France’s Consul General visited the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona’s headquarters

• Olivier Ramadour learned about the potential of the Zona Franca de Barcelona’s facilities for French companies.

• The CZFB is reinforcing its role as an economic engine and a reference in the implementation of the SDGs in the industrial field.

Barcelona, 9th of March 2021. – Olivier Ramadour, consul general of France in Barcelona, visited today the headquarters of the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) where he met with the special delegate of the State in the CZFB, Pere Navarro, and the managing director of the entity, Blanca Sorigué. The objective of the visit was to become acquainted with the facilities of Zona Franca Barcelona and the CZFB’s commitment to making it a benchmark in terms of sustainability and 4.0 industry.

Olivier Ramadour has verified onsite the Zona Franca Barcelona’s potential for French companies that want to develop their activities in a sustainable and innovative ecosystem as well as in a privileged location due to its proximity to the Port of Barcelona, ​​the Barcelona Airport and the city itself. Its facilities currently host 175 companies where more than 137,000 people work. Furthermore, the activity carried out at Zona Franca Barcelona contributes with more than 9,100 million euros to the Spanish GDP and generates a tax return of more than 2,600 million euros.

During the visit, Pere Navarro insisted on the “CZFB’s total commitment with the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals” and the initiatives on multiple circular economy, accessibility and sustainability promoted by the entity in the last two years to “create a new industrial culture and help companies in our environment to carry out whatever transformation is necessary.”

 Also, the French consul has learnt about the CZFB project to promote, in the historic Post Office building in Barcelona, the creation of a space for technology training and talent attraction in response to the high youth unemployment rate in Spain, close to 40%. In addition, Navarro and Sorigué highlighted how during the last year the entity has managed to create a new generation of events, adapted to current circumstances and that have marked a change in the sector, such as Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW) and the Barcelona Woman Acceleration Week (BWAW). Thus, through several alliances. the CZFB has reinforced its role as an economic and social engine.

Lastly, Ramadour also visited the 4.0 Industry projects that the CZFB has promoted together with Leitat. Firstly, the 3DFactory Incubator, the first European high-tech 3D incubator that was born two years ago and which has already incubated more than 55 projects and received more than 300 applications from start-ups and entrepreneurs from all over Europe. Afterwards, the consul together with Navarro and Sorigué visited the DFactory, which is going through its construction first phase of 17,000 square meters. It will be opened next summer and will become the most important technological hub in Southern Europe.

Pere Navarro highlighted his gratitude for the consul’s visit in his first months in office and has assured that “Zona Franca Barcelona is a privileged location to develop projects in line with the new economy. Without a doubt, the city of Barcelona will become, with our contribution, a meeting point for companies from all over the world that want to explore and develop new ways of producing, consuming and interacting”.