Community of Madrid president seeks ‘direct investment’ in Miami

The President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, met Friday in Miami (USA) with a group of businessmen from Spanish and American companies and local consultants, with the aim of “promoting foreign direct investment” in the pilot region.

The meeting, in a restaurant in the city center, is the starting point for the visit that will last until June 28 to “promote foreign direct investment in the Community of Madrid and further strengthen economic, commercial, cultural and tourism relations with the United States”, according to a statement issued by the Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce organizing the trip.

“In Madrid, one in four companies is built nationwide. We are the tenth most open economy in the world to foreign investment, and it is the second region with the largest number of workers in the high-tech sector,” Díaz Ayuso told Entrepreneurs.

He also added that the community he leads is “one of the best digital areas on the continent”, so “we were recently selected by the European Union to grow in these projects. A small town of 2,000 people has better connectivity than many neighborhoods in London.”

The dinner was attended by Miami City Council members Joe Carolo and Manolo Reyes, among other politicians.

Representatives from companies such as NTT DATA, AirEuropa, Iberia, Abanca, Ackermann Internacional, Banco Sabadell, Boyden Partners, Constructa, First Bank Florida, Sacyr, Tabacalera USA, Talgo INC and Telefónica also participated, detailing the statement sent to Efe.

Vice President of the Spain-US Chamber of Commerce, Jose Maria Lacasa, presented Díaz Ayuso with a plaque of thanks for his visit to Miami.

Prior to this visit, the conservative leader traveled to New York and Washington, D.C. in September 2021, with the same purpose of attracting American investors to the Madrid (centre) region.

According to the Spain-US Chamber of Commerce, whose mission is to promote the Spanish brand and the image of Spanish companies in the United States, the North American country remains the main destination for foreign direct investment by Spanish companies, with an accumulated investment of more than 85,000 million euros.

Regarding the reasons for visiting Diaz Ayuso, the organization of the meeting highlights the Miami metropolitan area as the “main economic engine” of Florida.

Other indicators to consider, as the Spain-US Chamber of Commerce explains, are “continuous population growth and a stable business climate with corporate tax incentives.”

The Community of Madrid, for its part, in detail, is one of the main drivers of the Spanish economy and contributes up to 19.3% of the national gross domestic product (GDP).

“I am sure that this trip to the United States again will be a new opportunity to strengthen relations, this time between the Community of Madrid and Miami,” said Diaz Ayuso.

On Saturday, a lunch is scheduled with hospitality businessmen who will pay tribute to the conservative leader for her management of the COVID-19 pandemic, an act in which it is planned to dedicate a statue of a bear with the area’s flag as a tribute. to the Spanish capital.