International Business News

Although Spain and France are neighbouring countries and are only separated by the Pyrenees mountain range, there are important cultural differences between them. You only need to cross the border to see how the language changes, and to see the differences in the cuisine, the culture, and the customs of the people. The following are the most striking cultural differences between Spain and France.    

Do you need to write up the minutes of a meeting in English following a meeting with English-speaking participants? A key document in many companies, the minutes of a meeting are subject to a degree of formality and you need to know how to write them in an effective, fluid, but also structured way.   What are minutes? The minutes of a meeting comprise of a document that summarises the exchanges between different participants and the major decisions taken during that meeting.

Luxembourg borders Germany in the north-west and it’s a small rather rural country of just under 2,600 square kilometres. The majority of the border between Germany and Luxembourg runs along three rivers – the Our, Sauer and Moselle and is 137 kilometres long. The border extends about seven kilometres east of the river system at the small town of Vianden. But what are the similarities or differences between the two neighbouring countries?  

Geographically, Italy lies south of Germany and directly below Austria. Most Germans travel to Italy at least once in their lives for a holiday, and Rome and the islands of Sicily and Capri, are all popular holiday destinations. The cultures of both countries share much in common, but there are also important differences.  

Do you dream of opening up a business in the USA and living the American dream? A restaurant in New York, a bakery in San Francisco, a ready-to-wear boutique in Los Angeles, a start-up in Miami... Thanks to its international influence, its dynamism and its overall attractiveness, the US is full of opportunities for entrepreneurs from all over the world. Discover how to succeed in creating a new business across the Atlantic.  

Portugal is located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west of the country. There are more than 2,500 kilometres between Berlin and the capital of Portugal, Lisbon   Communication: Many similarities and big differences If you look at the way both countries communicate, you will find a number of similarities at first. In Germany, it is important to use formal titles and in Portugal, a professional such as an engineer or a doctor also likes to be greeted formally at a first meeting.

Some people confuse Spanish and Italian because the two languages sound more or less the same to them. However, there are important cultural differences between the two languages, in addition to the linguistic ones. Let's see what they are.  

Germany borders Belgium in the northwest and the border between the two countries is 204 kilometres long. The Vennbahn (running on disused railway lines), is now a cross-border cycle path that stimulates tourism. The route crosses the borders between Belgium, France and German and is almost 130 kilometres long in total. Belgium has three official languages and there are cultural similarities, as well as clear differences between Belgium and Germany.  

The border between Germany and the Netherlands is 567 kilometres long and even though opinions vary about the exact course of the line around the Ems River and its sunken coast, the two countries are very friendly. Since 1960, an equalisation treaty between Germany and the Netherlands has regulated the rest of the border, and a separate agreement is in place that applies to shipping traffic.

Although France and Italy are similar in many ways, there are a number of major differences between the two countries, whether in terms of their cuisine, their social lives or in the world of work. Here is an overview of the main cultural differences between France and Italy.