Luncheon-debate with Věra Jourová, European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality

The past September 28th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, organized in collaboration with the General Board of Abogacía Española, a luncheon-debate with Věra Jourová, European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality. Among the attendees there were several members of the Chamber, business executives, and representatives of Spanish and European companies and institutions.

Juan Rodríguez-Villa Matons, President of the Chamber, said a welcome word, introduced the Commissioner, highlighting her professional career and thanked her for her collaboration with the luncheon-debate.

Afterwards, the Commissioner took the stand and introduced briefly the main challenges her Commission is currently dealing with such as promoting entrepreneurship in Europe, the digital markets, the insolvency, data protection, consumer rights, digital content, gender equality and justice against crime.

Jourová emphasized the importance of creating a digital single market, explaining that currently there are only a few small companies which are selling products online cross borders. In Spain, only a 19% of companies do so. The main barrier to increase online commerce at international level is that there are different legal systems for online and offline worlds.

Afterwards, she showed her concerning about the lack of a regulatory law related to online sales of digital content (except from United Kingdom and The Netherlands) and mentioned that from theCommission they are working on a proposal for all European countries.

About data protection, she expressed the need of investing more money on new measures and tools that allow institutions to know what companies actually do with consumer’s personal data. On the other hand, she stressed the need of making a bigger effort on explaining the EU citizens about their new rights concerning data protection and privacy and how to use those rights.

During her speech, Jourová also talked about individual consumers’ rights, very numerous in the European Union, but about which there exists a very poor public information. In a time frame where big companies are becoming bigger, and small companies are tend to be smaller, from March 2018, the Commission for Justice is working on a plan which will provide individuals and small companies with the right tools to defend their rights related to trade and consumption.

The main topics discussed during the question time were related to gender equality at work environment and cybersecurity.

Finally, Marta Cerro, President of the Council of Bars of Castilla la Mancha, presented the Bar, and highlighted the role of lawyers in the European Union environment and how they contribute directly to citizens defense. She pointed out the need of respecting the citizens and providing them with a high quality service. In addition, she thanked the commissioner for her hard work and commitment with gender equality, and showed her her support in terms of promoting values related with the recognition of women in work environment.

Juan Rodriguez-Villa and Marga Cerro awarded Commissioner Jourová with a symbolic present to thank her for her participation in the luncheon-debate and her hard work in charge of for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality in the European Commission.

The president also wanted to thank Bodegas Yuntero, wine sponsor for this event.

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Circular Economy: European and local aid for the development of sustainable projects

Last 27th of September, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce organized, in collaboration with BECI (Chambre de Commerce et Union des Enterprises de Bruxelles) and Enterprise Europe Network, a conference under the topic “Circular economy: European and local assistance for the development of durable projects”. Among the participants, there were executives from companies related to circular economy, start-ups, representatives from European Institutions, members of the Chamber and representatives of Spanish autonomous delegations in Brussels.

The event, which took place at GreenBizz Brussels (an incubator for sustainable projects), started with a welcome word from Juan Rodríguez-Villa Matons, President of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce and from Jean-Philippe Mergen, Export Director in BECI.

Amandine Sellier, Coordinator of the Circular Economy program in Brussels Environment, explained the PREC (Programme Régional en Economie Circulaire). The main goal of this program is to revitalize the economy in Brussels during the next ten years by using 111 different measures. Their aim is to transform the environmental goals into economic opportunities, to produce in a local level, to reduce the movements, to optimize the territory utilization and to create employment. This program is focused in five different action sectors: commerce, logistics, resources and waste, construction and nutrition.

Afterwards, María Rincón Lievana, Policy Officer at the Directorate-General for Environment at the European Commission, highlighted that economy and environment are two concepts that are related to each other and that is the reason why the circular economy is a priority for their institution. This is not only because of the benefits that the circular economy reports to the companies, but also because they are concerned about the damage that all waste causes to our ecosystem. The European Commission is carrying out several actions such as: offering help to consumers and institutions when making the decision of choosing sustainable products and services, legislative proposals, the promotion of water recycling and the inspection of fertilizer regulation.

Finally, the Director of Zabala Innovation Consulting, Marie Latour, detailed the existing European helps in the circular economy sphere. She highlighted the Horizon 2020 and the current programs: Life, EFSI, Innovfin, ESIF, COSME, among others.

Afterwards, three companies presented their successful cases. The first one was Pierre Romain, founder and CEO in Greensolution.pro. He showed how to renovate and clean the urban furniture and real state patrimony through biotechnological products. Subsequently, Antoine Dubois from Brussels Beer Project explained how their new beer is elaborated by reusing the leftovers of non-sold bread at the supermarkets. In the last case, Karapet Chatchatrian from Tridea explained how their company reuses waste in order to create new products through 3D printing.

As a closing, Jean-Marc Bryskere director of GreenBizz, presented briefly the services that the incubator offers in terms of developing sustainable projects in Brussels Region.

Compromiso Asturias XXI presents its delegation in Brussels

The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg hosted the past June 30th a presentation of the delegation of “Compromiso Asturias XXI” in Brussels. The event had the presence of the President of the Association, Mr. Carlos García-Mauriño as President of Honor, Mr. Diego Canga Fano and Mrs. Pilar Roza Manzano (bot founding members of the Association), as well as many members of Compromiso Asturias XXI, residents in the European capital and members of the Yearbook of Asturian Professionals Abroad.

Carlos Coronas Balsera will be the person in charge of the delegation of Compromiso Asturias XXI in Brussels, which will try to gather all Asturian settled in the Belgian capital and work as a link towards the activities of the Association.

The meeting was a singular time to get together many Asturian professionals working in the Belgian capita and at the same time, keeping a tight connection of ideas, support and collaboration with the region of Asturias.

 

Conference about international markets: “Brussels: gateway for the European Western market” in Madrid

Last June 20th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, represented by it Secretary-General María Catalán, participated in a conference organized by Brussels Invest & Export and the Chamber of Commerce of Madrid on ““Brussels: gateway for the European Western market”. The conference took place in the Chamber of Madrid’s headquarters and had the presence of more than twenty Spanish companies.

After a welcoming introduction by a representative of the Chamber of Madrid, Ariane Léonard, economic and commercial counselor of the region of Brussels-Capital, introduced the reasons why Brussels is considered as a city for stablishing foreign companies and investment projects.

Afterwards, Stefaan Lenaerts, Area Manager Invest Americas & S-Europe at BIE, explained the opportunities offered in the European capital for foreign investors and key sectors for Brussels economy. Thus, he introduced the Welcome Package, a free service that BIE offers to foreign companies interested in settling in Brussels.

Rafael Álvarez Campa, associate lawyer at WBCJ, informed the attendees about tax incentives in Brussels for FDI and innovative entrepreneurship. Bert Dehandschutter, associate lawyer at Racine, summarized the legal aspects that every company should know before stablishing a business in Belgium.

The General Director of Swan Consulting, Jorge Cisneros, explained the European funding opportunities for Spanish companies, underlining the added value for companies stablishing in the European capital.

María Catalán, Secretary-General of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, numbered some recommendations for the companies which were present in the conference and their future establishment in Brussels. She also explained the services offered by the Chamber to recently established companies in Brussels.

To conclude, Ángel Rebollo, Director of Atrevia Brussels Office, talked about his experience as representative of a Spanish company settled in Belgium and beneficiary of Brussels Invest & Export’s Welcome Package.

Once the presentations were finished, the attendees had the opportunity of clarifying all their doubts during a networking breakfast-

Al terminar las presentaciones los participantes tuvieron la ocasión de trasladar todas sus cuestiones a los ponentes durante un desayuno-networking.

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Belgium is currently one of the most open and dynamic economies in the world, with an estimated GDP growth of the 1.7% for 2017, according to the IMF. The geographic location of the country, in the center of Europe, along with its infrastructure in transportation, logistics and communications, allows a very fast access to European providers and markets. Belgium is one of the main foreign-investment recipients.

At the same time, the Belgian Government is applying new tax measures that are very attractive for r+d and software development. The political relecante of Brussels as the EU Capital and many international bodies broadens opportunities for foreign companies. Furthermore, Brussels property market is one of the most competitive in Western Europe.

Panel-debate: “The effects of Brexit on business relations between Spain and the UK”

On June 15th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, in collaboration with the British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium, organized a panel-debate regarding the “effects of Brexit on bilateral trade relations between Spain and the United Kingdom”. Among the attendees, the Trade and Investment Director General from the Economy, Industry and Competitivity Ministry joined representatives of the Spanish Government and the Spanish Embassy in Belgium, members of both chambers, representatives of companies and European institutions as well as members of regional delegations.

The event, which took place at the British Chamber’s headquarters in Brussels, was hosted and moderated by Thomas Spiller, President of the British Chamber, who also welcomed and introduced the participants to the debate.

The first lecturer, Ignasi Guardans, partner at K&L Gates and member of the Executive Board at the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce, explained the Spanish Chamber’s activities related to European affairs. Moreover, Mr. Guardans presented the main data on the Spain-United Kingdom trade forecast from the corporate perspective, emphasizing the role of the Anglo-Saxon country as one of Spain’s most important trade partners.

Next, Ignacio Molina, senior analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute, presented Brexit’s institutional approach, performing a synthesis from the think tank perspective, from the territorial conflicts in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Gibraltar, to the importance of bilateral freedom of movement, not only regarding tourism, but also long-term residents and workers.

After Mr. Molina’s intervention, Javier Arias, Head of European Affairs at BBVA, stressed the great uncertainty present in the agenda, especially in the financial sector. Moreover, he underlined the deadly effects of higher costs and an investments downfall.

To conclude, Dirk Van Ham, Corporate Relations Director at Diageo, highlighted the significance of an understanding related to a future international trade agreement which includes in its regulatory benchmark movement of goods, capital and people, as well as the need for effective cooperation at the international level.

Following Mr. Van Ham’s comments the debate began, characterized by a high participation. Topics like consumer protection, SME’s role in the trade agreement’s negotiations, the territorial conflict in Catalonia and, specially, Spain’s position on the creation of an effective regulatory agreement were discussed.

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Conference “strategic and legal mechanisms for promoting private investment in Peru”

Last June 14th, the Chamber organized, in collaboration with its member DS Avocats and the firm Invertir, a conference about “strategic and legal mechanisms for promoting private investment in Peru”. The event was attended by Mr. Gonzalo Gutiérrez, Ambassador of Peru before the European Union, the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, representatives of European Institutions and several Spanish, Peruvian and Belgian companies, as well as some of the Chamber’s members.

To begin with, Gonzalo Gutiérrez, Ambassador of Perú before the EU, started his intervention by thanking the attendees’ participation and the Chamber’s efforts to organize such an event. To continue, a brief introduction on the close ties between his country and Europe was made, as a factor to explain how Peru has multiplied its trade by 10 during the last few years, the country’s GDP has increased by a rate close to 6%, poverty has been reduced from 58% to 22% and the middle class has grown an 18%.

The Ambassador also highlighted Spain as an example on telecom, mining and financial investments. To conclude, trade and investment were remarked as the fuel for development and growth in Peru during the next 20 years.

Afterwards, Daniel Córdova, CEO of Invertir, gave a speech on “the mechanisms of Public Works Tax Deduction and others to promote private investment”. Among the many business opportunities in the country, he emphasized those found at the transport, energy, health and telecom sectors. He also underlined, however, the water and mining sectors, since a third of the population does not have access to drinking water or education. As advantageous assets for investments made in Peru, he mentioned stable prices, a remarkable reduction on inflation and the fact that for the last two decades the country has experienced the highest GDP growth in Latin America.

Moreover, he explained the reasoning behind Public Works Tax Deductions for which the private sector invests on public works of their choice to promote the country’s development. To conclude, Mr. Córdova emphasized the healthy performance of the Peruvian economy and the many opportunities provided for companies.

Finally, Patricia Cuba-Sichler, Lawyer Counsel at DS Avocats, manager of the Desk for Latin America and Managing Partner at DS Lima, spoke about general concepts on corporate and tax law for firms to invest or create a subsidiary in Peru. According to Cuba-Sichler, Peru offers a series of advantages; such as its economic openness and its dividend repatriation, among many others. In addition, the Peruvian Constitution establishes the equality of enterprise -be it foreign or local companies- when it comes to investing in the country and there is a serious political commitment to extinguish the many infrastructural deficiencies.

The conference was held in a participative atmosphere, thanks to which all the attendees had the opportunity to pose several questions to the lecturers and interact with them.

 

 

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Success of the Social Networking Night II

Last Thusrday, June 8th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organized the 2nd edition of the Social Networking Night, which took place within the framework of Programa Jóvenes BeLux. The main goal was to support young Spanish expats in Brussels in their social and professional integration in Belgium and Luxembourg. The event was held at the headquarters of BNP Paribas Fortis.

The secretary general of the Chamber, María Catalán, thanked the attendees for their pressence, as well as the speakers and the sponsors: BNP Paribas Fortis and LSI, and explained the event’s program.

Afterwards Salvatore Orlando, in representation of  BNP Paribas Fortis Belgium, explained some tips for expats to begin building their network in Brussels.

Then the MEP Javi López explained the latest activity of the European Parliament on youth employment. He underlined the relevance of skills and the adaptation to the change of job opportunities after the digitalization of European economy.

Between the speeches, the participants had the opportunity to attend to three different workshops. In the first one, Asier Marquina from Arcelormittal showed different keys to practice networking and your contact network in BeLux. On the other hand, the digital marketing expert Philippe Schifflers gave a workshop on social media as a tool to optimize your professional profile. At last, Ramón López Peláez, manager of Programa Jóvenes BeLux, advised the participants about writing your CV and a motivation letter when looking for a job.

     

On the other hand, Zohra Dailal, in representation of the language school LSI, highlighted the importance of learning different languages when searching for a job in Belgium.

This year the success history was for David Sánchez from Atelier David Sánchez, Samuel Díaz, from Samuel Diaz 3D and José Serrano from Dlinea Architecture&Design. They are Spanish men who moved to Luxembourg for different reasons and decided to become self-employed in their particular sectors: digital marketing, architecture and infographic design. 

They brought to light how important differentiation and communication are for entrepreneurs, as well as synergies, which is the reason they met and joined in a common project which led them to professional success. Highliting challenges, pros and cons, they encouraged the attendees to start their business and follow their goals, in and outside of Spain.

At last, Ramón López Peláez explained the insights of the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program, European program for transnational exchange whigh offers new entrepreneurs and people who want to start a business the opportunity to learn from businessmen/women and their experience. The Chamber is a local contact spot for this program as well.

To finish up, the attendees enjoyed a networking cocktail, in which they could chat with the speakers, the experts and the rest of participants.

 

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The Chamber participates in the opening of NH Collection Grand Sablon

Last June 6th, the President of the Chamber, Juan Rodríguez-Villa Matons, participated in the opening of the NH Collection Grand Sablon, new hotel of our member NH Hotel Group in Brussels.

Located at the very heart of the city, NH Collection Grand Sablon is in the Sablon district, renowned for its many antique shops and art galleries. The hotel comprises 192 fully refurbished rooms, as well as 11 function rooms which can host 250 people.

The commitment of the company’s upper-upscale brand to haute cuisine is once again obvious in its second NH Collection hotel in the city. Those staying at NH Collection Grand Sablon or those who wish simply to enjoy the finest quality cuisine in Brussels can do so at Hispania Brasserie and at Hispania Gastronomique, the restaurant headed up by renowned chef, Marcos Morán (1 Michelin star). Visiting the brasserie or the restaurant will satisfy not only the most discerning palates but also those who like to enjoy lunch or dinner in an ambiance of inspired decor. The interior design of both establishments bears the signature of Lorenzo Castillo, the renowned Madrid interior decorator, for whom elegance and contemporary style have become his hallmarks.

With the opening of the Company’s second hotel in Brussels under its upper-upscale brand, NH Hotel Group is continuing to consolidate a brand which only last year appeared in countries like the Netherlands and Germany and on a entire continent, as was the case in the Americas, as well as reopening flagship hotels in Rome, Madrid and Barcelona.

 

The Chamber participates in the workshop “Tools for Creative Entrepreneurs: crowfunding, branding & storytelling”

The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg participated last May 17th in a workshop about “Tools for Creative Entrepreneurs: crowfunding, branding & storytelling”, which took place in Brussels.

The workshop aimed to present different tools in a practical way,  in order to develop and promote young entrepreneurship or entrepreneurship in launching phases at different sectors, especially in the creative-cultural and tourism sectors.

María Catalán, secretary general of the Chamber, gave a speech regarding the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program (EYE), for which the Chamber is a local contact spot.

 

Celebration of the Day of the Book in the Instituto Cervantes in Brussels

Last April 24th, the ambassadors of Spain and ten Latin American countries in Belgium read pieces of the book One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. It took place in the Instituto Cervantes in Brussels, in a celebration of the Spanish Day of the Book. The Secretary General of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, María Catalán, participated in the event.

The event was organized by the embassies of Spain and Colombia, and all the attendees were given books and roses, like in the Catalan tradition of Sant Jordi.

Besides the Spanish Ambassador, Cecilia Yuste, and the one in Colombia, Rodrigo Rivera, the Ambassadors from Peru, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mexico, Argentina and Bolivia, between others, read different parts of the book.

 

Yuste remarked the excelent collaboration of Latin American embassies on the promotion of Spanish language. “Spanish is something in common we have to celebrate with all Latin American embassies and we always find a kind welcome in them”, she underlined.

Source: Agencia EFE