MADRID, 7 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Secretary of State for Trade, Xiana Méndez, stressed this Wednesday that Spanish investment in Morocco is “very relevant, diversified and with great social impact”, and stressed that bilateral relations between the two countries “are very intense”.

Along these lines, Méndez pointed out at the ‘Spain-Morocco Business Meeting’, held between June 6 and 8, that the integration of Spain and Morocco into European value chains is increasing.

The Secretary of State for Trade of Spain has organized the ‘Spain-Morocco Business Meeting’ through ICEX Spain Export and Investment and the economic and commercial offices of Spain in Morocco, and in collaboration with the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE ) and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce.

These conferences, in which 58 Spanish companies and more than 200 local attendees participate, were attended this Wednesday by the Secretary of State for Commerce of Spain and President of ICEX, Xiana Méndez, the Minister of Industry and Commerce of Morocco, Ryad Mezzour, and the Spanish ambassador in Morocco, Ricardo Díez-Hochleitner.

Specifically, this action is intended to inform Spanish companies about investment opportunities and business cooperation that are currently opening up in this market in the areas of water and the environment, the automotive and industrial sector, food value chains, education, energy renewables and transport infrastructures.

Referring to the ‘Horizon Africa’ strategy of the Secretary of State for Trade, Méndez explained that it is designed to increase the presence of Spanish companies on the African continent, which have public financial support instruments.

In the case of Morocco, these support tools are included “in a new Financial Protocol in which Spain makes 800 million euros available to the Moroccan authorities to finance projects in the country,” Méndez explained.

As detailed by the Secretary of State for Trade, Morocco has experienced great sustainable economic and social progress over the last twenty years, with average annual growth rates of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of around 5%.

Likewise, its integration into the value chains of the global economy “is key for Spain to create, together with Morocco, an area of ​​shared wealth and develop a north-south integration”, they have highlighted from the organization.