Catalonia and Barcelona revalidate their first position in the European ranking in strategy to attract foreign investment

• The Parc de l’Alba project in Cerdanyola del Vallès is a finalist in the MIPIM Awards as Best New Mega Development
  

• The fDi Magazine of the Financial Times consolidates the leadership of Catalonia and its capital in attracting foreign investment

The Government of Catalonia, through INCASÒL, Barcelona City Council and the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) reaffirm their commitment to inclusive, sustainable and cohesive development models at the world’s leading real estate fair, MIPIM. The fair will be held in Cannes (France) from today,  Tuesday, March 14 until Friday 17, and will have the participation of more than 2,400 companies from about eighty countries. It will be attended by more than 2,000 investment and financial companies and more than 50% of the participants are general managers and senior professional positions.

The whole of Catalonia, highlighting Barcelona and its metropolitan area, has a great international, open and cosmopolitan vocation, which seeks to grow inclusively and generate a diversified wealth and economy. It is in this sense that Barcelona has been awarded, in 2023, with the distinction European Entrepreneurial Region.

That is why it is a very attractive territory for foreign investment and attracting international talent, as shown by different studies. In 2022, foreign action has brought 620 million euros to Catalonia, a figure that has increased since 2018. Last year’s investment led to the creation of 3,464 new jobs.

Under the motto A way of living!  This year, Barcelona Catalonia is bringing its ambitious programme to MIPIM to promote and attract investment.  Compta with a stand of 250 m² and the  participation of 35 public and private partners who will jointly present the strategic areas and projects. The projects are located in excellent locations connected by a rich network of infrastructures that favor business development and host services for international companies and operators.

The outstanding projects that are presentat the  stand are Barcelona Centre, the new 22@, the  PDUAE of the Plana de  Lleida and La Cònca d’Òdena, residential sectors with land available for the promotion of affordable housing,  Biopol-GranVia de L’Hospitalet de Llobregat or Fira, in Cornellà de Llobregat . In this edition, they will join the project to increase the value of the offer presented at Cannes, Catalonia Trade & Investment and the universities of Barcelona and the UPC’s Diagonal-Besòs Campus. All these business opportunities will be projected on the interactive model Barcelona Catalonia that will capture the attention and interest of visitors at this year’s MIPIM.

Barcelona and Catalonia consolidate their leadership in attracting foreign investment

The report on European Cities and Regions of the Future 2023/2024,  published annually by  the fDi Magazine, of the Financial Times group, places, for the second consecutive year, Barcelona and Catalonia as the best city and best territory in investor promotion strategy. Thus, Barcelona is ahead of cities such as Berlin or London, and Catalonia is tied with the Île-de-France region and is ahead of the Community of Madrid or Scotland.

Specifically, Barcelona wins the category “Major European Cities of the Future 2023 – FDI Strategy” for its commitment to technology and sustainability. The publication also highlights A’s commitment together with companies to invest in solar energy or the first green hydrogen plant in Spain. They also highlight the “Plaça Barcelona” initiative, which uses virtual reality to promote the city and facilitate tasks such as job searches.

For its part, Catalonia is tied in first position with the French region where Paris is located, in the same category but analysed by region. The jury highlights Catalonia’s adherence to the SDGs and their digital transformation. It also emphasizes the pole of attraction that are the 12 Catalan universities and their engineering degrees. These, according to the magazine, “create a pool of power attraction that accelerates the transformation of the region” towards an Industry 4.0.

The fDi Awards ceremony  will take place today, Tuesday, March 14th.

Parc de l’Alba, nominated as Best New Mega Development at the MIPIM Awards

One of the projects presented at the Barcelona Catalonia stand, Parc de l’Alba in Cerdanyola del Vallès, has been selected as a finalist in the Best New Mega Development category at the Mipim Awards, from among 186 projects from 38 different countries.

Parc de l’Alba, located around the Alba Synchrotron, is a new sector of 340.6 ha that will become one of the most advanced platforms at a scientific, technological and entrepreneurial level. Its location around the synchrotron and next to the Autonomous University of Barcelona make the location an ideal place for new companies related to research, science, innovation and technology.

The MIPIM Awards are an award for the real estate sector that was created in 1991 and is internationally recognized. The awards reward those most outstanding projects, consolidated or about to be built around the world. This year, the awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m.

Barcelona Catalonia conference. The ESG strategy towards better cities and stronger businesses

MIPIM’s official programme includes the Barcelona Catalonia conference. This year, the round table is entitled The ESG strategy towards better cities and stronger businesses and will take place on Wednesday, March 15 at 5:15 p.m. in the Verrier Grand Audi room, at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. The conference will be given by Jordi Gálvez, member of the governing council of Llar Unió Catalonia, Maria Buhigas, from Urban Facts, Miquel Morell, from Promoacsa, economist expert in trends in the real estate sector, and Olivia Blanco, Director of International Operations at PGI Engineering; and will be moderated by Carles Vergara, associate professor of Financial Management at IESE Business School.

The conference will deal with the importance of incorporating ESG criteria, which seek environmental, social and corporate governance, to achieve better cities and firmer businesses.

The official programming of the fair also includes the Barcelona Conference, where the City Promotion Commissioner, Pau Solanilla, presents the Green Deal as an opportunity framework for foreign investment aligned with the values of  equity, sustainability and competitiveness. The conference entitled “The Barcelona Green Deal: New Investment Opportunities” explains the transformation of the Olympic Port, the expansion of Mercabarna and the Diagonal-Besòs Campus. The presentation of the Olympic Port will be given by Olga Cerezo, director of this  project who will explain the urban changes that the space is facing to open up to the closest environment and respond to the challenges of this new stage as a new pole of business activity around the blue economy, of   Nautical dynamization and development of a new model of gastronomy. The conference will be on Thursday 16th at 10 am at the Verriere Grand Audi at the Palais des Festivals.

Betting on public-private collaboration to attract foreign investors

As in previous editions of the fair, Barcelona Catalonia is committed to a model of collaboration between public and private agents in the sector that allow a more attractive offer of projects for foreign investors. In this sense, the Mipim stand brings together 35 companies with an international vocation and municipal, metropolitan and supramunicipal administrations that collaborate in urban projects in Catalonia. On this occasion, the Barcelona Catalonia stand is attended by the city councils of Cerdanyola del Vallès, Cornellà de Llobregat, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Sant Vicenç dels Horts and Viladecans and the public institutions Catalonia Trade & Investment, Campus Diagonal-Besòs (UPC Barcelona Tech), Cimalsa, Parc de l’Alba and University of Barcelona.

Also presentare the companies Amat Immobiliaris, API – Col·legi i Associació d’Agents Immobiliaris, Archikubik, BuildingCenter, Cornex Capital, Fabregat Perulles Sales, Forcadell, Gina Barcelona Architects, Grupo aFinance (aCapital – aRetail), L35 Architects, Maher Homes, Renta Corporación, Barcino Property, Domus Management, Fomenti, Invest Center Catalonia, Jap, JG Ingenieros, Meridiana, Smart Point, Spinnia, Tasinsa, TrGrupo Immobiliario and  the social housing cooperative Llar Unió Catalonia.