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Catalonia is one of Southern Europe’s driving forces and
one of the main economic hubs in the Mediterranean.
The Catalan economy has become consolidated in global
value chains and it has also made its name as a strategic
investment bridge into Europe. Figures back this up:
Catalonia closed 2016 with record figures of foreign
investment. According to data from the Spanish Ministry
of Economy, Catalonia earned 5,051.5 million euros in
foreign investment, 2.3% over the previous year, which
had already shown an historical maximum, with 4,936.4
million euros.
The Government of Catalonia works hard to help foreign
companies interested in investing in Catalonia. From
Catalonia Trade & Investment, the Catalan government
agency responsible for promoting and attracting foreign
investment and with more than 30 years of experience
behind us, we accompany companies throughout the
process of setting up and expansion in Catalonia through
specialized one-stop-shop services. In this regard,
Catalonia Trade & Investment last year materialized 68
foreign investment projects totalling 352 million euros,
also a record figure, half of which were Greenfield
investments.
Companies committed to Catalonia
Large companies like Amazon or Nestlé have, over
the last few weeks, announced major investments in
Catalonia. The US company has opted for Catalonia
as a strategic hub in the logistics sector in Europe, as
evidenced by the five major investments announced
last year and that will turn Catalonia into its gateway
to Europe. For its part, Nestlé has just announced a
new investment for its soluble coffee plant in Girona,
SPAIN
CATALONIA
, EUROPE’S INVESTMENT GATEWAY
WITH THE SAME NUMBER OF INHABITANTS AS FINLAND OR DENMARK AND AN AREA SIMILAR TO THE
NETHERLANDS OR BELGIUM, CATALONIA HAS ESTABLISHED ITSELF AS ONE OF EUROPE’S MOST SIGNIFICANT
STRATEGIC HUBS. WITH OVER 7,000 MULTINATIONALS OPERATING IN CATALONIA, IT HAS BEEN RECOGNISED
AS THE BEST SOUTHERN EUROPEAN REGION FOR INVESTMENTS IN 2017.
By JOAN ROMERO, CEO Catalonia Trade & Investment, article provided by DFCG, the French IAFEI Member
Institute
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SPAIN