Catalonia Trade & Investment, Acció's area responsible for attracting foreign investment for the Generalitat, facilitated 77 investment projects in Catalonia during 2020, leading to the creation of 2,278 jobs and the maintenance of 1,144 additional jobs.
According to the Department of Business, the 77 projects have translated into an investment volume of 480 million, 31% more than in the previous year, which is very good news considering the context of health and economic crisis. In its report, Acció highlights that half of the foreign companies analyzed have invested in Catalonia for the first time. Another relevant figure is that 87% of the volume captured has been allocated to industrial projects.
58% of the projects are technological in nature, which "highlights Barcelona's prominent role as an emerging hub in this sector, key for the economic activity of the 21st century," emphasized Minister Ramon Tremosa.
The main investing countries have been France (14%), the United Kingdom (13%), and Japan (10%). To carry out this task of attracting investments, Acció has 40 offices abroad; this global network has managed to capture 47% of these projects. According to the Generalitat, for every public euro invested in this structure, a return in the form of foreign investment of 166 euros has been obtained.
Minister Tremosa congratulated himself on these results and remarked that it is "the fourth highest figure in the historical series." He also assured that they are currently working with a portfolio of 440 open investment projects, for which he expressed himself "very hopeful" about the Catalan economy.