The Chamber participates in the presentation of FEDECOM’s Company of the Year 2023 award to Talgo

FEDECOM renews its Board of Directors and announces new additions

In memoriam – Antonio Corpas

It is with great sadness that we inform you that Antonio Corpas, member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber and CEO of OneLife, passed away last Saturday, 7 January, at the early age of 54.

Antonio joined the OneLife Group in 2008 as Head of Legal and Tax Affairs and Group General Counsel, bringing with him a long experience as a Qualified Lawyer and international legal advisor.

Antonio was instrumental in the development and expertise of OneLife in the areas of wealth structuring, investment fund services and non-traditional assets. He contributed significantly to the reorganisation and repositioning of OneLife thanks to his international profile, technical skills and business-oriented approach.

Antonio was a member of the Board of the Chamber since 2021 and actively contributed to the Chamber’s Working Committees in Luxembourg.

We at the Chamber send our condolences to his family, colleagues and friends.

The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg has approved its new proposal of statutes

The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg has held this Tuesday, 13th December, an Extraordinary General Assembly.

The meeting had only one item on the agenda: the approval of the proposed new statutes, adapted to the new Spanish Royal Decree 1179/2020, which establishes the framework for the official recognition of the Spanish Chambers of Commerce abroad, as well as to the renewed Belgian Code of Companies and Associations.

After the introduction of the president of the Chamber, Pablo López, the secretary general, Marta González, summarised the general lines of the reform to adapt the statutes to the new legislation.

The members of the Chamber unanimously approved the proposal, although the decision is conditional upon the subsequent approval of the Secretary of State for Trade of the Spanish Government.

The Assembly was also attended by the Spanish Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, Alberto Antón, who highlighted the work of the Chamber in strengthening trade relations between Spain, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

Prior to the event, a minute of silence was also held in honor of José Gracia Barba, “Pitu”, member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber who passed away recently.

At the end of the Assembly, the Chamber’s Christmas Cocktail took place, where the members could enjoy appetizers and drinks, as well as the opportunity for networking.

In memoriam – José Gracia Barba

Last Saturday, 19 November, José Gracia Barba, member of the Board of Directors of our Chamber, unexpectedly passed away.

Three days earlier he attended the event organised with President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Ingenious, generous, friendly, and witty as always, nothing made us think about the outcome.

He always wanted to be known as “Pitu” and, to our very dear Pitu, goes our tribute.

It is difficult to use the past when writing these lines. The imprint of his presence in the Chamber’s life will live on. Undoubtedly.

Kindness, generosity, intelligence, commitment. His service to Spain, from his position as administrator of our Chamber, highlights these qualities.

In 2012, he played a decisive role in integrating the (private) Spanish Chamber in Luxembourg into the current Official Chamber, and from 2017 to 2020 he was its Vice-President for the Grand Duchy.

Pitu was an Industrial Engineer. His professional experience led him to be part of different companies, among them Inespal (Empresa Nacional del Aluminio), before starting his career on his own.

Since 1995, Gracia Barba had developed different projects in the financial and energy sector, holding various positions in companies such as EUROSIGMA, Metrovacesa, Gecina, CTI, or Banco Pastor. He currently held the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of EBN (Banco de Negocios S.A.).

Death is not real when the deed of life has been well done”, said the Cuban philosopher and poet José Martí. This quote becomes a reality in the person of Pitu.

Margarita, Pitu’s support, has our affection and love. With her, Pitu remains among us.

Dear Pitu, thank you for everything.

The Chamber of Commerce and the Brussels arts centre iMAL agree to collaborate to promote the Spain Brand

On 11 October, iMAL, the Art Centre for Digital Cultures and Technology in Brussels, and the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium signed a collaboration agreement.

The aim of the agreement is, on one hand, to raise awareness of Spanish artists, creators and creative industries in Belgium and, on the other hand, to serve as a platform for dissemination to other countries through the different European networks to which both organisations belong.

Likewise, the members of the Chamber will be able to benefit from free tickets for the centre’s exhibitions, discounts for the participation in workshops and festivals, and the rental of spaces for events.

In addition, during the meeting, the general director, Lucía García, and the artistic director, Ana Ascencio, gave a guided tour of iMAL’s facilities to the President of the Chamber and the general secretary, who were able to see its state-of-the-art FabLab workshop, and learn first-hand about the new project of the Spanish digital artist Félix Luque.

Meeting of the Board of Directors and launch of a new working group

Last Monday, 19 September, the Board of Directors of the Chamber held a hybrid meeting.

During the gathering, the activity developed by the Chamber during the first half of the year was reviewed, the working commissions Competition Spain and Spanish Financial Forum were discussed, as well as the different events scheduled.

Also, the Chamber is about to start working on its new Strategic Plan 2023-2026. For this purpose, a working group will be created in which all members are invited to participate. If you need more information or have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact secretariogeneral@e-camara.com.

HM The King receives CAMACOES representatives in Madrid

On July 5 and 6, the 44 Official Spanish Chambers of Commerce Abroad (CAMACOES) met in Madrid to participate in different strategic sessions organized by the State Secretariat of Commerce and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber was represented by its President, Pablo López Álvarez, and its General Secretary, Marta González.

During the meeting, the chambers had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the international financing tools that the State Secretariat of Commerce offers to companies in their internationalization process, as well as the new aspects of the regulations governing the chambers abroad and the digitalization plan of CAMACOES, launched through the National Plan for Recovery, Transformation and Resilience.

In response, the foreign chambers shared the best practices of the network, explored other avenues of collaboration with their counterparts in Spain, and identified new projects along with the Spanish Chamber of Commerce.

Absolute allies

Furthermore, the Secretary of State for Trade, Xiana Méndez, underlined the “essential work” of accompanying companies carried out by the chambers during the pandemic, and also stressed the importance of public-private collaboration, exemplified by the Spanish chambers of commerce abroad. A private initiative with “public service vocation” that becomes a “key instrument of the administration” and “absolute allies” in the countries where they are located.

José Luis Bonet, president of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, did not miss the opportunity to highlight how the Official Spanish Chambers of Commerce abroad are “an essential platform for Spanish companies to expand internationally”, especially in a context such as the current one.

To conclude, His Majesty the King received in audience the main representatives of CAMACOES, who explained to His Majesty the key role of the Chambers abroad in supporting the internationalization of Spanish companies; an essential platform for the economic recovery, and an effective instrument of public-private collaboration and business diplomacy.

Ordinary General Assembly 2022

On 20 June, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg held its Ordinary General Assembly 2022 at the Cervantes Institute in Brussels. The day resumed the attendance lost during the last assemblies due to Covid-19 and gathered a large number of members and different personalities among which the Ambassador of Spain in Belgium, H.E. Ms. Beatriz Larrotcha Palma, stood out.

The event was opened by the President Pablo López-Álvarez who wanted to thank all the members present and, in particular, the Honorary President, the already appointed Ambassador of Spain in Belgium, for their attendance. López-Álvarez also wanted to show once again his gratitude to everyone for the trust they placed in him more than a year ago when they appointed him President of the Chamber.

Positive trend

Following the Agenda, the Secretary General of the Chamber, Marta González Benguria reviewed the main activities and events organised by the Chamber in the past financial year 2021. She highlighted the positive trend that the organisation has been following in recent years in relation to the increase in the number of members and, consequently, in the number of dues. He also highlighted the increasingly relevant presence of the Chamber as a platform for debate and dialogue with EU institutions, as well as the diversification of its activities and participation in various European projects.

In the absence of the Treasurer and having previously sent the necessary documentation to the members, the Secretary General made a brief review of the accounting situation of the Chamber, having obtained a profit of almost 60,000 euros in the financial year 2021 and a total asset of 1,281,476 euros. Both the Secretary General and the Vice-president, Abelardo García, affirmed the good financial health of the entity and highlighted the high diversification of the income derived from its different commercial activities. This diversification was exposed as a great value that ensures the economic viability of the entity, making it less dependent on the difficulties that may arise from situations such as Covid.

Annual Accounts

The annual accounts and the disclaimer of the Board of Directors were approved by the assembly, and the next item on the agenda was the revision of membership fees and the reform of the Articles of Association.

After explaining that the Chamber’s membership fees have been frozen since 2016, the President pointed out that the accumulated inflation of this period has amounted to 13%, so that after deliberation the Board of Directors, as the governing body, proposed a 20% increase in membership fees for all members, exempting members in the “entrepreneurs” category.

The increase in fees, which was unanimously approved, will come into effect on 1 July for both renewals and new registrations. Automatic indexation for subsequent years was also ruled out, so that future assessments will be based on the economic situation and the state of inflation.

Regarding the reform of the statutes, the members were informed that a draft of the statutes had been consolidated and that work is underway on an explanatory report on the statutes. Once these two documents have been completed, the Economic and Commercial Department will be responsible for submitting them to the State Attorney General’s Office, which will be responsible for their revision, after which the statutes will again be submitted to the Board of Directors and subsequently presented to the members at the Extraordinary General Assembly for final approval.

Elections

The Secretary General announced the names of the members who will complete their term of office, as well as the candidatures received, which, in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, are standing for re-election.

This year, due to the limited number of nominations (6 nominations for 6 seats), all candidates were elected to serve as members of the Chamber’s Board of Directors for the next 3 years by popular acclamation.

The new members of the Board of Directors, as well as those revalidating their posts, are:

– Joseba Arriortua, Individual Member (Member)

– Eva Chamizo, Iberdrola (Member)

– Susana Garayoa, Zabala Innovation (Member)

– Andrea Oriol, LaLiga (Member)

– Angel Rebollo, Arpa EU Affairs & Communications (Member)

– Miguel Troncoso, Gómez-Acebo & Pombo (Member)

Departure from the Board of Directors:

– Juan Rodriguez-Villa Matons, Aspro Parks Group (Past President and Member)

– Manuel Mostaza, Atrevia (Member)

The President took the opportunity to thank the members who are leaving the Board of Directors for their intense work and dedication during these years, highlighting the important value and legacy that Past President Juan Rodriguez-Villa Matons leaves in the Chamber and his always unbeatable disposition for advice and accompaniment.

Ambassador

Ms. Beatriz Larrotcha Palma, Ambassador of Spain in Belgium, took the floor and expressed her gratitude to all the Spanish companies for representing a solid and fundamental business fabric for the Spanish economy. She highlighted the good work of the Chamber and its position as the most active of the national chambers, as well as its recognised prestige as a centre for debate and dialogue with the European institutions. He urged the highest representatives of the organisation to continue in the current line of work and stressed the importance of finalising the new statutes that guarantee a solid legal framework with regard to the administrations and members.

At the end of the Assembly, the President thanked the Spanish Ambassador, who will soon be leaving her diplomatic mission in Belgium. Rafael Chamorro Martín, the representative of the Spanish Tourist Office, was also bid farewell, highlighting the good relations that had been enjoyed during the years of his mandate.

Finally, the President of the Chamber thanked the Secretary General and her team for the work they have been doing. He highlighted the work of the interns who have been part of the team during these months, wishing them good luck in their professional future and highlighting their good work, training and knowledge acquired in the entity.

 

 

Pablo López-Álvarez elected as Fedecom’s new Vice President for Europe

On May 5th, our president Pablo López-Álvarez was elected as the new Fedecom Vice President for Europe for the next 3 years.

López-Álvarez thanked the confidence placed by the rest of the European chambers and made himself available to all of them for the next assembly of the chambers abroad that will take place in Madrid at the beginning of July.

*Photo: Pablo López-Álvarez and Věra Jourová Vice-President of the European Commission