Meeting about the Asturian emigration: challenges for the future

Last Thursday, 26 March, a meeting in Gijón took place with regard to Asturian citizens living abroad in the face of the future challenges of the Asturian society. The meeting focused on two important aspects of emigration: young people and the role of diaspora in the internationalisation of the companies.

foto ramon newsletter 22The event was organized by the association ‘Compromiso Asturias XXI‘, where lectures were presented by Pablo López-Álvarez, vice-president of the Chamber, and Ramón López-Peláez, manager of Programa Jóvenes.

The first one participated in the panel discussion ‘Emigration and international markets‘, where he joined other Asturian professionals residing abroad and presented his professional experience and point of view about the role of expatriates as information sources for Asturian companies interested in expanding internationally.

Meanwhile, Ramón López-Peláez offered his vision in the panel ‘Youths and international career‘, commenting the situation of young expatriates in Belgium and Luxembourg, the jobs in demand, as well as some successful tips for job hunting.

 

Networking Dinner with the Delegation of the Extremaduran Association of the Family Enterprise

Next Monday 23rd of March, the Extremaduran Office in Brussels organizes a networking dinner with the Delegation of the Extremaduran Association of the Family Enterprise in collaboration with the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg. The event will be presided by Enrique Barrasa, delegate of Extremadura in Europe, and Juan Rodríguez-Villa, president of the Chamber of Commerce.

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The networking dinner will begin at 8 p.m. and will take place in Rue Auguste Orts 20-28, in Brussels. To confirm your assistance, please send an email to info@e-camara.com before Thursday 19th of March.

This exclusive event is only available for partners of the Chamber.

 

The Hotel introduces Spanish high cuisine in The Restaurant

Pierre Balthazar, culinary counselor and chef in THE HOTEL, has invited three world known chefs to elaborate a menu based on the same basic ingredients, created in three personal ways.

Almuerzo con Macarena

Almuerzo con Macarena

Macarena de Castro, from Restaurante Jardín, in Alcudia (Majorca), Michaël Fulci from the restaurant Les Terraillers in Biot-Cannes and Oth Sombath from the thailand restaurant Aux Trois Nagas, in the 16th district of Paris. The three well known cooks “start the competition” using the same nine seasonal products, testing their creativity.

The Restaurante Jardín (Port d’Alcudia), Macarena de Castro’s propiety, has a Michelin star.

Juan Rodríguez-Villa, our President, together with José Fernández Muñíz (from the Commercial Office in the Spanish Embassy), Jan Joris Kriele (General Director of The Hotel) and Nicolás Barsotti, the Sales Director, shared a table while tasting the culinary delights made by Macarena de Castro.

The Spanish Official Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg celebrates the presentation in Brussels of this excelent example of Spanish high cuisine.

Spanish-Belgian assets planning: get advised to optimize

On 29 October the conference about “Assets planning in a Spanish-Belgian inheritance context ” took place in Brussels, at the Spanish Chamber of commerce in Belgium and Luxemburg.

DSC_0049Rafaël Álvarez Campa, Partner in Brussels at law firm Wantiez, Bailleux, Causin & Janssen, and José María Moyano, Partner at the law firm Adarve Abogados in Madrid, both members of the International Network of tax experts Law and Numbers, were the speakers of what proved to be an interesting and interactive workshop, which gathered an important number of Spanish expatriated people who are tax residents in Belgium, and have financial interests in both countries.

During the seminar different questions about the Inheritance and Gift Tax – affecting tax residents in both countries – were examined. Undoubtedly the topics that generated more interest were Real Estate taxation and the recent Sanction to the Kingdom of Spain for unequal treatment between Spanish residents and non-residents on the Inheritance and Gift Tax.

“The need of being advised in advance is essential, because when the logic ends, then Belgium starts” Rafaël Álvarez Campa says, as an example of the complexity that can imply the correct planning of expatriated people’s assets planning. “Moreover if we take into account that there’s no existing agreement between Spain and Belgium to avoid double taxation in Inheritance and Gift matters”, José María Moyano emphasizes.

The conference was attended by numerous participants.

European Parliament of Enterprises

Last Thursday, 16 October, the third edition of the “European Parliament of Enterprises” organized by Eurochambres, was organized in the hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels.

The objective of this initiative is to bring the concerns from the companies to the European legislators. A total of 751 employers, from the 28 EU countries and companies of all sizes and sectors, participated in the event. The composition of the EPE reflects the number of representatives per Member State. Several members of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg had the opportunity to participate in the initiative.

The EPE also has the objective of providing the companies more information about the importance of the decisions of the institutions in their activities and results, and the role and functioning of the European Union as well. During that day a parliamentary session was recreated that gave a voice to the European business.

After having compared the policy priorities for 2014 set by the European Commission, the European Parliament, the EU Presidency and members of Eurochambres, four areas of interest for business were identified: Internationalization, skills, finance and energy. At the end of each debate the entrepreneurs had the opportunity to participate in the voting process. The judgement on the chosen topics were transferred to the European institutions.

The first edition of the “European Parliament of Enterprises” was held on 14 October 2008 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Eurochambres. It is organized every two years in cooperation with the Higher Council of Chambers of Commerce and other national associations of European Chambers of Commerce and third countries members of Eurochambres.

Breakfast meeting with Spanish Euro-parliamentarians

On 16 October a business meeting with business representatives and Spanish Members of the European Parliament of the Group of the European People´s Party, the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament and the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe was organized at the European Parliament in collaboration with the High Council of Chambers of Commerce in Spain.

During the meeting partners of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, representatives of the Spanish Chambers of Commerce and the Euro-parliamentarians had the opportunity to discuss community matters that affect business competitiveness.

The Chambers of Commerce proposed the creation of a mixed Commission consisting of Chambers/Euro-parliamentarians so that the problems and interests of Spanish SMEs arrive at the European institutions. This proposal emerged as an answer to the generalized request of the Spanish political Groups present at the European Parliament to the Chambers themselves so that they serve as a communication channel and a connection with the real Spanish production system: SMEs and Micro-SMEs.

The main issues that were discussed in the course of the morning were: the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the internationalization problem of small enterprises, the consequences of economic measures adopted by the EU against Russia, especially about the Spanish food sector, and the set of measures and incentives announced by the President of the European Commission, Juncker, which will involve an important infusion of funds.

Regarding the energy issue, the strategic position of Spain was dealt with with special interest, to connect with energy storage resources in North Africa with Europe through France, and the necessity of making the energy efficiency compatible with climate change policies.

Concerning the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the Popular Party confirmed that it will be advantageous for the SMEs, especially in the field of the homologation of products, since one of the main themes dealt with with the United States is that, if a product is homologated in the European Union, that it will automatically also be homologated at the American market.

The Chamber participates in an academic act organized by Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Brussels

Within the framework of the program to obtain the masters’ degree “Master in International Business”, organized by the University of Pompeu Fabra of Barcelona, on Monday 1 July, an academic act was organized at the Delegation of Regional Government of Catalonia in Brussels, in which the President of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg participated.

logo_principal_boxeoJuan Rodríguez-Villa Matons adressed a group of students from 26 different nationalities who travelled to Brussels and Amsterdam to be in contact with the business and institutional world.

Our President referred to BENELUX as an inspiring Institution for European Union. He made an analysis of the Treaties which determined the creation of European Communities: ECSC, EURATOM and EEC and Schengen Agreement in which BENELUX Union was the promoter. He underlined that the European integration was catalyzed by the necessity of reaching peace in Europe after the Second World War.

Finally, he informed about the cameral organization in Spain, with special reference to the significant work which Official Chambers of Commerce of  Spain abroad carry out towards External Trade Policy of the Spanish Government.

Then, two representatives of EVERIS, associated with the Chamber, offered a vision of the importance of the IT market in Europe in which EVERIS has an increasing role. Furthermore, the international expansion of the company was emphasized.