The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg recognises, in the 7th edition of its Company of the Year Award, the great track record of FCC Construcción and its relevance in the international and especially in the European market. 

The Chamber of Commerce rewards, with this award, the international presence of a company with more than 120 years of history, with activities in more than 25 countries around the world and whose strategic lines are based on innovation, technology and sustainability. Pablo López Álvarez, President of the Chamber, underlines that “the Haren mega-prison work is an ambitious Spanish engineering project in Belgium in which green technological innovation and the social dimension are cornerstones. This combination has meant that the jury has had no doubts in choosing FCC as the Company of the Year Award”.

In October 2018, FCC won the contract for the design, construction, financing, operation, maintenance and concession, for 25 years, of the new Haren prison complex, located near Zaventem Airport (Belgium). This construction has been classified by the Belgian government as the largest infrastructure under construction in the country.

The new prison will be completed in the second half of 2022 and will involve an investment of more than 382 million euros. The Cafasso consortium, winner of the contract, is formed by FCC Construcción, the Belgian company Denys and Macquarie Capital.

This new penitentiary infrastructure will replace the prisons of Saint-Gilles, Forest and Berkendael. It will cover an area of 116,000 square metres and will be able to accommodate up to 1,190 inmates.
The project has been awarded, in the "social infrastructure" category, with the international IJ Global Awards 2018. It also won "Best Social Infrastructure Project" at the Partnership Awards 2019, which recognise the best public-private partnerships, and won the "WAFX Award" in the "Power and Justice" category at the World Architecture in the same year.  

Haren is FCC's first concession project in Belgium and joins many other national and international projects developed by the company, including urban transport infrastructures (roads, metro, high-speed, railway lines...) and non-residential building projects (hospitals, sports, cultural, social and health infrastructures, etc.). For Pablo Ovejas, FCC Construcción's Country Manager for Belgium and the Nordic countries, "this award is an incentive to continue developing our activity in Belgium, thus being able to continue contributing to the growth of the country's economy, contributing to the local value chain with our social values and environmental protection, and ultimately improving the quality of life of its citizens".

About the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg

The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg plays an important role in the commercial and economic relations between Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg. Its main objective is the development of trade and investment between Spain and the countries within its territorial jurisdiction. It offers its more than 267 associated companies a wide range of trade promotion services, information, advice, logistical and administrative support, essential information on the different markets in Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg and facilitates business networking among its members, being publicly recognised as one of the most prestigious forums for dialogue between companies and the European institutions, with headquarters in Brussels and Luxembourg.

The Chamber is part of the Federation of Spanish Chambers of Commerce in Europe-Africa-Asia-Oceania (FEDECOM) and maintains a permanent link with the Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Spain, which allows its members the possibility to take advantage of the worldwide network of official Spanish chambers of commerce. It is also supported by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism of the Spanish Government and collaborates in the Plan for the Internationalisation of the Spanish economy.