Brussels Enterprises Commerce and Industry

Updated on Nov 15, 2023

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Founded 2007		Website www.beci.be
Headquarters Louise Avenue 500, Brussels, Belgium Key people Thierry Willemarck (Chairman), Olivier Willocx (CEO), Joëlle Evenepoel (Secretary General)

BECI-Brussels Enterprises Commerce & Industry is the acronym for the organisation regrouping the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIB) and the Union of Enterprises in Brussels (UEB).

This joint identity was adopted in May 2007, through a Cooperation Agreement signed on 11 September 2006 in order to consolidate their skills. In 2012, the CCIB and the UEB were joined by IZEO, the organisation for the representation of self-employed individuals, liberal professions and Brussels SME managers.

As a fully private and independent, neutral and bilingual employer organisation, BECI represents 35,000 companies with economic activities in Brussels, as well as self-employed individuals, company managers and liberal professions, and twice as many through its strategic partnership with IZEO.

Three structures :

Vision, mission, values

Through a regionalisation of fundamental matters resulting from the Sixth Belgian state reform, BECI is committed to be a leading player active in the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of plans and projects (joint management of public interest organisations and Brussels global management committee). Its ambition is to make Brussels the 1st metropolis in terms of production value. (BAKBASEL 2013 :) 1. London, 2. Brussels, 3. Paris, is losing ground behind 8 other cities)

Vision of BECI

"Bringing the most to businesses and members, every day.” BECI aims to:

Develop a positive business environment and promote entrepreneurship : promote and encourage private, individual and collective initiative by implementing successful tools and solutions ;

Strengthen the importance of entrepreneurs by carrying out relevant analysis and representing a large and diversified member base ;

Make sure that key players and public organisations take responsibility for results that can be foreseen, by encouraging active and professional participation in various consultation bodies and management mandates ;

Ensure compliance with principles of subsidiarity and good public governance: starting from public needs and joining efforts from the public and private sector, acting in a partnership and maintaining a continuous reassessment of results.

Mission of BECI

BECI aims to:

Represent and protect the interests of Brussels enterprises in the context of the social dialogue, and to be a reliable partner in the joint management of the public good.

Produce and communicate knowledge on urban economic development and the metropolitan phenomenon, as well as to develop projects

Advise and support enterprises, train and expand their network, and support exports

Provide trusted third party missions and facilitate administrative procedures in Belgium or abroad

Values of BECI

BECI intends to be thorough when expressing its vision in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century, and when committing to the values forming its strength.

BECI position itself as in favour of integrated management for transferred responsibilities in Brussels in order to optimize the implementation of skills, through a consolidated budgetary programming and regular and thorough follow-up.

The Brussels region will be facing multiple challenges by 2025, and social partners must be involved systematically. Public authorities will be able to rely on an interprofessional federation in Brussels, a representative of all market activities on the metropolitan territory with a high-level multidisciplinary staff, carrying out quality analysis and issuing recommendations without bias, in a neutral and bilingual environment.

Counsel and support

BECI advises companies on tax, social and commercial legislation, international trade, and accompanies them during the creation, transfer of businesses, as well as when difficulties arise. BECI puts businesses in touch with external consultants and offers customized coaching programs.

Facilitating administrative procedures

The Enterprise desk carries out all mandatory administrative procedures related to businesses ; VAT, articles of incorporation (publication in the Moniteur, filing of annual accounts), registration of leases, formalities linked to ASBL's, etc. BECI also takes care of formalities linked to export by granting certificates of origin, ATA carnets, etc.

Supporting businesses

BECI supports companies in the search for financial partners; facilitates their commercial prospecting using business directories; multiplies business opportunities thanks to its events, clubs, breakfast conferences, business meetings, etc.

Opening the doors to international trade

European funding, tenders, import/export: BECI offers simplified and direct access to the European and international markets. It allows companies to meet visiting foreign delegations in Brussels and to participate in economic missions abroad.

Training members and their teams

BECI organizes many intra and inter-company seminars (social, tax) and training (HR, management, strategy, organisation, management/finance, sales...) to help entrepreneurs do their work in an optimal way.

Solving disputes

BECI encourages entrepreneurs to optimize the management of their disputes using alternative methods to courts and tribunals: mediation and arbitration

Encouraging sustainable development

BECI develops solutions and expertise through its Knowledge Centre, in various subject matters such as mobility, employment, urban planning, education or diversity management, and supports companies to participate and to commit to the future.

Helping to raise awareness

BECI offers visibility through its business magazine Brussels Metropolis, circulated to 14,000 companies in Brussels.

References

Brussels Enterprises Commerce and Industry Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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