How did the Chamber of Commerce help companies and support the economy in 2017?
Here is a brief, non-exhaustive, 12-point retrospective.
1.
We advised current and future entrepreneurs
The House
of Entrepreneurship, the one-stop shop for business advice, answered over 35,000 queries.
This doubled the number of clients served since
the service was launched by the Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of the Economy in 2016.
2.
We have made it easier to start new companies
With the creation of some 650 simplified limited liability companies (s.à r.l.-s)
in 2017, the new form of simplified company has already proven its worth. This innovation was actively supported by the Chamber
of Commerce and introduced by the legislator in early 2017. Discover all the advantages in this video
and this brochure.
3.
We continued to ensure a business-friendly legal environment
The legal and economic advisors working for the Chamber of Commerce analysed nearly 250 draft laws and Grand Ducal regulations
from the perspective of their impact on Luxembourgish companies. We asked the legislator to
amend texts whenever business interests were affected.
4.
We have helped companies grow internationally
By organising or participating in many economic missions, state visits and other networking events, the Chamber of
Commerce has actively supported
the expansion of Luxembourgish companies into international markets.
For example, in November 2017, 84 representatives from 53 companies and organisations
from a variety of sectors participated in an economic mission held as part of
the official state visit to Japan.
5.
We launched a new bilateral business club
On 6th November 2017, the Chamber of Commerce and the Grand Duchy’s embassy in Brussels officially inaugurated the
Business Club Belgium – Luxembourg (BCBL) in the Belgian capital.
Its main mission is to promote trade between these neighbouring countries. This move was inspired by the successes of the
Business Club Luxemburg in Berlin and the
Business Club France - Luxembourg
in Paris.
6.
We worked to facilitate a high quality educational system
By promoting and organising initial education and youth training,
the Chamber of Commerce has contributed substantially to facilitating access to high quality courses for young people.
We helped create technical secondary education programmes, and we managed nearly 2,000 apprenticeship contracts
for 25 professions in sectors as diverse as retail, industry, hotel and catering, services, and socio-educational services.
7.
We created training courses to match the needs of businesses and their staff
By offering numerous training options to more than 20,000 people through the
House of Training and
Institut Supérieur de l'Economie (ISEC), the Chamber of Commerce
has helped companies to succeed and employees to develop.
8.
We have helped jobseekers create their own businesses
Fit4Entrepreneurship,
the joint initiative of the Chamber of Commerce and ADEM, has helped jobseekers to start their own businesses.
The programme enabled 37 jobseekers to create new companies in fields such as the food service industry,
retail, and handicraft. A further 24 projects are being realised.
Some of these companies have grown sufficiently to enable them to create about a dozen additional jobs.
9.
We encouraged public debate
The Chamber of Commerce has contributed to the debate about the country’s socio-economic future.
This included articles published on the
Chief Economist’s blog,
conferences and statements about topical issues, in-depth analyses in the
Actualités
& tendances series, and morning debates (Matinales) organised by the independent think tank
IDEA.
10.
We continued to publish the country’s leading economic magazine
With a bimonthly distribution of 36,000 copies, Merkur
is the country’s premier economic magazine, being a credible and reliable source of information on Luxembourg’s economic and entrepreneurial life.
Topics covered in 2017 included 11 startups,
11 success stories,
14 company visits,
12 in-depth interviews, 32 economic analyses, 54 picture reports, 6 foreign market presentations,
6 infographics,
600 new items about
companies
and institutions
as well as feature articles on the
third industrial revolution,
tourism,
free-trade,
new work spaces,
creative industries and
Startup Nation.
Subscription is
free of charge!
11.
We have worked to prepare Luxembourg for the third industrial revolution
By conducting the third industrial revolution study,
the Chamber of Commerce,
the Ministry of the Economy, and IMS Luxembourg have helped to encourage the development of a sustainable and
interconnected economic model. In 2017, the Chamber of Commerce actively participated
in working groups that brought together 300 representatives of the economic sphere and civil society.
These meetings helped to prepare the country for future challenges in the fields of energy, transport,
construction, food, industry, finance, the smart economy, and the circular economy,
as well as investigating the role of the prosumer and the future of Luxembourg’s social model.
12.
We worked to build Startup Nation Luxembourg
The House of Startups, created by the Chamber of Commerce,
will be inaugurated in early 2018. Located in the heart of the country’s capital, it will have capacity for 150-200
innovative startups over a surface area in excess of 5,000 m2. This new start-up support structure will
include the House of Financial Technology (LHoFT),
nyuko, and the brand new Luxembourg-City Incubator, which is operated with the City of Luxembourg.
