DOING BUSINESS IN LUXEMBOURG Paul Schonenberg (AMCHAM Luxembourg), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy Étienne Schneider, Karine Dominguez (Swarovski by ABS Luxe), Malek Aouini-Lahmadi (AMCHAM Luxembourg) © Luxemburger Wort/Alain Piron © Luxemburger Wort/Alain AMCHAM STRENGTH AND PROSPERITY AWARD PRESENTATION AT AMERICAN THANKSGIVING 2017 Q1 2018 The financial world can With us, you are always be confusing. on the right track. Success in the financial industry requires profound know-how. With the outstanding legal advice and comprehensive experience of our leading market experts you will never lose track of what is really important. www.gsk-lux.com LUXEMBOURG GSK Luxembourg SA 44, Ave John F. Kennedy L-1855 Luxembourg Tel +352 2718 0200 [email protected] GSK. THE DIFFERENCE. 2 BERLIN FRANKFURT/M. HAMBURG HEIDELBERG MUNICH LUXEMBOURG Q1 2018 GSK_AZ_210x297_3mm_4c_Haute_Definition.indd 1 11.09.17 15:53 CONTENT CONTENT NEW MEMBERS ..................... 4 A WORD FROM THE CHAIRMAN Chairman’s Remarks ................... 5 SPECIAL FEATURE Industry Proposal for a Simplified, Accelerated, Fast Track, Provisional Work Permit Approval Mechanism for IT Employees. ....................... 6 INFORMATION TOOLBOX What has the U.S. Tax Reform in Store for European Companies? ..... 9 AMCHAM COMMITTEES Gregory Tugendhat - RegiÔtels, a 1-1-1 Trailblazer... ......... 10 Working from Home : A Legal Update .. 12 a Making Diversity Work in Business and Government: What to Do and How to Do It ...................... 16 AMCHAM / STEP Joint November Gilles Vanderweyen (PwC Luxembourg), Bjorn Ottertsen (SnT), Lucien Reuter (LIDIT), Luncheon Event - Financial Intelligence Marina Andrieu (Women in Tech - WIDE), Paul Schonenberg (AMCHAM Luxembourg), (FININT) Data: Protecting Your Company Marton Fulop (Docler Holding), Jean Diederich (APSI), Pascal Steichen from Fraud and Complying with the New (SECURITYMADEIN.LU) 6 Legal Reporting Requirements. ........ 21 LANGUAGE LEARNING Supporting Integration Through Multilingualism ............... 18 a COMMUNITY NEWS a Bazar International de Luxembourg 2017 .................. 8 AMCHAM 2017 - Thanksgiving Dinner 22 Minister Corinne Cahen Town Hall Meeting with Key (Ministry of Family Affairs, Inte- Luxembourg Politicians ................ 20 gration and the Greater Region) 16 Annual Christmas Lunch with Minister of Finance Pierre Gramegna .. 32 Upcoming AMCHAM events ........... 34 EXPAT PROFILE SNAPSHOTS 28 Find out about Hakan Sekulu 28 Hakan Sekulu - Integration is Key... ..... our upcoming events Michael Mandic - Follow Your Dream..... 30 3 Q1 2018 NEW MEMBERS NEW MEMBERS CORPORATE NEW MEMBERS SMALL BUSINESS ABACUS CONSULTING & SOLUTIONS S.A. Pascal Bauler AKD Project Manager Ayzo van Eysinga 24 Val Saint André - L-1128 Luxembourg Tax Lawyer and Partner T +352 26 38 99 75 40 avenue Monterey F +352 26 97 67 11 E L-2163 Luxembourg [email protected] www.abac.lu T +352 26 75 82 315 E [email protected] NEW MEMBERS ENTREPRENEURIAL MICRO-COMPANY www.akd.lu EASYTECH SÀRL With over 250 lawyers, civil-law notaries and tax advisers, Damien Schreurs AKD provides independent and internationally-focused Explainer-in-chief legal and tax advice to clients in the Benelux. AKD 5 um Kallek - L-5369 Schuttrange combines expertise in a wide range of legal practice T +352 27 86 04 78 areas with sector knowledge and understanding E [email protected] of its clients’ business, both nationally and internationally. www.easytech.lu Outside the Benelux, AKD partners with an extensive network of highly reputable law firms to form fully integrated, experienced and multidisciplinary teams. DESIGN RESEARCH With this collaborative approach, AKD can CONSULTING SARL comprehensively assist its clients in doing business Tom Hynek around the globe. AKD has offices in the Netherlands, Founder and Managing Director Belgium and Luxembourg. 11a Blaigaass, Greiveldange - L-5426, Luxembourg For more information, please visit www.akd.lu T +352 621 359 877 E [email protected] www.designresearch.lu FREE NEWCOMERS’ ORIENTATION COURSES The American Chamber of Commerce in a temporary or long-term residence permit) tion, health scheme, child allowance, culture, Luxembourg, under the auspices of and for less than 18 months. etiquette and customs, leisure and entertain- with the funding support of the “Asylum, ment, shopping, expat organizations, sports, Migration and Integration Fund” (AMIF) and Sign up information can be found on the music, cycling, recycling, integration. the Luxembourg Reception and Integration AMCHAM website in the Events section: Agency/Ministry of Family and Integration http://www.amcham.lu/events/ The courses take place at the Chamber of (OLAI), organizes free of charge 6 hours Commerce of Luxembourg and we thank long Newcomers’ Orientation Courses. Topics covered on the course: Bureaucracy, them for their partnership. We also thank ING your local commune, working life, day to day for sponsoring the lunches. Due to the funding specifics, these course living, tax card, renting, utilities, phone and offerings in English and Portuguese are internet, TV, radio and the press, history, geo- If you know of someone who is eligible and targeted for attendance by non-EU citizens, graphy, politics, insurance, vehicles, driving interested in attending, please refer them to legally residing in Luxembourg (holders of and transportation, education, music tui- the AMCHAM website for registration. 4 Q1 2018 A WORD FROM THE CHAIRMAN CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS Paul-Michael SCHONENBERG Dear AMCHAM Members and Friends, companies who call Luxembourg their Concerning AMCHAM itself, we are doing European home and the highly qualified/ well, continue to grow in numbers and Welcome to the winter 2018 issue of exceptionally hard working foreigners committees and continue to make the the AMCHAM Luxembourg magazine who have come here with their families best contributions possible to survive and Connexion! to contribute and make this country their prosper. We are proud to be the biggest and second home. most active private Chamber of Commerce In this issue you will see photos of our in Luxembourg and we work hard to annual Thanksgiving dinner and our annual We also had the occasion at our Christmas maintain that status. Christmas lunch, each of which was attended lunch to honor and express our appreciation by over 200 guests. At Thanksgiving, to Pierre Gramegna for his leadership, his Please always remember, we are a member sponsored jointly by the POST and openness to listen and his smart policies focused organization, here to serve you and Openfield, we gave away fabulous tombola at our Ministry of Finance. We live in your needs. prizes, ate and networked well, danced the challenging times and absolutely appreciate night away and honored our Deputy Prime him for who he is and what he does. All best wishes for a Happy New Year filled Minister, Minister of the Economy, Minister with success, and good health…for yourself of Internal Security and Minister of Defense, Please see the photos for both events and all those you love. Étienne Schneider, by awarding him the inside this issue. 2017 AMCHAM Economic Strength and With respect and my very best regards, Prosperity Award. Our goal was to honor Our current big project is related to radically him for all he, and his staff at the Ministry of improving the work permit approval Economy, have done to keep Luxembourg process to make it faster, easier and more strong! After all, the success of Luxembourg transparent to hire the Tech candidates we is not something to take for granted. It is so urgently need. Please see the article on the result of a unique partnership between this proposal inside this issue. the smart, business friendly government of Paul-Michael Schonenberg Luxembourg, the welcoming and friendly Chairman and CEO people of Luxembourg, the international 5 Q1 2018 SPECIAL FEATURE INDUSTRY PROPOSAL FOR A SIMPLIFIED, ACCELERATED, FAST TRACK, PROVISIONAL WORK PERMIT APPROVAL MECHANISM FOR IT EMPLOYEES Nom Paul Schonenberg (AMCHAM Luxembourg) being expended are simply not producing enough qualified IT candidates to fix the current talent shortage as they do not pro- duce sufficient numbers of candidates that are needed for the existing users, the start- ups we hope will find home in Luxembourg, and the new companies we hope to attract Gilles Vanderweyen (PwC Luxembourg), Bjorn Ottertsen (SnT), Lucien Reuter (LIDIT), Marina Andrieu (Women in Tech - WIDE), Paul Schonenberg (AMCHAM Luxembourg), to Luxembourg to keep Luxembourg strong Marton Fulop (Docler Holding), Jean Diederich (APSI), Pascal Steichen and prosperous. (SECURITYMADEIN.LU) The current reality is likewise very dangerous One of the major goals of Luxembourg has place, and is likewise essential to ensure our for Luxembourg. Because of the insufficiency been to establish itself as a center of digi- economy and companies are able to deal with of appropriately skilled IT personnel, work that tal excellence for academia and business the rapidly expanding need for appropriately could (and should) be done in Luxembourg, in multiple sectors. In this regard there has qualified IT employees across all sectors of thereby generating employment and tax in- been substantial investment in data center the economy including both the present eco- come, is forced to be done elsewhere at oth- development, fiber optic networks and other nomic activities and anticipated future activ- er corporate locations or through IT outsourc- infrastructure to