REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE IN BRUSSELS

BIA opened a representative office in the capital of Europe – Brussels - in 2006. A Head of the office is Mr. Jean-Marie Standaert.


Jean-Marie Standaert was born on 9 August 1944 in Bruges. He has studied economics at the University of Ghent and holds an MBA at the Vlerick Management School. He started his career in the Social Affairs Department of the Belgian Federation of Enterprises (FEB), and, after 9 years, became general manager of FEBIAC, the important Federation of the Automotive Industry. He was also general manager of the International Motor Show of Brussels (until 1989). After the fall of the Berlin Wall, he started several management training programmes in Central and Eastern Europe. He was also involved in PHARE-programmes in Romania and Bulgaria, as the Social Dialogue programme implemented jointly with BIA in 1997 - 1998.
At the end of 1998 he joined the ILO-Subregional Office in Budapest as a Senior Specialist for Employers' Activities. In 2003-04 he developed with BIA and the Industrial Association of Stara Zagora a pilot service on OSH for Employers in Bulgaria, and in 2005 - 06, with BIA and several local associations a network of contribution payment centres (kasi) was set-up for the collection of social and fiscal contribution. He has published several publication on "Governance of Employers' Organisations ", “Collective Bargaining by Employers' Organisations" and on "Lobbying by Employers' Organisations". Upon leaving the ILO in August 2006, he immediately joined the BIA-representative Office in Brussels.