<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced this Thursday, January 15, the creation of the España Crece (Spain Grows) sovereign wealth fund, endowed with a base of 10.5 billion euros from the Recovery Plan. This fund will take up the mantle of the Next Generation EU funds with the aim of mobilizing some 120 billion euros through private debt and national and international investors.</strong></h4> “If the NextGen funds were an exercise in European sovereignty, the España Crece Fund will be an exercise in national sovereignty and a statement that there is another way of doing things, in contrast to the prevailing discourse in which issues such as equality, diversity, commitment to sustainability, and a humanistic approach to digitalization are in decline,” Sánchez declared during the closing of the 16th edition of the international financial forum ‘Spain Investors Day’ (SID), which brought together members of the Government, regulatory bodies, major companies, and international investors in Madrid. This new fund, managed by the Official Credit Institute (ICO), will invest jointly with the private sector through loans, guarantees, and equity instruments, prioritizing key sectors to improve the productivity of the Spanish economy: housing, energy, digitalization, artificial intelligence, reindustrialization, the circular economy, infrastructure, water and sanitation, and security. The España Crece Fund will take over from the NextGen funds, which conclude this year and which, as the Prime Minister explained, “not only helped us to withstand and recover during a difficult time; they allowed us to change course and transform ourselves forever.” Therefore, the objective of the new sovereign wealth fund is to ensure that both “the investments we are making in the energy transformation, the digital transition, the commitment to human capital, and reindustrialization in all regions,” as well as “the reformist drive,” endure “beyond 2026 to give continuity to all these reforms.” The Prime Minister will publicly present the details of the España Crece Fund next Monday, together with the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Business, Carlos Cuerpo. Sánchez also asserted that the transformations Spain has undergone in recent years “would not have been possible without the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.” “I believe we can look back and proudly say that Europe is great when it dares, when it is not afraid,” he emphasized. “We did it then, and we must do it now with even greater determination, deepening the single market, strengthening our economic security and financial autonomy, forging new trade alliances, such as the one we have just finalized with Mercosur, a great success for Europe after 25 years; and committing to an ambitious budget to finance European public goods,” he added. <h5><strong>Margarita Robles: investing “without hesitation” in security and defense</strong></h5> During her participation in the roundtable discussion “Investment Opportunities in Defense, Cybersecurity, and Biosecurity in Spain,” Defense Minister Margarita Robles defended the need to strengthen European security policy in the current international landscape marked by geopolitical uncertainty, both due to the war in Ukraine, now approaching its fourth year, and the threats from the United States to “seize sovereignty over Greenland.” In Robles’s view, the European Union must advance its strategic autonomy and invest “without hesitation” in security and defense as a tool for deterrence and stability. “We believe in peace and international law, and that is why we must invest in defense” to equip the Armed Forces with the necessary resources, she asserted. <h5><strong>Carlos Cuerpo: a “balanced, green, robust, and sustainable” growth model</strong></h5> For his part, the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, assured investors that “Spain is building a balanced, green, robust, and sustainable growth model,” which allows it to “distinguish itself from the less dynamic growth of other European economies.” In these circumstances, “Spain has become one of the world’s leading destinations for investment in renewable energy and green hydrogen projects,” the minister stated during the luncheon discussion on the second day of the SID. He added that progress “in R&D, emerging technologies, and high value-added services is strengthening the position of the Spanish economy.” <h5><strong>Manuel de la Rocha: over €650 billion in foreign investment</strong></h5> At the Round Table “The Role of Major Investors in the Development of the Spanish Economy,” which included representatives of investment funds and financial experts, Manuel de la Rocha Vázquez, Secretary of State and Director of the Office of Economic Affairs and G20 of the Spanish Prime Minister's Office, stated that “Spain has consolidated its position as one of the leading international destinations for investment, with over €650 billion in foreign direct investment accumulated in the last decade and nearly €19 billion received in just the first three quarters of 2025.” In this regard, he emphasized, “the stock of foreign investment now represents nearly 53% of GDP, well above economies such as France, Germany, or Italy, reflecting the high degree of openness and internationalization of the Spanish economy.”
