The CZFB presents the main lines of action planned for this year 2025

• The entity has presented the update of its Strategic Plan 2025-2029 that focuses on three main topics: the economic and social development of the territory, the urban integration of District 4.0 and its ESG strategy, focused on the main criteria of governance, sustainability, SDGs and equality.

• The Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona plans to complete the first phase of the expansion of DFactory, the industry 4.0 ecosystem of international reference, in the last quarter of 2026.

• The Zona Franca is moving forward with the aim of becoming the great District 4.0 of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona and announces the development of an urban plan with the aim of redesigning and improving the space.

Barcelona, 16 January 2025.- The special delegate of the State in the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB), Pere Navarro, and the general director of the CZFB, Blanca Sorigué, presented this morning to the media, during a working breakfast held at DFactory Barcelona, the main lines of action planned throughout this year 2025. Once the entity’s 2019-2024 Strategic Plan has been practically 100% executed, the CZFB has today presented the update of this document that will define the main actions for the period 2025-2029.

In this sense, there will be three main axes that will focus its activity: the economic and social development of the territory, with the development of District 4.0 and the DFactory as the most emblematic projects; the urban integration of District 4.0, where it will develop better infrastructures, connections, improvements at the technological and energy level; and, finally, its ESG strategy, with the main criteria of governance, sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and equality. All this incorporates a fourth pillar such as long-term economic sustainability, generating the necessary resources to support the previous 3 strategic pillars.

DFactory Barcelona expansion

In just three years, DFactory Barcelona has become an industry 4.0 ecosystem of international reference with the implementation of 35 companies in robotics, 3D printing, AI, augmented and virtual reality, sensors, blockchain, cybersecurity, nanotechnology… It currently exceeds 85% of its occupancy, which makes it necessary to expand the existing 17.000 square meters. The expansion will be carried out in several stages: The first will consist of approximately 30,000 m2, which will mean that by the end of 2026 DFactory will have a total surface area of 47,000 m2.

In fact, one of the new developments for this year is that the tender for the development and construction of the first buildings of the second phase of DFactory Barcelona has been launched, and it is expected that work on the extension will begin in the second quarter of this year. The intention is that the first building of this extension will be completed in the last quarter of 2026.

In this sense, the special delegate of the State in the CZFB, Pere Navarro, explained that ‘The Barcelona Free Trade Zone is exemplary on an international level. In fact, it will be the first in the world to obtain OECD certification, which guarantees the highest standards of security and transparency in international trade. In addition, our priority for 2025 is to transform the Zona Franca into a large District 4.0, more connected to the city of Barcelona, more sustainable, more efficient, with better mobility solutions and more sectorised, to optimise industrial and logistics activity’.

The great District 4.0 of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region

 The CZFB is driving and accelerating the transformation towards Industry 4.0, with a commitment to a more personalized, connected, intelligent and sustainable industry located at the place of origin. All this, with the aim of having a direct impact on the competitiveness of the companies that settle in the territory, with the creation of quality jobs and also directly on the economy and the quality of life of people.

For this reason, the entity is defining and implementing District 4.0 to connect and improve its urban integration with the rest of the city of Barcelona. The aim is for “the philosophy and spirit of the DFactory to permeate and radiate the entire industrial estate to turn the Zona Franca into a great District 4.0, not only for the city of Barcelona, but also for its entire metropolitan region”, said Pere Navarro.

In this regard, the CZFB explained that it is already working with Barcelona City Council to redesign and improve the space of the entire industrial estate to fully become this District 4.0. To make this possible, the Zona Franca space will be redesigned to sectorize activities and improve synergies; the connections of the 4.0 district with the city of Barcelona will be better integrated; bike lanes, electric charging points will be incorporated, and collective public transport will be promoted. And, in terms of energy, the public entity is also promoting the Ecoenergies program to distribute thermal energy to buildings and is studying other options, such as the installation of photovoltaic panels, throughout the Zona Franca industrial estate.

On the other hand, it should also be noted that the CZFB is part of the PERTE for the development of the connected and electric vehicle and will have a circuit within the industrial estate to carry out tests in this regard. In 2025, the public entity will implement the final technological architecture of this circuit in the industrial estate. The equipment being installed consists of 5G and V2X equipment that allows real-time connectivity between vehicles and infrastructure and allows tests to be carried out in connected vehicles.

ESG Strategy

 The CZFB explained that its model is explained as a success story within the global free zone sector. An example of this is the agreement reached with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to launch a pilot project that will serve to certify those free zones around the world that guarantee commercial security in their territory. The Zona Franca de Barcelona has been chosen to develop the technical part of this certification and expects to become the first free zone in the world to obtain this certification throughout this year, which aims to highlight the highest standards of security and transparency in international trade.

In the international arena, it is also worth noting that the general director of the CZFB, Blanca Sorigué, was re-elected as vice president of the World Free Zone Association, the World Free Zone Organization, and is also part of the board of directors of the Association of Free Zones of the Americas (AZFA). Sorigué explained that ‘It is important to highlight Barcelona has three ingredients that allow us to have the recipe to promote innovation projects and attract international companies: access to specialised talent, a strategic and connected location, and a unique innovation and collaboration ecosystem. And from the CZFB we promote these singularities to project Barcelona to the world’.

The CZFB also focuses on developing the most relevant SDGs, promoting new sources of energy, increasing efficiency in the use of water and promoting gender equality. Equality will be another of the strategic lines. The ZF Women’s Council will continue to be a fundamental axis to give visibility to women leaders in the environment, in addition to achieving real equality in all states. It will also continue to be committed to the Feel the ZF Power initiative, a program that wants to bring the activity of industry 4.0 closer to school-age children, so that girls and young people can start their career in STEM sciences.

Events and economic promotion projects

 The public entity continues to hold its three-star events throughout 2025. The first quarter of the year will begin with the organization of the fifth edition of Barcelona Woman Acceleration Week (BWAW), from 4 to 6 March, the benchmark joint and hybrid event for advancing gender equality in the business environment. For this new edition, the CZFB hopes to bring together, at DFactory Barcelona, both managers with responsibility for decision-making in their companies and entrepreneurs from different disciplines and sectors of activity.

For its part, the International Logistics Exhibition (SIL) will be held from June 18 to 20, thus reaffirming its leadership in the logistics and transport sector. SIL is the sector’s leading trade fair worldwide, and the only one that represents all the sectors that are part of the logistics chain. In this sense, Blanca Sorigué commented that “with 5 months left for the celebration of the SIL we already have 70% of the exhibition space commercialized, so we predict a very powerful edition. SIL is the great benchmark for logistics in Spain and one of the major world fairs in the sector, with the particularity that it is the only one that encompasses all the actors that are part of the complex supply chain”.

Finally, Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW) will consolidate its position as an international benchmark in the new economy with the celebration of its sixth edition from September 29 to October 2, 2025.

 Likewise, the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona will continue to bet on the incubation of projects, to continue generating alliances between companies and entrepreneurs and other institutions. In this case, the Logistics 4.0 Incubator will hold a new call this January to welcome new logistics startups into its program. Both the Logistics 4.0 Incubator and the Incubator 3D are two programs that are already part of the organization’s innovative ecosystem, which they will continue to promote and support until they make Barcelona’s Zona Franca a great 4.0 District, an international leader.