Meeting of the Forums Committee

On September 20th, the second meeting of the year of the Forums Committee, a working group whose task is to propose, organise and monitor the events organised by the Chamber, was organised telematically.

During the meeting, which was chaired by Pablo López Álvarez (FTI Consulting), a balance of the last events organised by the “business circle” platform was made, as well as new initiatives to be developed in the coming months were proposed, both at local level and with the institutions of the European Union. They also discussed the call for the Company of the Year Award 2021, which is currently open, and the upcoming training on “Public Affairs Strategies and dialogue with European institutions”.

About the Chamber’s Committees

The Committees are made up by some of the members, as well as by the person in charge of the area in question in the Chamber.

These working groups have numerous functions: in-depth studies of proposals, problems, projects, and activities. Through them, the members influence the day-to-day life of the Chamber in order to better adapt the Chamber’s activities to the needs of the members.

At any time, a member can ask the President of a Committee to join it or request the Secretary General to create a new group.

Luxembourg’s Management Committee Meeting

On September 7th, the Luxembourg´s Management Committee met virtually.

The Vice President of the Chamber, Joseba Arriortua, started the meeting by informing the rest of the members of the Committee about the changes in the Board of Directors of the Chamber after the last AGO held in June in Brussels. Then, he welcomed Antonio Corpas, CEO of OneLife, who had the opportunity to introduce himself to the other members of the Committee.

Afterwards, the balance of new members for the Luxembourg Delegation was presented and information was given on the activities to be developed in the upcoming months and future projects.

Among the projects of the Luxembourg Delegation, the activity of the Spanish Financial Forum (SFF) was highlighted. The members of the Management Committee had the opportunity to comment on and discuss upcoming initiatives proposed by this Working Committee.

Meeting of the Board of Directors

On September 13th, the Board of Directors of the Chamber held a telematic meeting.

During the meeting, chaired by the President Pablo López-Álvarez, it was discussed the content of the next multiannual strategic plan to be developed by the Chamber. In addition, the different European programmes managed by the institution and the working committees of the Spanish Financial Forum and Competencia España were reviewed.

Finally, the upcoming scheduled events were detailed and the rules for the call of the VII Edition of the Company of the Year Award 2021 were approved.

General Assembly Meeting 2021

Last Thursday, June 24th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg held its Ordinary General Assembly. Due to the current sanitary restrictions caused by the COVID-19, the Assembly was held for the first time in a hybrid format.+

After the agenda was read out, the President of the Chamber, Juan Rodríguez-Villa Matons, took the floor. He first thanked the members present for their attendance and then announced his decision to resign as President. After an emotional speech, recalling the milestones of his work at the Chamber for 16 years, the President thanked all the people who took part in the resounding success of the institution. He highlighted the work of the Vice-President Pablo López, since his appointment in 2010, whom he acknowledged to have served as President “de facto”, during the long period of crisis in which we are still in. He also celebrated the positioning the Chamber as a point of reference for Spanish companies abroad, especially in terms of European agenda and visibility before the European institutions. Until the election of a new President by the Board of Directors, Vice-Chairman Pablo López Alvarez will act as Acting President.

Then, the Secretary General, Marta González Benguria, reviewed the main activities and events organised by the Chamber in the past year 2020. The Secretary General highlighted the positive trend in the increase in the number of members in the last year, with a growth of more than 8% compared to the previous year. This trend is positive not only in quantitative terms, as the Chamber has 6 new sponsoring members, from 34 to 40, an increase of almost 18%.

She also underlined the organisation of online events as one of the tools to continue with the traditional activities of the Chamber in a context of pandemic. Thus, the Chamber organised 53 events throughout 2020, mainly online, in close cooperation with its members. Of particular note were the online events developed in the framework of the “Business Circle” Platform which was able to attract important figures from the European institutions. The novelty of this 2020 were the working committees: the launch of “Competencia España”, focused on competition law and policy, and the “Spanish Financial Forum”, whose objective is to share experiences and generate business opportunities for Spanish companies in the financial sector.

Then, the Secretary General highlighted the role of the Chamber in the management of several European projects, two of which, for the first time, the Chamber has a coordinator role. In addition, the commercial area also remained active despite the paralysing effects of the pandemic on the economy, with 255 commercial consultations, and 9 direct trade missions.

Finally, she detailed the main items corresponding to the Balance Sheet for the financial year 2020, which was subsequently approved by all those present and represented. For the first time, the balance sheet exceeded one million euros and the profit was 125,177 euros.

The President then proposed the candidate members for presentation to the General Assembly and the General Assembly elected, for the first time with a telematic voting system, the following 8 members as vocals, representing their respective companies for a period of 3 years:

– Antonio Corpas (OneLife)
– Bert Dehandschutter (Racine; Degor)
– Sergio De Miguel-Jessel (Partner in his personal capacity)
– Abelardo García González (BBVA)
– José Gracia Barba (Meteora)
– Sophie Leconte (everis)
– Asier Marquina Sánchez (ArcelorMittal)
– Manuel Menéndez Barrero (Santander Consumer Bank)

After the vote, Vice-President Pablo López Álvarez intervened as Acting President to pay tribute to the outgoing President, Juan Rodríguez-Villa, whom he described as “the best President the Chamber could have had”. After acknowledging his admirable career and the important legacy he leaves behind, he proposed his appointment as “Past President”, for the remaining year of his mandate as Board Member. This appointment was unanimously approved by the members present at the General Assembly, who gave the President a heartfelt round of applause. The Vice President undertook to convene a Board of Directors meeting shortly to elect a new President and announced his candidacy.

 

María Palanca Reh, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the Spanish Embassy in Belgium and Luxembourg, then took the floor to recognise the excellent performance of the Chamber, especially in a pandemic situation. She thanked the Secretary General, her team and all the members involved in the Chamber’s activities. After reiterating the official nature of the Chamber from the Spanish public administration, she concluded by thanking the outgoing President for his dedication. Finally, tribute was paid to the former Secretary Generals, María Catalán and Miguel Ángel Arrimadas, who spoke briefly to convey their thanks to the Chamber and to the outgoing President. Additionally, the President of the Chamber thanked all the young trainees for their vitality and commitment to the Chamber.

 

On July 2nd, a telematic meeting of the Board of Directors will be held to vote and appoint the next President of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg.

 

 

Virtual meeting of Spanish entrepreneurs in Luxembourg

On April 20th, the Chamber organised the first virtual meeting of Spanish entrepreneurs in Luxembourg.

The meeting was organised in the framework of the EmprendeBelux programme, which aims to support Spaniards who decide to launch an entrepreneurial project in BeLux. This first meeting was attended by 12 entrepreneurs from different sectors of activity, who had the opportunity to present their project and exchange experiences and information of interest.

Also, several programmes that the Chamber manages in the field of entrepreneurship were presented: Mobility Plan – PICE, Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, MobiliseSME and StartCraft.

Are you an entrepreneur living in Luxembourg and do you want to participate in upcoming calls? Contact us: luxemburgo@e-camara.com

 

 

Luxembourg’s Management Committee Meeting

On 14 April, the Luxembourg’s Management Committee met virtually for the first time after the election of its new members at the assembly meeting in February.

During this meeting, matters of interest to Luxembourg-based members were discussed, with a special focus on the development of new projects and activities.

In this regard, the recent publication of the first edition of the SFF Magazine was highlighted, as well as the project to launch a training offer focused on the financial sector.

Also, emphasis was placed on the diversification of the activities that the Chamber organises in the Grand Duchy to provide added value to all members.

The meeting was attended by all the members of the Luxembourg Management Committee.

 

Meeting of the Board of Directors

On March 29th, the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce held a telematic meeting.

During the meeting, the activity developed by the Chamber during the first quarter was reviewed, the working commissions Competencia España and Spanish Financial Forum were discussed as well as the different European projects managed by the Chamber. Finally, the next scheduled events were detailed.

Likewise, the list of members for 2020 was approved and possible new collaborations of interest for the members were evaluated.

The Federation of Official Spanish Chambers of Commerce in Europe,Africa,Asia and Oceania, FEDECOM, renews its Boards of Directors and announces new incorporations

The Ordinary General Assembly of the Federation of Official Spanish Chambers of Commerce in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania (FEDECOM) unanimously approved in a virtual meeting a second term of President Eduardo Barrachina, who is also the President of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom. Similarly, the vice presidencies of Europe, Africa and the Middle East and Asia and Oceania were elected. For Europe José Miguel García was elected, who will combine the vice-presidency of Europe with the Presidency of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in France. For Africa and the Middle East Guillermo Cobelo, President of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Arab Emirates, and for Asia and Oceania, María José Rodríguez , President of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Australia has also renewed her position.Yolanda Gimeno, Secretary General of the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Italy, joins the General Secretariat of the Federation.

For the first time in the history of the Federation, three vice presidencies have been constituted to energize FEDECOM and address the challenges that the Board of Directors has set. Regarding the new Board of Directors, Eduardo Barrachina said that “It is enough to see the trajectories and profiles of the three Vice Presidents and the Secretary General to realize in the act that it is an extraordinary team of professionals with extensive experience in the international chamber system”.

With this new Board of Directors, FEDECOM adopts a much more strategic and sophisticated stance when it comes to coordinating all initiatives in a Federation of Chambers that covers four continents.

The opening in the last two years of four new Official Chambers in India, the Czech Republic, Singapore and Senegal, reinforces the work and the important support that FEDECOM and the Official Chambers that compose it, provide for the benefit of the general Spanish interests in the country where it lies and in promoting Spanish exports and investments in key markets for Spain. With the new additions, FEDECOM now brings together 23 Official Spanish Chambers of Commerce, recognized by the Spanish State and established in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania: Germany, Australia, Belgium and Luxembourg, Casablanca, Qatar, Czech Republic, Korea, United Arab Emirates, Philippines, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Malta, Portugal, United Kingdom, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Tangier and Tunisia.

FEDECOM reflects the dynamism of Spanish enterprises and is a key economic intelligence instrument in the internalization of Spanish companies and the foreign action of the State. The main mission of FEDECOM, an international non-profit association, consists of defending the general interests of its associated Chambers and companies that compose them, information on adequate instruments for the proper development of its activities, collaboration with the Chamber of Spain, as well as relations with other international institutions. The Spanish Chambers of Commerce abroad belong to the global network of Chambers of Commerce promoted and coordinated by the Chamber of Spain.

“Our dialogue and coordination with the Chamber of Spain and the Secretary of State for Commerce is very close and constant. The creation of the three vice presidencies will allow us to work in a more efficient way”, said Barrachina.

With the election of the new FEDECOM Board of Directors, Barrachina highlighted the extraordinary relationship that exists between the Government (through the Secretary of State for Commerce), the Chamber of Commerce of Spain and the rest of the Foreign Chambers of Commerce. The President of FEDECOM has taken the opportunity to remind those present, of the future projects in which the Federation is working: the digitization of these institutions to bring the network of Chambers to all its users, the development of a map of services to collaborate with the Spanish Public Administration in its foreign action and the improvement in communication and visibility to value the work that the institution does and create more opportunities.

At FEDECOM we work for Spanish companies from Lisbon to Sydney via London, Rabat, Dubai, New Delhi or Manila. So many things have never been done, but, above all, never with such coordination and in such a way aligned with the needs of Spain, which it inevitably means, that internationalization will once again be a motor for the recovery of the Spanish economy.

 

 

FEDECOM General Assembly 11th February

Among the issues discussed during the General Assembly of FEDECOM, held on 11 February, it is worth mentioning the interventions of Cristina Olazabal, representing the Secretary of State for Trade and Jaime Montalvo, International Director of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce.

The announcement made at the previous GA on subsidies, through the General State Budget, is pending the approval of the Recovery and Resilience Funds. The subsidies will be for the digitalisation of the external network of the chambers of commerce (CAMACOES). Work is being carried out on the possibility of funding under different headings, including: adaptation of technical resources (bandwidth, intranet, etc.), adaptation of physical facilities, investment in technical and human resources.

Agreements will be signed between the Secretariat of State and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, or with the CAMACOES. The timetable being studied for the implementation of improvements in digitalisation covers the three-year period 2021-2023.

On the other hand, the aim is to position and consolidate the CAMACOES network. The objective is to enhance its current qualities, promoting network projects, designing joint strategies with OFECOMES and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, sharing software equipment.

There is a lot of work being done to optimise the website of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce by means of a link with the CAMACOES, presenting a map of services. A microsite will be created with maximum visibility, which will be a place for companies and institutions. Moreover, a chamber intranet will be opened, at the disposal of the CAMACOES and the Secretary of State for Trade.

It is planned to update the services by creating a catalogue for companies and government institutions.

Finally, information was provided on the development of the Global Network project, whose objective is the creation of the “Community of Spanish business managers in the world“, in which both OFECOMES and CAMACOES play an important role.

Virtual meeting of members domiciled in Luxembourg

On February 18th, the first assembly meeting of Luxembourg-based members took place. During the meeting, a review of the main activities carried out by the Chamber’s delegation in the Grand Duchy was made, and the next actions to be carried out were detailed.

Likewise, a new structure of the Management Committee of the Chamber of Commerce of Luxembourg, the management body of the Chamber’s delegation in the Grand Duchy, was voted. Finally, the appointment of the four members, representing their respective companies for a period of four years was unanimously elected:

  • Hector Esteban Moreno (Bankinter)
  • Mónica Hortelano (Quintet)
  • Álvaro Laorden (RBC Investor & Treasury Services)
  • Jesús Vicente (Vicente et fils)

These four partners will join the four members of the Chamber’s Board of Directors who are domiciled in Luxembourg and are full members of this Committee.

Lastly, H.E. Mr. Bernardo de Sicart Escoda, Ambassador of Spain in Luxembourg, took the floor to congratulate the new members of the Committee and to wish them good luck in their work.