Intense CEIB-CEOE activity with Mexico at the CEOE

The Director General of CEOE International and the Permanent Secretary of CEIB, Narciso Casado, recently met the Governor of Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro, to assess investment and business opportunities in both areas, as well as the potential for collaboration between Spanish and Mexican companies in projects of shared interest. Subsequently, he met the Secretary of Economic Development of the Government of Chihuahua, to learn first-hand about the strategic sectors in the Mexican State and to strengthen ties with Spain.

Jalisco: an investment opportunity

The Governor of Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro, met the Director General of CEOE International and Permanent Secretary of the Ibero-American Business Council-CEIB, Narciso Casado, and the Secretary General of the Ibero-American Federation of Young Entrepreneurs-FIJE, Antonio Magraner, to learn first-hand about the projects underway in the Mexican State and to assess cooperation in projects of shared interest.

Thus, the attendees agreed to move forward with a Collaboration Agreement between the main business associations of Jalisco and the CEOE in the city of Guadalajara. Without a doubt, the agreement will contribute to strengthening the bilateral relationship through business links, bearing in mind that the CEOE brings together 98% of companies in Spain through its organisations, both territorial and sectoral, representing more than two million companies.
 
The meeting was also used to promote the State of Jalisco’s internationalisation agenda, thanks to strategic alliances and communication between local governments and national governments and public, private and non-governmental organisations with an international impact. Moreover, the Governor confirmed that Jalisco is preparing for the forthcoming entry into force of the Political Coordination, Economic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and Mexico.

Thus, Enrique Alfaro began his tour in Madrid, with an intense agenda to address the issue promoting tourism, “a very important agenda for our State’s economy, and a great opportunity to have a much more intense tourism exchange with all of Europe,” explained the President in a video from Madrid. “We want to consolidate a much stronger agenda of tourism exchange with Spain and Europe,” he said.

In turn, both the Director General of CEOE International, Narciso Casado, and the Secretary General of FIJE, Antonio Magraner, stressed the importance of working closely with local governments in Mexico to strengthen Spanish companies’ investment in various States. Casado also set out the preparatory work for the 14th Ibero-American Business Meeting, which is due to be held as part Heads of State and Government Summit, which will take place in 2023 in the Dominican Republic. In turn, Magraner deemed it essential to work with youth associations in the region to foster talent and entrepreneurship, which is so lacking nowadays.

Chihuahua: opportunities in energy, agri-food and automotive sector

Following the meeting with the governor of Jalisco, this week the CEIB permanent secretary, Narciso Casado, also held a meeting with the Secretary of Economic Development of the Government of Chihuahua, María Angélica Granados, to learn first-hand about the opportunities this Mexican State offers. The meeting was also attended by the Director of Industry, Energy, Environment and Climate at the CEOE, Cristina Rivero; the President of CEOE Valladolid and of the Mexico-Spain Business Association-AEMEES, Ángela de Miguel; the Vice-President of the Association, Elsa García, and the Director of the Association, Francisco Suárez.
During the meeting, the Secretary, María Ángela Granados, highlighted the importance of strengthening the bilateral relationship with Spain and, above all, “making it more practical, making it manifest in projects”. Thus, he deemed it essential to reach collaboration agreements to facilitate and foster investment in this area, exploiting nearshoring with the United States and its status as a bordering state.

Granados stressed that Spain is undoubtedly the gateway to Europe for Mexican States, which is why they want to promote business opportunities with Chihuahua. According to the Secretary of Economic Development, this State is mainly industrial, as is Ciudad Juarez. The automotive, agro-industrial, aerospace and energy sectors are the leading areas of development. “We work with clusters where companies in the same sector are grouped together to have more bargaining power,” he said.

The State is now focusing on more specific skills for growth, such as electromobility, innovation and sustainable development, among other sectors. Granados reported that the State Energy Agency is soon going to open premises in Chihuahua, it envisages creating trusts with companies, both domestic and foreign, to execute various projects of interest, especially in the field of infrastructure. “We work very closely with businesspeople and, in building the new airport at Barranca del Cobre beginning next year, we hope to be able to collaborate on projects to mobilise tourism, develop infrastructure and attract more investment,” he said.

The Director General of CEOE International, Narciso Casado, insisted on the significance of this type of meetings with local authorities, since “this is the best way to boost business and investment in the country”. He also committing to exploiting the synergies of both regions, talent, promoting tourism, business cooperation and sustainable development, to assess projects that may be of interest to companies in Chihuahua and Spain. Casado also advocated always enhancing social dialogue and collaborating with the private sector for economic development and social well-being. “It is key to follow up on the work being done, to convey the information, to promote investment, and to continue to do the pedagogical work that business organisations are so good at.” Finally, Casado highlighted the importance of the Ibero-American Heads of State and Government Summits, and of the previous Business Meetings, as the best existing tool for regional integration, when reporting on the next Summit, which is due to be held in Santo Domingo and on the 5th Ibero-American MSME forum, which will take place in November in Lisbon. He invited Mexican entrepreneurs to participate actively in these events.

The CEOE’s Director of Industry, Energy, Environment and Climate, Cristina Rivero, said that we are in a transformation stage and that companies are providing solutions to meet the sustainability challenges countries are facing, such as the Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda and the commitment to decarbonisation. Thus, she explained that to achieve zero emissions cities by 2050, it is crucial to involve communities at the local level. Rivero also mentioned the importance of technological development, the need to forge alliances, good practices in the circular economy and having good accompanying connection networks to implement the energy transition.

Finally, the Permanent Secretary of CEIB, Narciso Casado, highlighted “the excellent relations we have with Mexico, through our business organisations there, such as COPARMEX, CONCAMÍN and COMCE, to promote and boost business and investment opportunities. He also reported that he recently met the Mexican Ambassador to Spain, Quirino Ordaz, to follow up on bilateral activities and to report to him on the preparatory work for the 14th Ibero-American Business Meeting, which is due to be held as part Heads of State and Government Summit in 2023 in the Dominican Republic.