National committees, like the Brussels-based ICC Belgium, form the global network that makes ICC unique among business organizations. ICC members shape the organization’s policies and, through their national committees, alert their governments to international business concerns.

Generally, everything ICC does is devoted to promoting international trade and investment. Indeed, much of our work is of a very practical nature, focussed on making it easier for business to operate internationally. Our world-renowned commercial arbitration service is a form of impartial and dependable private justice that gives more security to commercial partners doing business across frontiers.

Drawing on the expertise and experience of its worldwide membership, ICC has also over time developed a large array of voluntary rules, guidelines, and codes – sometimes referred to as ‘trade tools’ – which facilitate cross-border transactions and help spread best practice among companies.

In 1919, a handful of entrepreneurs decided to create an organization that would represent business everywhere. The group of industrialists, financiers and traders were determined to bring economic prosperity to a world that was still reeling from the devastation of World War I. They founded the International Chamber of Commerce and called themselves “the merchants of peace”.

ICC has remained a diligent advocate of the open multilateral trading system through successive trade rounds, including the Doha Round. As ICC membership included more and more countries in the developing world, the organization stepped up demands for the opening of world markets to their products, especially agriculture.

Today, the ICC commissions comprising experts from the private sector cover specialized fields of immediate concern to international business. Subjects range from banking techniques to taxation, from competition law to intellectual property rights, telecommunications and information technology, from transport, environment and energy to international investment and trade policy.

All these activities fulfil the pledge in ICC’s constitution “to further the development of an open world economy with the firm conviction that international commercial exchanges are conducive to both greater global prosperity and peace among nations.”

Belgium has been one of the five countries founding the ICC in 1919. Since then, it has acquired a prominent place in the Belgian landscape for the corporate responsibility of enterprises involved in cross-border trade, the participation of the Belgian enterprises to the international business self-regulation and dispute resolution, as well as for the voice of Belgian enterprises to promote a multilateral trade system.

This is why the logical and strong partnership of ICC in Belgium with the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium – FEB-VBO, with the umbrella organisation for all chambers of commerce in Belgium – Belgian Chambers, and with the Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation – CEPANI, has been formalised in 2007 by the creation of a ‘Non Profit Organization ICC Belgium’ – ICC Belgique ASBL & ICC Belgique VZW – and the recognition of each organisation as a founding member of the newly created legal entity of ICC Belgium.

 

The Chairman of ICC Belgium is Bruno van Lierde, Honorary Chairman of the Boston Consulting Group Belgium.

Honorary Chairmen include Rudi Thomaes, who led the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium eight years, from June 2004 and Paul Buysse, the main author of the Belgian Code for Corporate Governance (Code Buysse).

The Secretary General is, since September 2014, Mathieu Maes.

Honorary Secretaries General include Tony Vandeputte, who led the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium during fourteen years, from 1990 and Guy Keutgen, Honorary Director-Secretary General of the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium.

The members of the Board of Director are:

• Veerle Baele, Manager GTS Service Centre, Corporate & Public Banking Belgium – BNP PARIBAS FORTIS
• Karel Baert, CEO – FEBELFIN
• Alexis Brouhns, Region General Manager Europe – SOLVAY
• Frédéric de Schrevel, Secretary-General – BESIX
• Patrick De Wolf, Managing Partner – DALDEWOLF
• Dirk De Meulemeester , Lawyer/Partner – LEXLITIS GENT (statutory member for CEPANI)
• Philippe Lambrecht, Secretary General & Member of the Board – FEDERATION OF ENTERPRISES IN BELGIUM
• Tom Lenaerts, Chief Legal Officer – DEME
• Pascal Lizin, Director Government & Public Affairs – GSK VACCINES
• Didier Matray, Partner – MATRAY MATRAY & HALLET
• Jean-François Tossens, Partner – TOSSENS, GOLDMAN & GONNE
• Mireille Troosters, Risk Manager – KBC BANK
• Wouter Van Gulck, General Manager – FEDERATION OF BELGIAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
• Sabien Vermeulen, Chief Legal Ethics & Compliance Officer – TRACTEBEL ENGINEERING S.A.
• Michel Vermaerke, CEO – FEBELFIN
• Yves Verschueren, Director General – ESSENSCIA