Navarro kicks off the international promotion of the World Free Trade Zone Congress to take place in Barcelona in 2019 at the summit in Guatemala

Barcelona, 1 October. Tomorrow, on 2 October, the special delegate of the State in the Consorci de la Zona Franca, Pere Navarro will speak in Guatemala at the 22^nd Conference of the Free Zones Association of the Americas (AZFA). This speech will kick off international promotion of the World Free Trade Zone Congress to be organised by the Consorci in Barcelona from 26 to 28 June 2019.

The 22^th Conference of the Free Zones Association of the Americas, from 1 to 3 October in Antigua Guatemala, is a meeting of free zones all over the continent and a sector summit for entrepreneurs and investors wanting a first-hand look at trends and opportunities in export processing zones, networking at the highest level in the region.

The meeting, to be attended by the minister of Economy of Guatemala, Ascisclo Valladares, and the chairman of the World Free Zones Organization (WFZO), Mohammed Alzarooni, will address issues such as the future of international trade, blockchain applied to the customs management, e-commerce and customs integration projects.

The Consorci will have its own stand in Guatemala and will promote the Congress in Barcelona with a presentation by Pere Navarro on the 3D incubation project and Digital Factory implemented in the Barcelona free zone as examples of future developments towards which free zones can move in the new economy 4.0.

The WFZO World Free Trade Zone Congress will take place at the Palacio de Congresos de Barcelona in June to coincide with international exhibitions such as SIL Barcelona and e-Delivery – annual events organised by the Consorci- and meetings such as the Latin American Cargo Meeting ALACAT and AEO Authorised Economic Operators’ Congress, making Barcelona an epicentre of major international trade and logistics summits that will attract almost 1,000 attendees.

After Guatemala, the Consorci will continue to promote the congress in Barcelona by participating in the Customs Forum of the General Council of Customs Agents of Spain (from 4 to 6 October in Cadiz) and the FITAC Congress of the Colombian Federation of logistic agents (from 28 to 30 October in Bogotá, Colombia)

About the Consorci – The Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) is a public institution created in 1916 by the Spanish government, Barcelona City Council and financial institutions, with a mission to generate economic and productive activity. It is a self-funding economic development agency with a legal personality. The company’s governing bodies include municipal and state representatives and economists. This is evidence of a constant spirit of cooperation and commitment to society.

The Consorci manages the Zona Franca Industrial Estate and Customs Area. It promotes urban and industrial real estate, develops land and urban buildings and organises trade fairs of interest to the business, logistics and real estate sector, and has always supported innovative economic activities and technology transfer In this regard, it is currently promoting the implementation of the 4.0 economy in business and industrial contexts.