The Diplomat
The town of Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) hosted yesterday the start of the fifth edition of the Congress of the Business Council Alliance for Ibero-America (CEAPI), in which all participants agreed that the conditions for investment in Ibero-America are “favorable” despite the “many difficulties” of the current moment.
The V CEAPI Congress, which for the first time is being held outside Spain and will conclude today at the Punta Cana Resort & Club, was inaugurated by the president of the business association, Núria Vilanova; the president of the host country, Luis Abinader; and, through a video, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto. Under the slogan Innovation and opportunities in times of uncertainty, the meeting analyzes the opportunities for growth in Ibero-America in areas such as innovation, digitalization and technology.
In her opening speech, Núria Vilanova warned of the need to identify and take advantage of “the favorable circumstances that are making Ibero-America an increasingly attractive, reliable and profitable area for investment despite the international scenario.” “There are many difficulties, but also many opportunities for companies and society,” she continued. “In the pandemic, companies showed their capacity for generosity for their countries, and now companies must continue to lead, to invest, to transform their countries socially, believing in their nations,” she concluded.
For her part, Reyes Maroto assured that “Spain is committed to deepening economic and commercial ties by promoting the approval of the Free Trade Agreement” of the EU “with Mercosur and improving those in force with Mexico and Chile”. “Our country represents an opportunity for Latin American investments,” she continued. “Relations between Spain and Ibero-America have great potential in the immediate future,” she added.
Luis Abinader assured that Ibero-America is “a community of the future that is decided in the present”. “Innovation, digitalization and technology are the key to achieving sustained and sustainable economic development,” he continued. “The Ibero-American voice must be heard in the world that is emerging” because “the future is always being written and must have an Ibero-American stamp,” he warned. “These are times of pessimism, but, in spite of everything, this is the best time to invest and the Dominican Republic can be the gateway to investments towards Ibero-America,” he said.
After the inauguration, a discussion entitled Ibero-America in the new world order was held, in which Juan Luis Cebrián, honorary president of El País, warned that “Spain has less political influence in Latin America and Spanish influence in Latin America is maintained thanks to the business community”. For his part, the honorary president of CEAPI, Enrique V. Iglesias, said that the world is facing a “change of era” after going through “the 75 most brilliant years in the history of humanity, an exceptional period of peace and progress”, and, therefore, it is necessary to “give a collective response to a dangerous moment, as any change of era implies”, and to go through this moment “together” “respecting human rights”.
Likewise, the Ibero-American Secretary General (SEGIB), Andrés Allamand, affirmed that “Spain will have much to contribute to Latin America in areas such as digitalization, respect for the environment and language”. “Spain has a lot to contribute in the immediate future for Ibero-America”, a region that “does not want to be pulled between the two great world powers”, he added. Finally, the ambassador of the Dominican Republic in Madrid, Juan Bolívar Díaz, warned that “Spain should support the initiative of not requiring a visa to enter the EU”.
