Committees and platforms

FEB’s committees and platforms produce draft position papers on issues important to companies. The position papers are then submitted to the Board of Directors. Comprising experts appointed by FEB’s member sectors and, in certain cases, outside speakers with a view to enhancing the debate, they mainly provide information and consultation services. They are generally chaired by a business leader. Work is coordinated by an FEB representative.

Role and activities
The Listed Companies Committee has two objectives:

  • examining the difficulties encountered by listed companies and making their voice heard in order to influence applicable rules and regulations;
  • serving as an interface between a) listed companies and b) external authorities such as the Financial Services and Market Authority, the stock exchange authorities and FPS Finance.

It comprises representatives from Belgian listed companies. The Association issues positions on Belgian and European initiatives, such as company audits, information listed companies have to provide and shareholder rights and obligations. In addition, it closely monitors the implementation of corporate governance.

Chairman
Koen Dejonckheere, Chief Executive Officer, GIMV

Belgian Business For Europe – BBE

Role and activities
With European legislation increasingly impacting the everyday operations of businesses of all sizes across all sectors, keeping track of it is critically important. The Belgian Business for Europe (BBE) platform brings together specialists in European issues from our member federations and from companies active in Belgium. While it does not replace other FEB forums that discuss European technical issues, it nevertheless plays two roles. By inviting speakers from the European institutions and the Belgian authorities to give presentations, BBE enables member federations and companies to 1) keep up to date on recent and upcoming developments in European legislation, and 2) make the Belgian and European authorities more aware of their specific concerns.

Chairman
Thomas Tindemans, Chairman of the Board, Hill+Knowlton Strategies

Occupational Health & Safety Committee

Role and activities
The Occupational Health & Safety Committee is responsible for all issues having to do with worker well-being at the workplace. More specifically, it is a sounding board for preparing employer positions on draft legislation and royal decrees in the High Council for Prevention and Protection at Work. It also covers European issues relating to worker health and safety. This mainly involves drafting positions for the Occupational Health and Safety Committee of BUSINESSEUROPE and the Advisory Committee on Safety, Hygiene and Health Protection at Work, a Luxembourg-based advisory body to the European Commission. It comprises representatives of industry federations as well as experts appointed by companies. The issues covered include safety at work, protection of worker health at work, the psychosocial load caused by work (stress, harassment, etc.), ergonomics, occupational health, beautifying the workplace, corporate environmental measures and how they impact on the above-mentioned points.

Role and activities
The Company Safety Committee seeks to meet the needs and expectations of companies regarding protection from terrorism, organised crime, cyber crime, etc. This initiative dovetails with the agreement concluded in 2001 between FEB and FPS Justice promoting close collaboration with the relevant public services (Federal Police, State Security Service, Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office). The committee prepares FEB positions and serves as a spokesman in dealings with the Permanent Platform on Corporate Security, which reports to FPS Justice and on which sit representatives of the public authorities and FEB. It comprises representatives of industry federations and experts from companies. Current issues include cyber surveillance, the protection of critical infrastructure, the Early Warning System and protecting companies from crime and related risks.

Chairman
Marc Moris, Director Corporate Prevention & Protection, Proximus

Communication Committee

Role and activities
The Communication Committee aims to:

  • facilitate the sharing of information and experience between communication professionals;
  • optimally involve the industry federations in FEB’s major communication initiatives;
  • create a debate platform on communication strategies and tools to be deployed in an effort to tackle shared challenges via frequent contributions by outside speakers.

The work done by the committee helps to promote a positive image of the business community. The committee comprises communication officers from FEB member federations and regional employer organisations. It also comprises communication managers from companies that are either Belgian or active in Belgium. Their expertise and experience are a major asset to the committee.

Chairwoman
Mieke Loncke, Director Marketing & Communication BDO

Sustainable Development Committee

Role and activities
The Sustainable Development Commission addresses cross-sectoral economic, social and environmental issues. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are its cornerstone. Its members draw up FEB positions on European and Belgian regulatory initiatives. They present and discuss Belgian federal sustainable development initiatives, more specifically those relating to non-financial reporting, ESG, corporate sustainability due diligence, sustainable finance and so on. The work of the Federal Council for Sustainable Development is also covered.

Energy and Climate Committee

Role and activities

The Energy and Climate Committee comprises representatives of energy producers and consumers (electricity, gas, oil, etc.) from various industries. Its purpose is to monitor energy and climate developments, including the operation of the electricity and gas market, the competitiveness of energy prices, Belgium’s targets for greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy and energy efficiency, energy taxes, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, and security of supply.
The Committee discusses and adopts the positions that FEB will advocate. It also organises meetings with key political and market players and deals with European issues.

Chairman
Bernard Gilliot, Honorary President FEB VBO

Social Affairs Committee

Role and activities
The Social Affairs Committee decides on the positions FEB will advocate on behalf of the business community in its dealings with the government, Parliament and the joint bodies on which it has a seat, such as the National Labour Council and management bodies responsible for social security. It comprises some 40 active members from member federations and companies. It deals with topics such as individual and collective labour law at national and European level, developments in social security and all aspects of health & safety policy and the labour market.

Chairman
Jean-Louis Bremer, Chief Executive Officer, Gondrexon

Digital Platform

Role and activities
The Digital Platform comprises participants from various FEB working groups and committees, plus a number of business leaders in the field. This allows a general, cross-sectoral approach to be taken to the issue of digitalisation.

The purpose of the Digital Platform is to encourage Belgian companies to digitalise their various business processes and their relations with their customers, other companies and the authorities.

The Platform seeks to improve/streamline exchanges of information on the various aspects of digitalisation and to create synergies. To this end, it maintains an overview of digitalisation-related subjects addressed by FEB’s existing, more technically oriented working groups (Data Protection, e-Invoicing, and so on).

Five areas for action have been identified:

  • serving as a platform where ideas about digitalisation can be exchanged and fresh developments in digitalisation can be explained;
  • developing a vision for the digitalisation of businesses and society and defining how it can best be promoted;
  • monitoring, discussing and adjusting the existing and intended government policy in all domains (potentially) impacting the digitalisation of businesses and society;
  • acting as a sounding board for specific, multisector digitalisation projects in which businesses are important stakeholders;
  • raising awareness among Belgian businesses, entrepreneurs and employees of the opportunities presented by digitalisation (practical tips, information meetings, training courses, and so on).

Furthermore, six strategic topics have been defined: (i) Digital Infrastructure, (ii) Digital Confidence, (iii) Digital Skills, Jobs and Entrepreneurship, (iv) Digital Business, (v) Digital Government and (vi) Digital Security.

The Digital Platform focuses primarily on the following actions:

  • carrying out two-yearly evaluations of the 10-point plan for a digital economy;
  • promoting electronic invoicing;
  • assisting with the establishment of an official digital mailbox for businesses;
  • monitoring and adjusting legal texts developed at European and Belgian level (such as the Digital Services Act and the Belgian Digital Act).
Chairman
Jos Gijbels, President of USS (Union of Social Secretariats)

Economic Committee

Role and activities
The Economic Committee is a forum for dialogue between FEB and its members on economic issues. It comprises representatives of industry, but outside speakers are regularly invited to attend. Twice a year, the committee members review the business climate in their sector. This data is used to draw up FEB’s economic forecasts. Every year, the Economic Committee examines the Central Economic Council’s Belgian competitiveness report used as the basis for negotiating the biennial multi-industry agreement. It analyses the budget situation at least twice a year. The Economic Committee regularly tackles topics such as corporate financing, monitoring inflation, economic governance at European level, innovation, etc.

Chairman
Hans De Wachter, Chief economist, KBC Group

Tax Committee

Role and activities
The Tax Committee pinpoints companies’ tax-related concerns and issues, while also seeking to proactively improve their tax environment. The committee has standing working groups (VAT, green taxes, customs and excise, international agreements, etc.) as well as ad hoc groups, the conclusions of which are discussed in full sessions. By regularly sharing information with the public authorities and government the working groups aim, where possible, to influence the drafting of legislation planned by the government and to suggest constructive solutions to the problems facing businesses. The main issues currently under examination are the fight again tax fraud, administrative simplification for businesses, the promotion of appropriate, stable and competitive taxation for businesses (including discussions on establishing a consolidated and optional tax base at European level), SME taxes, tax incentives (especially for R&D), lower charges on earned income, discussions at European level on the future of the VAT system, the implementation of the European directive on electronic invoicing, green taxes (especially monitoring European efforts to revise the directive on the taxation of energy and electricity), the National Customs Forum, the case law of the European Court of Justice, improving the Belgian network of tax treaties and the work of the OECD.

Chairwoman
Laurence Pinte, Head of Tax, Belgian Operations, ING

Legal Committee

Role and activities
The Legal Committee drafts FEB positions in all areas pertaining to business law and calling for action from FEB. It takes action either on its own initiative or in connection with regulatory initiatives at Belgian, European and international level. It is the stage right before the FEB’s decision-making bodies. It comprises representatives of the industry federations. Current issues include the Code of Economic Law, payment deadlines, business continuity, the dematerialisation of securities, smart regulation, class actions, the unitary patent, accounting law and reforms of competition law.

Chairman
Jean Eylenbosch, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners – Belgium

Role and activities
The Supplementary Pensions Working Group examines the concerns of supplementary pension organisers – whether employers or employer representatives at sectoral level – and develops joint positions on various issues after discussing the relevant issues with representatives of pension companies, insurers and pension funds. External experts also provide their opinions, as they are very familiar with employer requirements and the implementation of pension plans. 

The issues covered pertain to the provisions of the law on supplementary pensions, and include the impact of switching from one pension institution to another, what needs to be done when members leave the pension plan, how to design a standard information sheet, etc. The solutions developed on these issues are then defended within the Supplementary Pensions Committee. European activities are also closely monitored, such as the revision of the Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision Directive (Pension Fund), the revival of the European Commission proposal on the acquisition and preservation of supplementary pension rights, etc. These positions are forwarded to BusinessEurope and the European authorities. Lastly, the working group deals with more general topics, such as access to the second pillar for all workers and the differences in supplementary pensions plans for blue-collar and white-collar workers.

Chairman
Jo Vandeweghe, conseiller Département juridique et social de la Fédération pétrolière belge

SME Platform

Role and activities
FEB collects input from Belgian SMEs regarding their specific needs and interests through the SME Platform. The Platform also helps FEB stay up to speed with what SMEs are doing in the field.

The SME Platform has addressed a wide range of topics in the past, including:

  • internationalisation;
  • investment financing;
  • innovation;
  • administrative simplification; and
  • competitiveness.

Circular Economy Platform

Role and activities
The expansion of the circular economy is opening up a wealth of opportunities for Belgian businesses. In view of this, the Circular Economy Platform closely monitors relevant political developments at regional, federal and European level. The Platform primarily focuses on issues involving multiple sectors, and discusses and prepares opinions on the circular economy for the Federal Council for Sustainable Development and the Central Economic Council.

Role and activities
The Customs and Excise Platform aims to exchange information on the activities of Belgium’s National Customs Forum, prepare meetings of the Forum’s various working groups and determine common positions taken by private-sector stakeholders to be promoted within the Forum. It is composed of representatives of the Forum’s member federations, members of the Forum’s Steering Committee and business experts.

The Forum is a platform for consultations between the administration and businesses. It was set up by a specific protocol. Full information on the Forum is in the public domain and available (in French and Dutch) at www.naforna.be.

Chairman
Abram Op de Beeck, Customs and Foreign trade manager, BASF Antwerpen

International Platform

Role and activities
The internationalisation of our companies is a top priority for an open economy like ours. Numerous stakeholders and organisations are working to promote and support our entrepreneurs in foreign markets, and to make our country attractive to foreign investors. The International Platform primarily aims to facilitate the sharing of information and experiences between the private and public sectors with respect to economic diplomacy and with respect to initiatives designed to support our exporting companies (whether operating abroad or in Belgium). Not only does it bring together the FEB sectoral federations most active in this domain, the regional employers’ organisations (BECI, UWE, VOKA) and Belgian companies active internationally, but also the main public players involved in pursuing economic diplomacy, supporting exports and attracting foreign investment (FIT, AWEX, HUB Brussels, ACE), as well as FPS Foreign Affairs, Credendo (Belgian Export Credit Agency), BMI-SBI and more.

Chairman
Jan Grauls, Ambassador Emeritus

Mobility and Logistics Platform

Role and activities
The Mobility and Logistics Platform brings together the sectors that provide mobility and logistics services (public transport, hauliers, automotive manufacturers, ports, etc.) and the sectors that use them.
It deals with mobility, the transport of goods and logistics.
Issues covered include following up on the mileage tax for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), rail freight policy, the development of e-commerce, rising volumes of transport flows and various European issues (vehicles’ weight and dimensions, the Eurovignette, rules on road cabotage, etc.). It also tackles issues related to commuting, the mobility budget, the development of an interfederal mobility vision, rail policy, new mobility services and the introduction of a smart mileage tax for all vehicles.

The platform draws up FEB’s positions and proposals, facilitates exchanges of information and experience between federations and informs its members of significant developments and innovations.

Chairwoman
Christa Sys, professor, University of Antwerp, Department of Transport and Regional economics

Role and activities
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Platform – created by FEB, VOKA, BECI and UWE – is a standing advisory body for coordinating positions on packaging to be advocated in dealings with the interregional, federal and European authorities. The platform currently has some 50 members, including federations, companies, packaging managers, manufacturers of materials, and approved bodies (FOST Plus and Valipac). The platform monitors legislation (health and safety plans, recycling targets, definitions, etc.) and deals with issues such as international standards and the prevention aspects of packaging management.

Chairwoman
Françoise Van Tiggelen, secretary general, DETIC

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