by
Vicent Fenollar*
A glance at her CV seems to confirm this. At only 31 years, PhD in Economics, a successful professional career in the private sector, researcher and now the Director of Internationalisation of the Government of Valencia; the fourth most populous region and the second largest exporting region of Spain. She is member of the political coalition Compromís –which is ruling the region together with the Socialist party- and a rising value within a Government that has managed to put the “Valencian agenda” on the political chessboard of the nation.
Why to choose the Valencian region to invest?
The Valencian Region’s stable business climate combines with various key factors that make it the place chosen by a large number of foreigners who see it as an ideal place to live and work.
There are many reasons for choosing the Valencian region, among them we can highlight our geostrategic location in the Mediterranean; our outstanding infrastructure; the availability of competitive public industrial land; a broad research and innovation network; a large pool of highly qualified professionals; the institutional support and an incomparable quality of life.
The real estate market has traditionally attracted an important number of foreign investments into the Valencian region. Which are currently the most appealing market niches to invest in Valencia?
Whilst it is true that we cannot omit the sound performance of this market, the Valencian Region offers investors attractive business opportunities in various industries, such as the automotive industry, the tourism industry and agri-food industry and some strategic industries like the healthtech, biotech and medtech.
What is the Government of Valencia doing to attract foreign investments?
The Government of Valencia –through the Regional Ministry of Sustainable Economy- is working not only in a reactive way providing personalised advice and support to the investor in the implementation of their projects, but also in the application of proactive measures in order to identify and attract investment opportunities to our region.
Among the activities developed within the framework of these proactive measures of attraction of investment, I would highlight the organization of singular actions to promote the Valencian region and its productive sectors in potential investment-issuing markets, the organization of events and forums for contacts between international investors and companies in the Valencian Region seeking funding -such as the Healthtech Venture Forum 2017- and the development of an international network of prescribers to support the investment attraction team in identifying and channeling new investment opportunities. Finally, we are working on a Communication Strategy aimed at strengthening the image of the region of Valencia and improving its positioning, at national and international level, as a suitable destination to invest.
In which sectors has Valencia region focused its efforts to become particularly attractive?
As I mentioned, Valencia hosts many attractive sectors. Nevertheless, the Valencian government is focusing on the opportunities represented by sectors such as the automotive sector, with a special focus on connected cars, chemical sector, ICT or Healthtech. This region has great potential in these sectors and for this reason we have made them the spearhead of our promotional action to attract foreign investments to our territory.
Many regions worldwide claim to be the ideal location to invest. What makes the region of Valencia a better place to invest? What is its added value?
Well, the region of Valencia is an incomparable place to live and work. We can point out that this region has competitive advantages over other regions, such as our infrastructures, connectivity, high qualify professionals, etc., but we also have an unbeatable quality of life. This region notes for its open and integrating society, its climate with more than 320 days of sun per year, its beaches, its cuisine -a leading exponent of the Mediterranean diet and our highly valued historic heritage-, a testimony to the Valencian Region’s contribution to universal culture. In addition to this, Valencian Region has many schools that teach in foreign languages, making it easier for foreign residents to integrate and a universal health system which is among the best of the world. All this combined with a cost of living that lies under the national and European average make this region the best place to start a business project.
What kind of measures is the Government of Valencia carrying out to create an appealing investment climate in the region?
Investors enjoy strong institutional support from the Valencian Government, which are committed to minimising bureaucratic barriers in order to make easy to set up business here and create the right climate for investment. How do we do that? The Regional Ministry of Sustainable Economy has created a department exclusively aimed at attracting foreign investment and offering investor support, it is called the Valencian Investment Desk (VID). VID seeks to provide comprehensive solutions to potential investors´ needs in the various areas of business competitiveness. This is achieved through a group of experts in international expansion, industrial land, energy, innovation and financing.
Connectivity is an important factor for businesses that are deciding where to locate or expand. Is the region of Valencia well connected?
The Region of Valencia is a region open to the world and open to business. It lies at the center of the Mediterranean Arc, a key element in the European logistics network. It is a ideal port for freight traffic from Spain and Southern Europe to Africa, Asia and US. Its capital, Valencia has full-modal transport integration (sea, airport, motorways, railways), each with global connectivity. We have modern and well equipped infrastructures. 3 Ports: Valencia Port, the leading container port of Spain and the Mediterranean; the Port of Castelló and of Alacant; 3 International airports (Castelló, València and Alacant-Elx); a high Speed rail line –AVE- which connects Valencia and Alacant with Madrid in 98 and 150 minutes, respectively.
The Valencian Region is also the central part of the Mediterranean Corridor. The Mediterranean Corridor will improve the connectivity of all the main cities of Spain, from France to Andalusia, will reduce transport time of people and goods connecting with rail access to the Spanish Mediterranean ports, saving economic and environmental costs. And the Valencian Region is connected by road to the rest of Spain and Europe through a network of fast roads.
Multilingual workforce is another key factor in helping international investors to come to a region. The Government of Valencia has recently approved a Linguistic decree –the so called Programa d’Educació Plurilingüe Dinàmic- with the aim of improving languages competences of the Valencian population. By when will be the results of such initiative realized?
Certainly, as you mentioned in your question, the Government of Valencia has approved a linguistic decree supported by all the Valencian universities which the only aim that our students become proficient in three languages, Valencian, Spanish and English, upon completion the compulsory formative period. Thanks to the positive response of the Educational community, we expect to see the results in a few years time.
Valencia is the second largest exporting Spanish region. What measures is the Valencian Government implementing to consolidate its position?
The Valencian Government considers as one of its priorities to support business internationalisation. We know that it is a complex process, which requires time, resources and a medium- and long-term strategy. 90% of our business fabric is made up of small and medium-sized companies, which makes it even more worthwhile to place ourselves as the second most exporting region in Spain, and which has a healthy balance of trade among the most exporting regions. The Valencian Government carries out a policy of internationalisation that seeks to expand the export base, diversify both the sectors that are internationalised and the countries to which we export and consolidate the presence of our companies abroad.
Which measures are being carried out to support the internationalisation of Valencian companies?
From IVACE we offer to the company an integral support to the companies. From a specialized advisory program, with experts accompanying and guiding the company for periods of 3 to 9 months to expand their knowledge in areas such as initiation to export, international financing, submission of proposals to tender Public or international marketing, among others.
We also offer personalized support to companies through our network of delegations abroad. We have developed an ambitious foreign promotion plan, we support the specialization of human resources and offer financial support through direct aids and reimbursable aids.
We want to be in markets of vital importance for the growth of our exports, reinforcing our presence in markets of maximum interest in the EU such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Poland, as well as in third countries where our companies are making such great efforts as Mexico, The United States, China and Russia, the Maghreb area - Algeria and Morocco -, or Colombia, Peru, and Brazil - as engines of growth in the Latin American region. This year we will be present in markets like Iran, given the opportunities it represents. This new structure allows us to select the markets according to the opportunities it offers. We live in a rapidly changing world and therefore we must be agile to offer real support to companies.
The region of Valencia is ruled by the Socialist party in coalition with a nationalist Valencian party –Compromís- after 20 years of Conservative governance. Is the new Government of Valencia business oriented?
The Government of Valencia is prosperity oriented; every business committed to sustainable development, interested in creating opportunities for people and generating wealth, are more than welcome and will count with all the support of the regional government.
*Vicent Fenollar is News Editor of Brussels Express
By: N. Peter Kramer
