The 2024 EU elections are over and as expected there has been a shift to the political right. However, the pro-European political center is holding firm in the European Parliament and these elections appear to have little direct economic effect on the economy. The economic impact of the past elections will be noticeable for national […]

Corruption crimes, such as bribery or theft of public funds, generate significant proceeds that must be laundered or ‘cleaned’ to avoid problems with the tax authorities. Corrupt officials can also facilitate money laundering and influence the process, allowing illegal proceeds and money launderers to evade controls and sanctions. According to 80% of Spaniards, political parties […]

While the term “Dutch Disease” is conventionally linked with an economy’s excessive reliance on a single natural resource sector, such as oil or gas, it can be broadly applied to situations where an economy becomes overly dependent on any single industry. In this context, the term could also aptly describe the dependence of the Spanish […]

With the European elections looming, one may wonder about the future of centrist political parties. The political landscape in Europe has undeniably shifted towards polarization, with voters increasingly gravitating towards the extremes of the political spectrum. Contributing factors such as economic uncertainty, immigration concerns, cultural shifts, and disillusionment with traditional political establishments have exacerbated this […]

After our lunch on November 7 with Merel van Dongen, then football player of Atlético de Madrid, and our New Year’s drink last January 9 in the Metropolitano stadium, it is Real Madrid’s turn on March 5! Through our secretary Richard van Vliet, we have Jose luis ruiz exposito, Director Corporativo of Real Madrid, as a guest […]

In a recent report from Colliers Global Commercial Real Estate Services, Madrid was named as one of the best European cities to invest in real estate. Dutch investment companies and pension funds have traditionally been important investors in Spain. And many of our compatriots, including some members of our club, are active in this sector. […]

On January 23, the first official general assembly in the nearly 80-year history of our club will take place. The tradition of gathering on the first Tuesday of the month goes far back in time. In the late forties, representatives of major Dutch companies such as Philips, AKZO, Shell, Unilever, KLM, and Hudig Langeveldt already […]

Thanks to guest speakers Merel van Dongen and Koen Greven, football club Atletico de Madrid was regularly discussed during our lunches this year. At the upcoming New Year’s drinks, we therefore thought it would be a good idea to get to know the Metropolitano stadium – home of “creer hasta vencer”. For the occasion we […]

As the holiday season draws near, we have prepared a Christmas lunch that promises not only delicious food, great company but also a fascinating exploration of the diverse meanings of "restoration." Our special guest speaker for this occasion is Fran Asensio, Sales Director of The Haciendas Company. Fran Asensio will guide us through the multi-faceted […]

On November 7 we invited Merel van Dongen for lunch. This famous Dutch football star playsas a central defender, left back and midfielder for Atlético de Madrid. Merel has also been inthe Dutch squad for years and took part in the 2013 European Championships and the 2015,2019 and 2023 World Cups. In 2019 she won […]

Jelle de Jong, known for the popular television series Dokter Deen and Dertigers, has been involved and active in the theater, television, and film world from an early age. However, a few weeks ago he left for Madrid to start a new career as a producer, entrepreneur, and CEO of immersive entertainment. In the coming […]

In 1991 Dr. Andrew Armor discovered that the heart also has its intrinsic cardiac nervous system. This so-called heart brain has an intricate network of more than 40,000 different neurons and neurotransmitters that enable it to act, learn, remember, and feel independently. The presence of neural connections is a scientific indicator of the presence of […]

Paul McCartney just recently confirmed in an interview that The Beatles are releasing a new song. Based on a demo from 1978, artificial intelligence (AI) enabled John Lennon’s voice to be separated from the instrumental part. After that the song could be mixed again, and 45 years after the date “Now and Then” is ready […]

From idea to successful startup.Why do only a few startups succeed while most fail? Exactly 3 years ago, in May 2020, our compatriot Wouter Draijer and his partner the Canadian Victor Gardrinier founded the company Solarmente. With some savings, a rented van and living on 700 euros a month, they started installing solar panels on […]

2023 is THE year of the elections for Spain! Municipal elections will be held on May 28 and regional elections will also be held in 13 autonomous regions, including Madrid. Most regional and municipal governments seem to prefer a locally oriented election campaign. The stakes are that there would be no urge for change in […]

Football is the most popular sport in the world. According to the World Population Review, a repository of human-related data, there are nearly 4 billion football fans worldwide. This king of sport is intertwined with national culture, traditions, and the idea that you belong to something. Football influences politics, business, and our society. And if […]

In recent years we have been going from one crisis to another. After the financial and corona crises, the ongoing nitrogen, climate and war crises, we have entered the current global energy crisis. A crisis acts as a wake-up call. Many things that have been taken for granted are suddenly no longer possible. This provokes […]

Even though slavery was officially abolished and banned worldwide many years ago, according to the International Labour Organization, Walk Free Foundation and the International Organization for Migration, there are more enslaved people than ever. Since the abolition, enslavement has more than doubled to an astonishing estimated 50 million people. There are many ways modern slavery […]

On January 10th, it was again possible to get together for our traditional New Year’s drink. Therewith we closed a period of 3 years that will forever be marked by the global COVID pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and the disruptions in transport and the international supply chains. Factors that have all […]

Only a few months after KLM lavishly celebrated its 100th anniversary, the corona pandemic broke out in full force. One of the world’s oldest airlines entered a crisis of unprecedented magnitude. Hardly any other sector was hit so hard by the corona restrictions as the global aviation and travel industry. KLM was forced to take […]

In 1996 Jeroen Oskam founded the EuroEconomics company. From a tiny bedroom near the Ramblas (Barcelona) he took the initiative to help and guide foreign companies that wanted to do business successfully in Spain. 25 years later, the company has grown into the current EuroEconomics Group. With a team of more than 100 advisors, tax […]

Entrepreneur Award at National Business Meetingto Pascal Jorritsma From the twentieth floor of the EY building in Madrid, it seemed as if the world was at the feet of Pascal Jorritsma last Thursday 20th of October. He won the Dutch Entrepreneur Award with his company AIR8 Tech International, which provides approximately 25,000 indoor spaces in […]

Start-up, Scale-up, Business Angel, Unicorn, Venture capital. For many, these are familiar terms, popping up almost every day when scrolling through news websites, newspapers, and corporate press. They are used in articles about young, innovative, and ambitious companies mostly related to the high-tech and IT industries. In the world of start-ups, there are three ultimate […]

The theme for the DBC lunch on September 13 is the Metaverse; a shared digital 3D environment, which can be accessed in virtual or augmented reality via the internet.The exact interpretation differs per company and an infinite number of applications are conceivable for this evolution of the internet.For all aspects of business, from consumer to […]

It has been a long time ago, when Johan Cruijff was still playing football in the Dutch national team, that our society was confronted with an inflation rate of more than 10%. The term stagflation also dates from that time. A situation in which economic growth slows, and inflation and unemployment continue to rise. Stagflation […]

At the end of last year, the Council of Ministers, on a proposal from the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, approved thirteen ambassadorial appointments. According to this decision, our current ambassador, Mr. Jan Versteeg, will be appointed as Dutch ambassador to France, Monaco, and Andorra from next summer. Shortly after taking office in Spain, Jan […]

The global population and demand for (drinking) water is growing at an unprecedented pace. And in the meantime, our planet is increasingly confronted by the challenges of climate change. Drought, desertification and in general the rising temperatures are affecting our environment. Changes in our way of living are necessary and we urgently need to come […]

The aging of the European population is progressing unstoppably and is breaking new records every year. Despite the Covid pandemic, never so many Europeans had such a long life. Over the past five decades, life expectancy at birth for both men and women has increased by 10 years and is on average around 82 years. But […]

Ask a Brazilian what his country’s most famous export “products” are, and they will probably mention Carnival, Football, Samba and Havaianas. The first three are obvious, the last may not. Havaianas, the world-famous rubber flip flop, sold more than 220 million pairs last year. On average about seven pairs of flip flops per second. Since […]

New Year’s lunch 2022. As expected, a somewhat low turnout, but nevertheless very pleasant! We had the pleasure of getting to know some new members. The farewell of 2 members who will be leaving Spain soon. And the re encounter with a member who did not attend any DBC events in the past 3 years. […]

Philips celebrates this year its 130th anniversary. In 1891 Gerard founded with the financial help of his father Frederik, the Philips Company. They started the production of light bulbs in an empty steam factory in Eindhoven. After a few years younger brother Anton also joined the company. Taking charge of the development of the commercial […]

Since summer 2021, we have been startled almost daily with news about rising energy prices. The price of electricity seems to have no ceiling and new records follow each other in rapid succession. Energy tariffs are rising so fast that it threatens to become unaffordable for more and more people, and for energy-intensive companies, by 2022. While […]

In April, at the latest London Wine Competition, Bodegas HABLA was named the world’s best winemaker of the year. The Bodega from Trujillo won a total of 8 gold medals, proving that in terms of winemaking Extremadura is also “tierra de conquistadores”. In the year 2000, barely 20 years ago, Juan Tirado from Caceres started […]

De DBC lunch na de vakantie zal dit keer op de eerste dinsdag van september plaatsvinden. Er staan verschillende thema’s op het programma. Allereerst staan we stil bij de het belang van de persvrijheid. Onlangs werden we opgeschrikt door het nieuws over de moordaanslag en overlijden van misdaadjournalist Peter R. de Vries. Met NRC correspondent […]

Tijdens de DBC-lunch van 6 juli hebben we stil gestaan bij het feit dat 25 geleden de historische schaakwedstrijd “mens versus machine” werd gespeeld. In 1996 was de wereld in de ban van de wedstrijd tussen de Russische schaakgrootmeester Kasparov en Deep Blue, een door IBM ontwikkelde super schaakcomputer. Tot ieders verbazing won de computer […]

De data center sector vond zijn oorsprong in de jaren negentig tijdens de liberalisatie van de telecommunicatie industrie om de fysieke interconnectie van de nieuwe netwerk operators met de oude staatsmonopolist te vergemakkelijken. Nu zijn de data centers uitgegroeid tot het fundament van de digital economie. Alles wat online gebeurt, staat in data centers. De […]

Op dinsdag 4 mei viel onze maandelijkse lunch samen met de regionale verkiezingen. Alleen de inwoners van de regio Madrid met een Spaanse nationaliteit mochten hun stem uitbrengen. En alhoewel de meeste van onze leden dus niet naar de stembus hoefden, was het resultaat wel degelijk van invloed op onze zakelijke belangen. Op economisch gebied […]

Op 17 maart werden in Nederland de tweede kamer verkiezingen gehouden. Ten tijde van de lunch op 6 april waren de stemmen reeds geteld en was de uitslag bekend. Een kabinet Rutte leek er vrijwel zeker weer aan te komen. Maar de formatie beloofde niet makkelijk te worden. De peilingen gaven de VVD al maanden […]

Op dinsdag 7 september was NRC-journalist Koen Greven de gastspreker bij onze maandelijkse DBC lunch. Met als titel “don’t shoot the messenger” sprak Koen over persvrijheid en hoe de rol van de pers steeds verder onder druk komt te staan. Met een journalistieke loopbaan die al in 1995 begon op de parlementaire redactie van het […]