The 27th Ibero-American Free Trade Zone Congress highlights the Barcelona model as a benchmark in the sector

• Blanca Sorigué, CEO of the CZFB, has been re-elected as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Free Trade Zones of the Americas (AZFA) within the framework of the Congress, where she also participated in the opening ceremony as vice president of the World Free Zones Organization (WZFO).

• Pere Navarro, special delegate of the State in the CZFB, participated in the session “Incubators and Venture Studios: catalysts for the success of free zones”, where he highlighted the uniqueness of the Barcelona Free Zone as a unique hub of talent, a leading business ecosystem, and Barcelona’s position as a bridge city between continents and markets.

Barcelona, 15 November 2024.– The Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) has participated in the 27th edition of the Ibero-American Free Trade Zone Congress, organized by the Association of Free Zones of the Americas (AZFA) and held this week, from 13 to 15 November, in Curaçao. The special delegate of the State in the CZFB, Pere Navarro, and the director general of the CZFB, Blanca Sorigué, represented the entity in what is the largest meeting of the sector in Ibero-America, where there are more than 800 free zones hosting more than 11.000 companies.

Within the framework of this congress, the AZFA Assembly was held, where the CEO of the CZFB, Blanca Sorigué, has been re-elected – with 54 votes in favor – as a member of the Board of Directors that will continue to be chaired by Claudia Pellerano. The CEO of the CZFB has also participated in the opening ceremony of the congress as the highest authority of the World Free Zones Organization (WZFO), in her capacity as vice president, along with Gilmar Pisas, prime minister of Curaçao; and Claudia Pellerano, president of the Association of Free Zones of the Americas (AZFA).

Blanca Sorigué, director general of the CZFB and vice president of the WZFO, stated in her speech: “It is an honour to participate in the opening of this 27th edition of the Conference of Free Zones of Ibero-America in such an inspiring place as Curaçao. Free zones are evolving into fundamental ecosystems of attraction for international trade and investment in the process of transforming global value chains. We must continue to advance and promote sustainable global development”.

For his part, Pere Navarro participated in the session “Incubators and Venture Studios: catalysts for the success of free zones” alongside José Manuel Fedriani, Coordinator of Incubazul at the Consortium of the Free Zone of Cádiz; Karim Palmieri, Managing Director & CEO of Quadrian; Rafal Zelazny, CEO of the Katowice Special Economic Zone; and Julio Rodríguez, executive director of the Association of Free Zones of Ibero-America, who acted as moderator.

In this session, the special delegate of the State in the CZFB, Pere Navarro, stated that “Barcelona brings together a series of key ingredients; it is an economic development engine that drives innovation and collaboration; it is an educational hub with top-level schools and a factory for attracting and developing specialized talent; and it has a strategic location that connects it with the world, serving as a bridge between continents and different markets”. For this reason, Navarro considers that “this is what makes DFactory Barcelona a global success story and has turned it into a reference industrial 4.0 ecosystem internationally. That is why DFactory Barcelona is difficult to replicate in other parts of the world because these ingredients found in the City of Counts are fundamental”.

The CZFB, a benchmark for the Free Zones of Ibero-America

Free Zones of Ibero-America generate a significant impact on employment, with more than 1.000.000 direct jobs and 2.000.000 indirect jobs, consolidating themselves as an essential pillar for growth and competitiveness in Ibero-America. During the 27th edition of the Conference of Free Zones of Ibero-America, the model of the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona was once again highlighted as a benchmark for the sector in promoting industry 4.0, innovation, and sustainability. In this regard, the CZFB has DFactory Barcelona, a leading technological ecosystem that hosts leading companies in technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, sensorics, 3D printing, or cybersecurity, among others. Additionally, it also fosters talent and entrepreneurship through high-tech incubators, such as the 3D Incubator and the Logistics 4.0 Incubator, pioneers in their respective fields. Finally, the CZFB leads its activity with a social commitment to people and the United Nations 2030 Agenda. In short, the innovation and activity of the CZFB position the entity as a reference and model of inspiration among the Free Zones of Ibero-America.

The next edition of the Ibero-American Free Trade Zone Congress will be held in Uruguay in 2025