fair business organized in collaboration with the bilateral Chambers of Commerce and business clubs in Luxembourg. The conference was attended by the Director General of the Chamber of Commerce of Luxembourg, Carlo Thelen.

The Secretary General of the Chamber, María Catalán, participated in these conferences thanks to the bilateral Chambers of Commerce in Luxembourg, in which experiences and activities were exchanged, in the organization of events and joint activities. Also, the representatives of the bilateral Chambers had the opportunity to meet with numerous local companies and participate in a round table on “Globalization: current and international trade trends“.

 

Lunch-conference: “Coaching as a tool to empower Leadership”

On the 22nd November, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organized a lunch-conference about “The coaching as a tool to promote leadership”. The objective of the workshop given by the personal and business coach Marta Cela, was to offer guidelines to lead and to inspire work teams, to help to develop their potential and to improve their skills to make better results.

During the conference, the assistants had the opportunity to stand out, via the coaching, some of the most basic and fundamental skills of the leadership as: the effective communication, conflict management, the motivation and clear objectives.

The conference had both, theoretical and practical content, allowing the maximum interaction between the attendees.

Dag van Spanje

On October 20, the Chamber organized, in collaboration with the Spanish Office of Tourism in Belgium, the Day of Spain (Dag van Spanje) in the central Groenplaats of Antwerp.

Through this unprecedented day in Antwerp, Spain was presented as a tourist destination (it is the third most visited country by Belgians on holidays), and the gastronomic and leisure offer that surrounds it. On the other hand, it highlighted the leading companies and the innovation that exists in our country and employment and training opportunities.

The regions of Murcia, Aragón, Ibiza, Mallorca, Galicia, Castilla y León, Navarra y Tenerife
were present during the day in a space dedicated to the tourism promotion of Spain. Representatives of the eight destinations made their cultural and tourist offer known to the Belgian public, providing detailed information on the different travel options. Also, the participants were able to discover the hotel offer of the Iberostar company and the airports of Antwerp and Ostend-Bruges, who informed about the possibilities of traveling to Spain from Belgium.

The main sponsor of the event, TUI tour operator, presented a wide range of activities in its space, including a virtual reality proposal, a cycling competition and informative positions of the airline.

Spanish sport was also represented thanks to the participation of LaLiga and the Circuit de Catalunya. At their stands, the attendees could experience, respectively, becoming one day professional soccer players and Formula 1 drivers, in addition to following the live broadcast of LaLiga matches that day. Both adults and children enjoyed both experiences.

Interested in working or studying in Spain? They also had their space in the Eures area, portal for professional mobility, the Ministry of Education and the agency for language immersions in Spain Olespañol.

In the gastronomic area, Freixenet participated, the Vista la Tienda import store and Las Mañas restaurant. The participants could enjoy a day in which they felt, tasted and explored the Spanish culinary richness through typical Spanish dishes such as paella, red peppers or patatas bravas.

 

The little ones also had their space in the Day of Spain. In the area dedicated to their entertainment, they enjoyed playing the Camino de Santiago, taking photos with Don Quixote or participating in a face painting workshop. With the game, energized by the Association of the Camino de Santiago de Flandes, they felt like pilgrims for a few hours, completing their credentials and answering questions about Spain.

Next to this area, the parents were able to discover how to make their trip easier thanks to Easybabytrip, a Spanish startup that offered the public equipment for traveling with children.

The day was completed with a permanent cultural program.

The artist Carolina Tafalla made reflect on the perception of friendship through the situational happening “Amigo”. At the same time, the well-known muralist Miguel Ángel Belinchón, Belin, hypnotized by painting live a post-neo-contemporary canvas that he ended at the end of the day.

They were joined by musical performances. La Peña Al Ándalus, started strongly at noon with a flamenco show. Then La Negra Albina and her performance not only made for a good time, but also impressed the audience with her Cumbia Psychotropic-Funk style. In the afternoon, Pepa Niebla delighted the audience with her international jazz. The day culminated with the performance of Alex Torres, DJ who managed to create a more relaxed atmosphere with his electro style.

More than 15,000 attendees visited The Day of Spain (Dag van Spanje) throughout the day valued it very positively, and the participants were very satisfied with the results of the event. The Chamber and the Spanish Tourism Office thank the Embassy of Spain in Belgium and all the participating companies for their contribution to make the event a success.

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The Embassy of Spain in Belgium celebrates the National Holiday

On October 12, the Embassy of Spain in Belgium organized a reception at the Royal Museums of Art and History of Brussels on the occasion of the celebration of the National Holiday.

The reception was attended by local authorities, diplomats, businessmen, European officials and representatives of Spanish public institutions, among other personalities.

The Ambassador of Spain in Belgium, Hon. Ms. Beatriz Larrotcha Palma, thanked the attendees for their participation in the National Holiday and highlighted bilateral relations in tourism, business and institutional between Belgium and Spain.

He also thanked the companies and sponsoring institutions for their collaboration in organizing the event.

The event, in collaboration with the Official Chamber of Commerce of Spain in Belgium and Luxembourg, was sponsored by Food of Spain, Airbus, ElPozo, Everis, Iberdrola, Indra, LaLiga, Santander Bank, Gómez-Acebo & Pombo, Interparking , Freixenet, Atrevia, Quality Media Production, Mediterranean, Chamber of Commerce of Spain and Bodegas Verum. Also, the offices of the Autonomous Communities in Brussels contributed to the success of the act thanks to the contribution of products and typical wines of each region.