On the 31st of January, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, in collaboration with The Cortador Academy – the first school in Benelux to learn how to cut ham professionally – organised the Second professional ham cutter workshop. The course was conducted by the Master Ham Cutter José Cristóbal Álvarez García, who obtained his renowned diploma at the Spanish school “Escuela Internacional de Cortadores de Jamón”.

The workshop was aimed at professionals from the Horeca sector and ham enthusiasts who wished to deepen their interest in the art of slicing and plating this product.

During the day, in the second professional ham cutting workshop, attendees were able to study, theoretically, the different types of ham, their characteristics, knives and the regulations that apply to the sector. They also learned, in a practical way, the main techniques for professional slicing from the meat to the bone and how to plate it on both square and round trays.

Learning to cut Iberian ham, an “art” that is gaining ground in Belgium – Agencia EFE | Access the full video here

Second professional ham cutting workshop

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On March 24^th and 25^th 2022, from 9:00 to 11:30, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg will organise a webinar on “Social Media Management for Businesses”, designed for profiles looking to level up their social media, regardless of the industry or company size.

To ensure the viability and lifespan of your social media project, it is vital to understand the importance behind a social media audit, the elements behind a social media strategy, how to engage with customers, understand GDPR, collaborate with stakeholders & influencers, effectively manage events & online reputation, learn how to work with a social media calendar and navigate through a social media crisis.

We will cover these and other hot topics, and provide you with different tools to help you level up your social media presence in this 5-hour webinar.

This workshop will be divided in two days, with a duration of 2 and a half hours each.

You can check the full programme of the training here.

To register in this workshop, please fill in the following reply form.

From Monday 15th to Friday 19th November, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organised the third edition of the training “Public advice strategies and dialogue with European institutions“, mainly addressed to Spanish companies and associations.

Around twenty representatives of Spanish companies and sectoral associations took part in the training, interested in learning first-hand about the tools that allow them to establish an effective dialogue with the different institutions of the European Union, anticipate regulatory risks and opportunities, and effectively influence the different stages of the legislative process.

The training was given by renowned professionals from multinationals, business organisations, leading Spanish bodies, as well as members of the different European institutions. The first day of the course began with an introduction by Pablo López Álvarez, President of the Chamber and Senior Managing Director of FTI Consulting, who presented the programme and did a follow-up of the current European Action.

Afterwards, the European Affairs consultant and former MEP, Ignasi Guardans, spoke about the institutional structure of the EU and its adjacent ecosystem. This was followed by the head of European affairs and permanent delegate at the CEOE Delegation in Brussels, Patricia Cirez, who shared her knowledge on the basic tools for monitoring and, in her case, contributing to the European legislative process.

 

The second day of training began with the intervention of Carlos Rodríguez Cocina, European Affairs Director at Telefónica and head of the Brussels office, who highlighted the importance of being present in the European capital and the participatory democracy that exists by contributing to the debate and nurturing the decision-making process with the institutions. This was followed by Diego Canga, Senior Advisor to the European Commission, who shared with the audience his recommendations on how and when it is most effective to interact with the institutions, from the perspective of the European Commission.

During the third day, Montserrat Barriga, Director General of the European Regions Airlines Association, started the trainning commenting on the role of sectoral associations and employers’ associations and their function in the European legislative process.

 

 

She was followed by Elena Ortíz, Head of EU Affairs at Vinces Consulting, María Rosa Rotondo, President of PACE and APRI, and Juan Alfonso Herrero, Director of European Affairs at Mercadona, who spoke jointly about the EU Transparency Register and the regulation and professionalisation of the public affairs sector.

 

Subsequently, Sonia Vila, former member of President Von der Leyen’s cabinet and head of the Management and Resources unit of the I.D.E.A. presidential service, spoke about the exclusive competences of the European Institutions and those shared with the Member States, as well as about the future of the EU, the priorities and the main challenges.

The day ended with Irene Martínez, Executive Coordinator and Luis Simón, Director, both from the Elcano Royal Institute in Brussels, and Ángel Rebollo, founder of ARPA Consulting and Senior Partner at Must & Partners, who explained the role of Think Tanks, NGOs and consumer associations at the European level and discussed why it is necessary to integrate Spanish MEPs in Brussels policy.

 

The fourth day of training focused on the role of the Council and the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU, thanks to Raúl Fuentes, Deputy Ambassador of Spain. Fuentes gave recommendations to the attendees on how to find out who are the people responsible for each regulation.

 

 

The second presentation was given by Ruth Estrada, partner at Schuman Associates, and Susana Garayoa, Senior Consultant at Zabala Innovation Consulting, who shared information on recovery funds and other EU funding opportunities available to companies.

The day ended with a talk by Susana Solís Pérez, MEP in the European Parliament, in which she explained what the Parliament is like from the inside, which the institution’s current priorities are and how citizens are currently approaching Europe and the European Parliament.

The fifth and final day of the training began with the intervention of Bert Dehandschutter, lawyer at Racine Advocaten, who showed the participants the process of opening a representative office in Brussels. Afterwards, Xavier Quer Pietx, Manager in International Organisations, NTT Data shared keys for accessing European public contracts.

 

Finally, it was the turn of Manuel Mostaza, director of Atrevia Brussels, and Carolina Serrano, consultant at the same company, who spoke about the organisation of events, the most popular media in the European Union ecosystem and how to develop a European communication and public affairs campaign.

The training was closed by Marta González Benguria, Secretary General of the Chamber, who thanked all the speakers and attendees for their participation in this third edition of the course and highlighted the role played by the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, as a support entity for Spanish companies interested in defending their interests in Europe.