The CZFB reinforces its Ibero-American leadership at the 29th Free Zones Conference held in Cádiz

• CZFB’s Director General, Blanca Sorigué, has been re-elected Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Association of Free Zones of the Americas (AZFA) for the next two years.

• CZFB’s Executive President, Pere Navarro, highlighted the role of free zones as drivers of innovation, internationalization, and talent attraction, emphasizing that “today, collaboration is the new competitiveness.”

Barcelona, October 28, 2026.- The Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona has played an active role in the 29th Ibero-American Free Zones Conference, held from October 26 to 28 in Cádiz and organized by the Association of Free Zones of the Americas (AZFA). The event, hosted by the Consorcio de la Zona Franca de Cádiz brought together institutional representatives, free zone executives, and international experts to discuss the main challenges and opportunities facing free zones as drivers of economic development, innovation, and internationalization.

The CZFB delegation was led by its Executive President, Pere Navarro, and its Director General, Blanca Sorigué, who shared Barcelona’s experience as an international benchmark in the transformation of industrial and logistics ecosystems. One of the conference’s most significant milestones was the re-election of Blanca Sorigué as Vice President of the AZFA Board of Directors, a recognition that strengthens the CZFB’s role within the leading association of free zones in the Americas and further consolidates the international standing of the Barcelona-based institution. During its General Assembly, AZFA elected its Board of Directors for the next two-year term, to be chaired by Carlos Wong, Chief Executive Officer of the Coyol Free Zone (Costa Rica), who succeeds Claudia Pellerano, who has done an outstanding job at the helm of the Association. It is also worth noting that Blanca Sorigué serves as Vice President of the World Free Zones Organization (WFZO), the leading global association representing free zones worldwide.

Free Zones Evolve into Value-Creating Models

During the conference, Pere Navarro took part in the roundtable discussion “Free Zones as Platforms for Internationalization for Young Entrepreneurs and SMEs”, where he highlighted the transformation of free zones into models capable of generating value beyond their traditional role. In this regard, he emphasized that “at CZFB, we have moved from managing square meters to creating opportunities” and argued that free zones should become platforms for attracting talent, investment, technology, and knowledge.

During his speech, Navarro underscored the role of DFactory Barcelona as one of the world’s leading Industry 4.0 ecosystems and stated that “competition used to be the priority; today, collaboration is the new competitiveness”, advocating business cooperation as a key element in accelerating innovation and the internationalization of SMEs.

He also highlighted the importance of initiatives promoted by the CZFB, such as Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW) and SIL Barcelona, platforms that connect companies, entrepreneurs, and investors from around the world and facilitate access for small and medium-sized enterprises to new international markets.

For the CZFB’s Executive President, Barcelona must continue to consolidate its position as “a gateway to the world and a bridge between continents,” fostering collaboration between Europe and Ibero-America through innovative, sustainable projects that create opportunities for new generations of entrepreneurs.

For her part, Blanca Sorigué spoke very positively about both the conference and her re-election to the AZFA Board of Directors: “Free zones are called upon to play a key role in the global economic transformation. International cooperation, innovation, and talent attraction will be essential to driving more competitive, sustainable business ecosystems that generate new opportunities”.

Through its participation in the conference, the CZFB has reinforced its commitment to international cooperation among free zones and further strengthened its position as a benchmark institution in promoting new industry, technological innovation, sustainability, and business internationalization.

The 29th Ibero-American Free Zones Conference brought together representatives from 53 free zones across 20 countries. It is worth noting that AZFA represents members in 25 countries across two continents and brings together more than 600 free zones, hosting over 13,000 companies within their territories.