Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom

Etiqueta: brexit

Brexit: Immigration and Employment morning talk with the Embassy of Spain

On the morning of Wednesday 15^th November 2017, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce held a morning talk titled Brexit: Immigration and Employment in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain to the United Kingdom, held at their premises in Knightsbridge, London.

There were three speakers leading the session: Juan Duarte, Counsellor at the Embassy of Spain, José Riera, General Consul at the Spanish Consulate in London and Reyes Zataraín del Valle; Employment and Social Security Advisor. Once all attendees had taken their seats, Eduardo Barrachina, Associate at White & Case LLP (member of the Chamber) opened the talk and welcomed everyone to the Embassy.

Mr Duarte then started proceedings by explaining the format of the talk. He went on to briefly describe the timeline of Brexit events and developments thus far, particularly in terms of key dates and negotiations. He spoke about the issues of the single market, the current situation with social security and documentation of EU citizens residing in the UK; highlighting that the sooner negotiations can get underway the better the outcome will be for everyone.

José Riera spoke next, beginning by emphasising the importance of Spanish citizens who reside in the UK enrolling in the Spanish Consulate and the many reasons for this. He spoke of the wider work of the Consulate and the issues and technicalities surrounding the application process for British citizenship, adding that the amount of people applying for this is continually increasing.

Reyes Zataraín del Valle then opened up her talk by explaining how there is currently a good situation in terms of Social Security and that Spain has a stable and well developed system for this. She went on to speak in greater detail about the matter, covering additional areas such as pensions, benefits, indefinite leave to remain and settled status in the UK.

After the three speakers then spoke again, Mr Duarte invited guests to ask any questions they might have; although they had also been previously encouraged to do so throughout the talk. There were a great deal of questions asked which were directed to and answered by the three members of the panel. After the final question was answered, attendees were encouraged to send any further queries they might have to the embassy by email (to either brexitventanillaresidentes@maec.es or emb.londres.brexit@maec.es).

This was a popular talk with a fantastic turnout and positive feedback received, with attendees having found the content both insightful and useful. We would like to thank the Embassy of Spain for collaborating with us on this event and for holding it at their premises, as well as all of those who took part.

If you would like to know more about this kind of events and others organised by the Chamber, do take a look at the Upcoming Events section of our website or subscribe to our electronic newsletter for biweekly updates.

22/11/2017
«Brexit: Immigration, Employment and Tax» seminar with Buckles Solicitors LLP

On the morning of Tuesday 10^th October 2017 we were pleased to hold the breakfast seminar “Brexit: Immigration, Employment in Tax” organised in collaboration with Buckles Solicitors LLP, Benefactor of the Chamber. The event was held, very fittingly, on their premises close to Chancery Lane; in the heart of the City.

Guests from several of our member companies attended the seminar, interestingly from a variety of sectors. Following an opportunity for attendees to meet each other over coffee, Alejandro Verdú de Haro, Head of International at Buckles Solicitors, welcomed everybody on behalf of his firm and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain.

Giles Betts, Partner and Head of Employment at Buckles then began the seminar by speaking about the effect that Brexit has had so far on employment in the UK and how it potentially would affect it in the future. In particular, he spoke of the sectors which employ the most individuals from other EU countries (such as hospitality, construction, and healthcare) and how this varies around the UK. Next, Ben Sheldrick, Senior Partner (UK/US) at Magrath Sheldrick Solicitors LLP spoke about how Brexit was affecting the field of immigration law. He mentioned how in the 21^st century the UK has seen a substantial spike in immigration from across Europe, but how since last year’s referendum this has been stagnated. He also provided insight on the government’s three phase approach to the introduction of a new immigration system for EU nationals, as well as its proposals for EU citizens arriving in the UK after the yet-specified date and during the Implementation Period. After Mr Sheldrick’s presentation, Alejandro Verdú de Haro took over to speak about tax. His topics covered the impacts Brexit could have on customs & excise duties, value added tax and on direct taxes in Spain as well as in the UK.

To conclude the seminar, attendees had the opportunity to bring up further points of discussion and ask any questions they had for all three of the speakers, following by a further opportunity to discuss such matters as well as to network over coffee.

We would like to warmly thank our Benefactor Buckles Solicitors LLP for hosting the event and for providing such interesting insight, as well as Magrath Sheldrick LLP for their participation in the talk. We would also like to thank all guests who joined us for the seminar and hope that they found it as worthwhile as we did.

If you would like to find out about other activities organised by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, we encourage you to keep an eye on the UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website. In addition to this, you can also subscribe to our biweekly newsletter in order to receive updates and information about the events we hold.

12/10/2017
BREXIT: READY FOR THE NEW GDPR?

On Thursday 8^th June, we had the pleasure of holding the breakfast seminar “Brexit: The General Data Protection Regulation”, organised in collaboration with our Patron SCA Ontier, who hosted the event, and our member Haymarket Risk Management.

With Brexit as the key focus, this session’s aim was to explore and analyse the current regulation for Data Protection, and how the new regimen is going to change some important aspects in the UK legal framework.

On this occasion, our International Trade Manager, Abel Plasencia, gave a warm welcome to the attendees on behalf of the Chamber and introduced the Speakers: Ms. Yao Trinh, Associate at SCA ONTIER, and Mr. Richard Kusnierz, Divisional Director and Advanced Investigative Data Analyst at Haymarket Risk Management.

To kick off, Ms. Trinh explained the current situation of the GDPR in the European Union. She also described the impact that this area has suffered with the Brexit. Following this, she developed the changes to data protection laws under the GDPR focusing on the major innovations of the EU General Data Protection Regulation. She closed her speech listing the consequences in the case that companies do not comply with the new GDPR before 28^th May 2018, listing the Liabilities, Remedies and Penalties.

Richard Kusnierz (standing), Divisional Director and Advanced Investigative Data Analyst at Haymarket Risk Management, during his presentation.

After this presentation, Mr. Kusnierz from Haymarket took over. He talked about how the personal data of employees impacts the company and gave some useful tips to protect it from security breaches. Once this was explained, he listed the penalties established on actual regulation and put some examples of how this is going to change with the implementation of the new GDPR regimen.

To conclude the seminar, a Q&A round took place in order for participants to expose their doubts and questions to the experts. Before the seminar was over, participants were invited to enjoy breakfast, whilst given the opportunity to discuss the session’s ideas and concepts further with the speakers.

We are grateful to our member Haymarket Risk Management and SCA ONTIER, Patron of the Chamber and kind host of this session, for delivering such a dynamic and engaging session. We would also like to thank all attendees who joined us.

If you want to find out about other activities organised by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, we encourage you to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website. In addition to this, you can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter in order to receive updates and information about our events

19/06/2017
ANNUAL PATRONS’ DINNER 2017

On Tuesday 28^th March the Spanish Chamber organised the Annual Patrons’ Dinner. The event was held at the Spanish Embassy and H.E. the Ambassador of Spain Mr. Carlos Bastarreche Sagües was our exceptional host for the evening. This event allowed our Patrons to meet the newly appointed Ambassador in a relaxed and intimate dinner.

The main dining room was perfectly set up for the traditional Annual Patrons’ Dinner.

Our guests were welcomed with a selection of canapés that they could enjoy while tasting the selection of cava and wine, which was kindly sponsored by our Patron Codorníu Raventós, as well as beers kindly provided by our Patron Mahou-San Miguel during the pre-dinner reception. This was the perfect opportunity for new Patrons to introduce themselves and get acquainted with the rest of representatives in attendance.

After the reception, Patrons proceeded to the dining area to take their seats and get ready to enjoy a three-course dinner which consisted of avocado salad with braised tomatoes, beef Wellington with potatoes and bacon millefeuille, and finally chocolate mousse with almond croquant.

Before dinner was served Mr. Javier San Basilio, President of the Spanish Chamber, opened the evening with a special speech expressing his gratitude for the support that Patrons provide to this institution and warmly thanked the Ambassador for kindly welcoming the Patrons on his first event with the Spanish Chamber.

The traditional dinner allowed new Patrons to get acquainted with the rest of companies within this membership category.

He also mentioned the new Patrons that the Chamber has gained since the last year’s dinner which were: CaixaBank, CLH -PS, Gestamp, Indra, and OHL Desarrollos. Furthermore, he took the opportunity to remind attendees of this year’s Annual Golden Award which would take place the following week, on Tuesday 4th April, again at the Embassy.

Mr. Javier San Basilio, President of the Spanish Chamber, thanked Patrons for their cotinuous support.

After the President, it was the turn of H.E. the Ambassador Mr. Carlos Bastarreche Sagües, who began his speech by thanking the Spanish Chamber for the organisation and gave an overview of the current economic and political situation in the UK and Spain in the context of Brexit, and the role Spain may play in Europe in the near future. As he mentioned, the link between the two countries is stronger than ever, with the UK currently being the first destination for Spanish investments.

H.E. Mr. Carlos Bastarreche Sagües during his address to the Patrons.

After the speeches, it was time for guests to enjoy the dinner and later to move on to the main reception room, where coffee and petit fours were served. Attendees enjoyed thus the end of the event in a comfortable atmosphere and could exchange impressions with the Ambassador and the President of the Chamber. This was the perfect closure for this exclusive gathering.

Patrons had the opportunity to enjoy the grand and relaxed atmosphere of this exclusive event.

We would like to thank our Patron Codorníu Raventós for their generous support providing the wines and cava served during the event and also special thanks to our Patron Mahou-San Miguel for kindly sponsoring the beer at this special evening.

Finally, we are grateful to our Patrons for their attendance and we look forward to seeing them at the next Patrons’Event.

To see the complete pictures of the evening, please click here.

If you would like to be updated on forthcoming activities, do not hesitate to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Alternatively, you can also check out our event in the UPCOMING EVENTS section within our website.

29/03/2017
BREXIT SEMINAR: TAX AND INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS FOR BUSINESSES

On Thursday 23rd February, we had the pleasure of holding the breakfast seminar “Brexit: Tax and International Transactions for Businesses”, organised in collaboration with our Patron SCA Ontier, who hosted the event, and also to our member Afex.

With Brexit as the key point, this session’s aim was to analyse the future of the different fiscal impositions, which are being affected by this context and how all the process is modifying international transactions. The seminar’s main focus was on the effects of Brexit on both the European Union and United Kingdom’s political and economic bilateral relations.

Nerea Esgueva welcomed the participants of the seminar on behalf of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain.

On this occasion, our Corporate Relations Manager, Ms. Nerea Esgueva, gave a warm welcome to the attendees on behalf of the Chamber and introduced Mr. Deepash Patel, Senior Associate at SCA ONTIER, and Mr. Trevor Charsley, Senior Advisory, Partner at Afex.

To kick off, Mr. Patel gave a brief summary of Brexit political context and then he continued with an explanation about the fiscal environment. His presentation was divided into four main parts: Direct Taxes, Indirect Tax, EU Tax Reform, and British Tax Haven, concluding with a series of questions, which helped to clarify this topic.

Trevor Charsley (standing), Senior Advisor at AFEX, during his presentation.

After the speech of Mr. Patel, Mr. Charsley began with his presentation on the subject of International Transactions. He analysed the political and economic current situation and how they affect the main currencies in global transactions. As his talk went on, interest grew among participants when impact on the euro and the pound post-Brexit and the current political climate in Europe were discussed. Coming to the end of his presentation, Trevor showed attendees a forecast with a variety of predictions for the main world’s currencies.

Before the seminar was over, a Q&A round was made in order for participants to expose their doubts and questions to the two experts.

To conclude the seminar, participants were invited to enjoy breakfast, whilst given the opportunity to discuss the session’s ideas and concepts further with the speakers.

Attendees had the opportunity to network over breakfast

We are grateful to our member AFEX and SCA ONTIER, Patron of the Chamber and kind host of this session, for delivering such a dynamic and engaging session.

If you want to find out about other activities organised by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, we encourage you to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website. In addition to this, you can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter in order to receive updates and information about our events.

06/03/2017
New Year’s Drinks Reception 2017

On Thursday 2nd February the Spanish Chamber of Commerce held its traditional New Year’s Drinks Reception, which marks the official start of the calendar of events of our institution. The event was held at Ironmongers’ Hall, one of London’s traditional livery halls, located minutes away from St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Being the first corporate activity of 2017, the evening counted on an exceptional Guest of Honour: Miriam González Durántez, Partner at Dechert LLP, non-executive director at UBS, and founder and chairman of Inspiring Girls.

From left to right: Mr. Javier San Basilio, President of the Spanish Chamber; Ms. Miriam González Durántez; Mr. Juan López-Herrera, Minister Counsellour of the Embassy of Spain.

On such a special occasion, our member Natura Bissé kindly sponsored a private “Meet & Greet” with the Guest of Honour for our Patrons, Benefactors and Members of the Executive Committee. Sali Flores and Juan Albanell, from Natura Bissé, had the opportunity to greet our Guest of Honour and exchange impressions before the rest of the guests joined this private gathering.

Ms. Sali Flores, Managing Director of Natura Bissé UK, with Miriam González during the private «Meet & Greet».

After the “Meet & Greet”, speeches took place at the main banqueting hall. Mr. Javier San Basilio, President of the Spanish Chamber, started the proceedings by welcoming attendees and wishing them a happy and successful 2017. He took the opportunity to thank members of the institution for their continuous support and announced the new Patrons which had joined since the Gala Dinner last December. He concluded by highlighting the importance for both Spain and the UK to keep working together regardless of the outcome of Brexit.

It was then the turn of Mr. Juan López-Herrera, Minister Counsellor at the Embassy of Spain, to address attendees. In his speech, Mr. López-Herrera highlighted the steady growth of bilateral investments between Spain and the UK. He explained, the challenge after Brexit is to preserve the level of bilateral relations achieved after the last three decades, not only in the economic and trade sectors but also across the boards.

Out Toast Master then welcomed Ms. González Durántez, who took the floor and warmly thank the Chamber for having invited her to this traditional reception. Her speech raised a lot of expectation as she is a well-known professional with ample experience advising on EU and International Trade regulations. Since the June referendum, Ms. González has as well frequently contributed articles to national and international media on potential Brexit outcomes for British and international companies trading with the UK.

As an individual born and raised in a remote village in Spain, Ms. González argued she was the perfect example of how you can still feel a citizen of the world once you come to live in this country. She only had words of praise for the opportunities she has had since arriving in the UK. Ms. González regretted that a country that had welcomed so many with open arms, and had been instrumental in the consolidation of the European Union, was now challenging the same principles it once helped build.

She showed her concern regarding the recent political changes in the United States and the upcoming uncertainty in several European countries that will hold presidential elections in the coming months. However, she believed that in challenging times such as these, where major players seem to be adrift regarding the direction to follow and with so much at stake, Spain may take this opportunity to emerge as a leading force in the international arena. In a speech that was loudly applauded, Ms. Durántez concluded by saying that each of us should do the best they can, one step at a time, to avoid being a mere spectator of decisions that affect our future.

The evening proved a huge success among our members yet another year on, with over 200 representatives of both British and Spanish companies in attendance. Guests had the opportunity to wish a happy new year to fellow colleagues and taste the wonderful products offered by our kind sponsors.

We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank our members Estrella Damm for providing the beer that was served during the reception as well as Nicolás y Valero, also member of the Chamber, for their kind contribution of a Spanish ham and a delicious selection of cheeses. We are also thankful to Wines from Rioja, which provided a generous and curated selection of white and red wines for this special evening.

If you missed this traditional reception,you can now see the full image gallery here.

We encourage you to browse our Upcoming Events section in order to keep up to date with future Spanish Chamber corporate events, seminars and many other activities.

We look forward to seeing you at the next one!

09/02/2017
Brexit Seminar: Trade & Employment Implications for Businesses

On Wednesday 7th December, we had the pleasure of holding the breakfast seminar “Brexit: Trade & Employment Implications for Businesses”, organised in collaboration with our Patron SCA Ontier, who hosted the event, and our member Blick Rothenberg.

With Brexit as the key point, this session’s aim was to explore the potential challenges and opportunities in the context of trade and employment in the post-exit landscape, including briefly looking at the key models used by other non-EU countries and practical considerations.

On this occasion, our Head of Accounts & Member Relations, Tom Newman, gave a warm welcome to the attendees on behalf of the Chamber and introduced Ms. Danielle Carr, Senior Associate at SCA ONTIER, Mr. Derek Stinson, Senior Associate at SCA and Mr. Mark Abbs, Partner at Blick Rothenberg.

The event was hosted at the premises of our Patron SCA ONTIER.

To kick off, Ms. Carr explained the current situation of the UK after Brexit vote. She developed the idea of what Brexit means for businesses and individuals, and how it will gradually be applied. She also described what the Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty means, a hot topic these days, and what this implies for the Government and Parliament.

After Danielle’s explanation, Mr. Stinson analysed the current trade situation between the EU and UK, and how it will be affected by Brexit. Then both of them explained different trade relations between EU non-member countries with the EU and hypothesized about which example would be the best for the future UK-EU relationship. Both of them finalised their intervention giving the attendees some tips about how to prepare themselves and their business for different EU-UK relation scenarios.

Experts from SCA ONTIER and Blick Rothenberg helped the attendees understand the future business scenario.

After this presentation, Mr. Abbs from Blick Rothenberg took over. He talked about the internal and external factors that are shaping the current situation of the country and its short-term future . To continue with his evaluation, he focused on potential risks and opportunities for employers and workers.

This led to a conversation on what will happen next regarding immigration policies and tax payments for European citizens working in the UK. The participants were very interested in possible changes about their citizenship/passport issues and freedom of movement between EU countries and the UK.

To conclude the seminar, a Q&A round was performed in order for participants to expose their doubts and questions to the three experts. An interesting debate about different possibilities on how Brexit will be applied and what it will mean in different aspects for corporates and individuals, with a special focus on foreign citizens working in the UK.

Attendees had the opportunity to network over a great breakfast.

Before the seminar was over, participants were invited to enjoy breakfast, whilst given the opportunity to discuss the session’s ideas and concepts further with the speakers.

We are grateful to our member Blick Rothenberg and SCA ONTIER, Patron of the Chamber and kind host of this session, for delivering such a dynamic and engaging session. We would like to thank all attendees who joined us and remind them that on Thursday 23^rd February we will be organising another seminar on Brexit with SCA ONTIER, this time focused on Taxes.

If you want to find out about other activities organised by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, we encourage you to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website. In addition to this, you can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter in order to receive updates and information about our events.

13/12/2016
BREAKFAST SEMINAR: NAVIGATING BREXIT UNCERTAINTY

Following the British referendum vote last June, and the subsequent events that international businesses operating in London have been faced with, on Friday 14^th October we hosted a breakfast seminar on “Navigating Brexit Uncertainty: Key Questions for Business Leaders” which was organised in collaboration with our member Wilson Perumal & Company .

To start off the session, Mr. Igor Urra, Secretary General of the Spanish Chamber, warmly welcomed attendees and introduced Ms. Isabel Fernández, Manager, and Mr. Thom Hamnett, Case Team Leader, from Wilson Perumal, who would be taking participants through the different implications and potential scenarios for businesses in the wake of the referendum.

Mr. Igor Urra introducing the speakers: Ms. Isabel Fernández and Mr. Thom Hamnett.

Isabel began the session introducing the context of the Brexit and describing some ‘no-regret’ activities that businesses can undertake to get ahead of the competition. She continued explaining some of the short-term impacts on the UK economy since the Brexit vote such as the currency impact, the delay in investments and an evident decline in employment levels.

In the medium term, the challenge will focus on negotiations, which would add a new level of complexity as the country will have to define a new relationship with the EU as well as new trade agreements with the rest of the countries.

After that, Isabel gave the floor to her colleague Tom Hamnett, who talked about six possible scenarios in regard with UK’s future trade relationship with the EU. He also added that any possible scenario will have a great impact on the UK businesses.

The session provided a platform to analyse potential scenarios after Brexit.

Isabel continued explaining the concept of “Dynamic Scenario Planning”, which is the hypothetical situation where companies imagine their future. They should build their own “plan B” to face Brexit setting their objectives and developing their own action´s plans.

To conclude the seminar Isabel and Tom explained the importance of taking a step back and read between the lines in order to maintain some scenarios that will put the companies on the front foot for the chances to come.

As it could not have been otherwise, the topic in question paved the way for an engaging and lively Q&A session where attendees took the opportunity to analyse in more detail the different scenarios discussed by the speakers and ponder what each of them might imply for their businesses in particular. After the round of questions, participants could resume their conversation over coffee and pastries and engage in further networking.

Attendees shared their thoughts and exchanged opinions over breakfast.

We would like to thank again Isabel Fernández and Tom Hamnett from Wilson Perumal & Company for sharing such insightful and valuable information with the participants who attended this session. We hope the event help shed some light on the implications of Brexit for different business sectors.

If you could not join us on this occasion and would like to be updated on future activities, please subscribe to our weekly newsletter or visit the UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website.

28/10/2016

Este sitio web utiliza cookies para que usted tenga la mejor experiencia de usuario. Si continúa navegando está dando su consentimiento para la aceptación de las mencionadas cookies y la aceptación de nuestra política de cookies, pinche el enlace para mayor información.plugin cookies

Aviso de cookies