Tax, Law, Audit and Advisory

European association of independant tax consultants, certified accountants and lawyers


EuropeFides is a non-exclusive association of independent small and medium-sized tax advisors, certified accountants, auditors and law firms.
The association was founded in 2008 with the aim of bringing together experts from allover Europe enabling members to provide better all-round service to their clients.
EuropeFides has since branched out to Asia, the Middle East, Africa and North America and is actively looking to expand its representation both in Europe and allover the globe.
EuropeFides takes the legal form of a French "SAS" ("Socitété par Actions simplifiée", small public limited company).

Regional Know-How and Comprehensive Services


As markets become more and more international, small and medium-sized businesses also increasingly seek advice on cross-border issues. Being able to fall back on experts with longstanding experience in their local jurisdictions and a comprehensive range of services becomes indispensable when businesses venture into new countries.
Through their membership of EuropeFides, member firms always have direct access to experts all over Europe and beyond, allowing them to provide the best possible advice to their clients.

Local Advice


EuropeFides partners have knowledge and expertise within their local jurisdiction and can thus offer the best advice to clients who always have direct access to the local partner. EuropeFides offers you the advantage of getting advice on all issues, whether straightforward or complex, in your own language so that you fully understand the local issues.


Meet the EuropeFides Management Committee for 2023

  • Dr. Martin Bernardini is senior partner of the tax consulting and auditing firm Bernardini, Egger & Co Steuerberatung und Wirtschaftsprüfung GmbH in Vienna and Klagenfurt.

    He founded the firm in 1988 and it is now active with over 40 employees, primarily in the professional consulting for medium-sized companies.
    The contacts to the colleagues within EuropeFides are very helpful due to the international orientation of the firm's activity, and are used very well and frequently.

    Martin has been a member of EuropeFides since 2014 and has been involved as a chair of working groups and in the Management Commitee.

  • Dr. Michael Bormann is a tax consultant and founding partner of bdp Bormann Demant & Partner. He is specialized in international tax law and financing with a focus on China. Dr. Michael Bormann supports internationally German medium-sized companies, whether they are "newcomers" in China or experienced investors, in their entire local commitment for an optimal tax and financial structuring of their involvement in China.

    He is also a founding member of EuropeFides - the European association of consultants for medium-sized companies, which is also available to its clients with contacts and extensive support in Asia. Dr. Bormann will be happy to provide you with his practical negotiating and project experience, which he has gained in over 100 trips to China since 2012.

  • Fokko Jolles graduated at the end of 1992 as an accountant at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. He has been registered as a registered accountant (CPA) in the register of the NBA (formerly NIVRA) since 1993. He initially worked for 10 years at EY and then about 4.5 years at medium-sized accounting firm FoedererDFK (now Crowe Horwarth).

    In 2002 he founded Jolles & Ko Accountants, a company that serves its clients (both national and international) with bookkeeping, payroll administration, annual accounts, tax advisory and and management consultancy. From an international perspective, the company specialized in the support of the establishment and continuation of foreign companies in the Netherlands and the provision of various fiscal and financial services that are related to this. Keywords of the company's approach are short line and quick response.

    In 2009, Fokko founded Vatko, a company that is specialized in representing companies from outside the EU which make use of regulations to defer VAT in import of goods into the EU.

    In his spare time he is an avid skier (family event), he reads, watches thrillers and listens frequently to the most diverse pop and jazz music.

    He speaks, reads and writes English and German and of course Dutch.


  • Günter Handl is partner of Aureal GmbH, a tax consultant and audit firm in Munich.   Günter graduated in Business Administration at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich 1992, became certified tax consultant in 1996 and certified public accountant in 2000. His professional experience goes back to 1985, when he started business. Between 1985 and 1992 he gained experience in several tax firms with clients in various business lines.

     From 1992 to 2001 he was manager and finally partner of a tax and audit firm which was positioned direct below big 4. He was focused on industrial, private equity and real estate firms in mid-sized and public traded companies.
    In 2001 he set up Aureal, who has been a member of EuropeFides since 2008.

    He is a specialist for holding structures for industrial companies and institutional and private funds structures in all kind of asset classes.  His knowledge is based on doing business in 11 Central European countries, Canada and the US, as well as China, Australia and some other Asian Pacific countries. In 2015 he advised Real I.S. AG on a merger of an international real estate portfolio to a Blackstone fund.

  • Dr. Erwin Herresthal is Senior Partner at HCSM Group, a tax advisory and auditing group in Wiesbaden, Germany, which focuses on providing corporate solutions for small and medium-sized companies. With more than 25 years of professional experience, Erwin’s main areas of expertise are real estate and consulting for IT and software companies. Before founding his own firm in 1990, which has since expanded to become the HCSM Group, Erwin worked for several audit and tax advisory firms. As a medium-sized company, themselves, HCSM is familiar with the problems and concerns of small and medium-sized companies and focuses on providing corporate solutions for them.

    Erwin holds a degree in Economics and later earned a PhD in Economics from the Research Institute for Economic Policy at the University of Mainz. He was certified as tax advisor in 1986 and as auditor in 1989.

    Erwin has been actively involved in EuropeFides since 2009 and has been a Member of the Management Committee ever since the Board was first established.

  • Pascal is Tax Partner at GGV Avocats - Rechtsanwälte and Avocat au Barreau de Paris. He specialises in the tax aspects involved in the reconstruction of enterprises, including company acquisitions and sales. In addition, he is an expert on international tax problems and VAT aspects involved in complex operations. He carries out tax audits and pursues proceedings before the fiscal authorities. As a competent consultant, he is extremely well-versed in tax matters relating to international secondments of staff and obligatory worker participation in companies. He assists his clients with transfer pricing and specialises in the structuring of investments in renewable energy as well. He also assists high-net-worth private individuals, particularly with regard to issues such as estate planning and cross-border donations.

    Pascal joined the GGV team in 2012 and is member of the firm's "Équipe Franco-Allemande".

    He studied German philology and law in Strasbourg and is fluent in French, German and English. He is also a member of the Institut des avocats conseils fiscaux (IACF) and of the Cercle franco-allemand de l’Immobilier (CFAI).

  • Jean-Francois Rycx is founder of Rycx Legal Consultants, an independent law office registered with the Dewan in Dubai since 1997.
    He is a Doctor in Law, holder of a PhD (Doctorat d’Etat) degree from the universities of Paris and Aix-en-Provence, specialised in International Private Law.

     

    Jean-Francois attended the National School for Oriental Studies (Paris) and obtained a degree in Literature and Master of Arts, with a specialization in Arabic Language & Civilization.

    In addition to French and English, he has a good command of Arabic.

  • Before founding  Epyon in 2011, Cesare was a Senior Manager at Ernst & Young Transaction advisory service; Cesare joined Ernst & Young in 2001 after his graduation with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Finance from the Luigi Bocconi University. He is a CPA and certified auditor. Cesare has been seconded to the Ernst & Young office in Charlotte, NC, for a period of 2 years and when he returned to the Milan office he joined the Transaction Support department and spent one year in London in 1999, working for a leading rating agency (Fitch Ratings).

    Cesare gained a significant experience in accounting of financial statements according to ITA GAAP, IFRS and US GAAP during his period in E&Y’s audit department and gained experience on a wide range of transactions including pre-acquisitions and sell-side due diligences on both domestic and cross-border deals and for clients in numerous sectors, including Manufacturing, Automotive and Retail.

    Cesare has also performed several valuation and restructuring projects.

  • JULIET ZHOU Yan is a fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (“FCCA”), member of Chartered Management Institution (“MCMI”), Member of Certified Risk Management Assurance (“CRMA”) and MBA from the University of Manchester, U.K.

    Juliet joined Roger Kam & Co., Certified Public Accountants (Practising) in 2007 and participated in the establishment of R&T Consulting Group China entities. She is now acting as the Managing Director of R&T CONSULTING GROUP CHINA REGION, China General Manager of ROGER KAM & CO., and the Director of DRAGON SMART ASIA LIMITED. She has over 12-year experience in accounting, auditing and assurance, taxation, corporate services, management consulting and cross-border merger and acquisition consultation in Hong Kong and the Mainland China.

    Juliet was appointed as the member of Shanghai–Hong Kong Professional Association and member of Shanghai Foreign Enterprises Young Talents Association in 2017.

    She also acts as the senior lecturer of ACCA F3, F8, F9, P5 and P7 in education institutions.

  • Originally from Aachen, Germany, Heinz Zillgens studied economic sciences in Aachen for 3 years and then specialized at the University and business School of Mannheim in business taxation, tax law and audit, completing his studies with a master’s degree.
    For more than 25 years, Heinz has been living and working as a German Certified Tax Consultant in France.
    After 10 years of practice in the environment of audit and tax advice, he decided to set up his own consulting firm SERF EuropeFides in 2000 in France, specializing in international tax advice and fiscal law. In 2008 he founded V&Z Audit et Conseil SAS, a French registered tax consultancy firm, offering accounting and consultancy services especially to foreign companies in France.
    When not at the office, the passionate wine collector enjoys spending time with his family and would never say no to spend a nice moment at table with likeable people in a good restaurant.