Zona Franca de Barcelona approves its budget and reaffirms its commitment to Industry 4.0 and sustainability

• With a forecast of 26.9 million euros in profits, which represents an increase of 4.6% compared to the forecast at the end of the previous year, the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona will maintain its clear commitment to innovation, sustainability and industry 4.0 for next year.

• The entity presents the Update of the Strategic Plan 2025-2029 with a focus on the Economic and Social Development of the Territory, Urban Integration, Compliance with SGE and Long-term Economic Sustainability.

• It also announces the main projects for 2025, highlighting the execution of the second phase of DFactory Barcelona, the celebration of the next edition of SIL Barcelona, the 6th of BNEW and the 5th of BWAW.

Barcelona, 11 December 2024.- The plenary session of the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB), which was chaired by the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, and the Special Delegate of the State at the CZFB, Pere Navarro, approved this morning its budget for 2025, with a forecast of 26.9 million euros in profits,  a figure that represents an increase of 4.6% compared to the forecast for the end of the previous year. Likewise, the public entity has forecast a net amount of its turnover for 2025 of 76 million euros.

In his introduction to the session, the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, highlighted “the fundamental role of the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona as the economic engine of the city”, and expressed his “full satisfaction with all the projects promoted, as well as with the management of the Zona Franca de Barcelona industrial park, one of the most active and important economic areas of the city”.

During the session, managing director in the CZFB, Blanca Sorigué, presented the Update of the Strategic Plan 2025-2029, which defines new strategic pillars, details new projects and readjusts the tasks of ongoing projects. Having successfully executed the 2020-2024 Strategic Plan, defined in 2019 and based on achieving operational efficiency, the entity is now focusing on the promotion of projects in the Economic and Social Development of the Territory, Urban Integration of District 4.0 and ESG Compliance, all based on sustainability to generate the resources that allow the development of the three previous pillars.

“The budgets for 2025 clearly show our commitment to everything that means the economic and social promotion of the city of Barcelona, as well as the promotion of Industry 4.0 in the region. We act with a clear commitment so that the projects we promote offer new opportunities to society and the economic sectors, but above all, that all of them are economically sustainable in the long term”, explained Pere Navarro, special delegate of the State at the CZFB, in his appearance.

For her part, Blanca Sorigué, general director of the CZFB, said that “with the update of our strategic plan, we demonstrate our economic and social purpose and the development of Industry 4.0 in Barcelona. To ensure compliance with the three pillars defined in the strategic plan – economic and social development of the territory, urban integration of District 4.0, and the ESG strategy – it is key to define a fourth pillar that allows sustained long-term financing. With all the projects and actions presented, we aspire to continue being an exemplary model of public management, which works for and for economic development and social well-being”.

On the other hand, the CZFB has presented the main projects for next year, highlighting the second phase of execution of DFactory Barcelona, which will strengthen this industry 4.0 ecosystem of international reference with an additional 70,000 m2 that will be added to the existing 17,000, with the aim of turning Barcelona’s Zona Franca into the great District 4.0 and reinforcing its role as an international benchmark. The bank also presented its main events dedicated to economic promotion, led by the celebration of the 27th edition of SIL Barcelona; the sixth edition of Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW) and the fifth edition of Barcelona Woman Acceleration Week (BWAW).

Furthermore, the reactivation of vehicle production at the former Nissan plant located in the Zona Franca de Barcelona has been mentioned, now with the manufacture of the S700, the first model of Ebro, the commercial brand of EV Motors. The reindustrialization of this economic area marks the beginning of overcoming one of the most significant industrial crises in Barcelona, arising from the full collaboration between public administrations, the private sector, and the social agents involved.

In addition, the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, along with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) collaborate from this December on a pilot project to certify Free Zones with the highest standards of security and transparency in international trade. In this regard, the Barcelona Free Zone has been chosen, among all the free zones in the world, to develop the technical aspect of this certification and will become the first free zone in the world to obtain this recognition.

Likewise, the CZFB will continue to promote the entrepreneurial ecosystem with the best initiatives and projects through its two high-tech incubators: the 3D Incubator, the first 3D printing business incubator in Europe and the Logistics Incubator 4.0, the first incubator in Spain dedicated to industry 4.0 in the field of the logistics sector chain.

In this way, the institution will continue to be committed to economic activity and promotion in 2025, and fully focused on innovation, sustainability and the commitment to industry 4.0. It should be noted that the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona is a public entity that is self-managed, through the income it receives from the companies installed in the industrial estate and the profits it extracts from its activities, to promote economic activity and social welfare.