The Diplomat
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, inaugurated yesterday in Madrid the XIII edition of the Spain Investors Day (SID) forum, in which she invited international investors to trust Spain, a country that “offers a climate of confidence, security and certainty” in the midst of “the uncertainties linked to the war in Ukraine”.
“Despite the uncertainties linked to the war in Ukraine and many other international factors, such as the rise in energy prices, the forecasts for 2023 are positive,” Maroto assured the 47 listed companies and international investors, members of the Government’s economic team and representatives of regulatory bodies gathered at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Hotel. “Everything points to the fact that one of our main powers, tourism, will continue to grow in 2023 and the 71 million international visitors this year will be exceeded, which will generate approximately 87. 87. billion euros, a figure even higher than that of the last pre-pandemic year,” she continued.
“Spain offers a climate of confidence, security and certainty” for international investors to bet on the country’s business and industrial fabric, the minister continued. Likewise, Maroto highlighted the importance of public-private collaboration, since, in her opinion, the main objective is “to dynamize and transform the Spanish economic and productive model, especially through the eleven Strategic Projects for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE)”. At the same event, the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, assured that, despite the crises of recent years, the capital has consolidated itself as a “strong place where businesses can prosper”.
At midday, the third vice-president and minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, stated during a lunch-colloquium that “the war in Ukraine has caused an energy crisis that affects the whole world, when we are still recovering from the pandemic”. For this reason, she warned, it is necessary to carry out “a fair and green transition towards a new energy industry model, meeting social expectations and with innovation as the backbone of all institutional decisions”.
In this regard, Ribera highlighted the importance of the decarbonization of the Spanish economy as a key element for the ecological transition, with a planned investment of 8,900 million euros in green hydrogen projects until 2030. This plan, she assured, follows a favorable course for Spain, which accounts for 20% of the entire global hydrogen project, second only to the United States. “Spain offers ideal conditions to attract new sustainable vectors, thanks to our geographical position,” concluded Ribera.
The event, whose main objective is to “convey to international investors a message of confidence in the future of Spain in a context of global uncertainty,” according to the organizers, will be closed today by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez. Apart from that, this second day will begin with a working breakfast with the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and will continue with a lunch-colloquium with the first vice-president and minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño. The Government will also be represented by the Secretary of State for Trade, Xiana Méndez, and the Secretary General for Economic Affairs and G20 in the Cabinet of the Presidency of the Government, Manuel de la Rocha.
