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Doing Business in Aragon

Aragon showcases its investment potential in Egypt during strategic trade mission

Vice President Mar Vaquero leads a high-level delegation to the TIDe Summit in Cairo

Government Trade Mission

The Government of Aragon has led a trade mission to Egypt alongside regional companies and business organizations, reinforcing its commitment to
internationalization and strategic investment promotion.

The delegation was headed by the Vice President of the Government of Aragon, Mar Vaquero, who participated in the TIDe Summit in Cairo, positioning Aragon as a competitive and reliable destination for international investment.

“Aragon has everything you need to succeed in your business projects,” emphasized Vaquero during the roundtable discussion “Connecting Economies: Investment Opportunities in Egypt and Spain.”

She shared the stage with high-level participants, including:

– Hassan El Khatib, Minister of Investment of Egypt
– Mohamed Zaki El Sewedy, President of the Federation of Egyptian Industries
– Álvaro Iranzo, Spanish Ambassador to Egypt
– Maged El Menshawy, President of the Egyptian
-Spanish Business Council Emad El Sewedy, Chairman and CEO of El Sewedy Electrometer Group

Aragon’s Strategic Advantages for Investors

During her address, Vaquero highlighted several key assets of the Aragonese territory:
– Large-scale land availability and flexible infrastructure adaptable to various types of projects
– Over 35 years of social stability, enabling a secure and predictable business environment
– A business-friendly administration committed to facilitating investment and reducing bureaucratic hurdles

She emphasized efficiency as a core governmental principle, supported by tools such as:
– The Investment Acceleration Unit
– Strategic interest declarations and custom investment plans
– An administration focused on driving investment, employment, and sustainable growth

Vaquero also underlined the importance of local talent, highlighting Aragon’s strong educational ecosystem that ensures a skilled workforce aligned with industry needs.

A Region in Transformation and Expansion

“Aragon has positioned itself as one of the most prosperous, dynamic, and attractive regions in Europe,” stated the Vice President.

She cited more than €47 billion in announced investments over the past 18 months, involving global leaders such as:
– Amazon Web Services
– Microsoft
– Stellantis

Additionally, major Aragonese firms are scaling up operations to diversify and explore future-oriented business areas.

The region is also emerging as a leading tech hub in Europe, driven by:
– The growth of the digital sector
– Initiatives like The Wave Tech Conference
– The upcoming Alierta Aragonese Technology District, envisioned as the epicenter of regional innovation

Sectoral Strengths and Future Focus

Aragon’s industrial strength was also underscored, particularly in:
– The automotive industry, set to remain a pillar of the economy
– Its logistics capacity, with privileged access to global distribution routes
– A robust agri-food sector, modernized to generate local value and global prestige

Looking ahead, the Vice President highlighted strategic sectors like aerospace and defense, which are expected to contribute to the region’s ongoing economic diversification. Preliminary discussions on cooperation in these fields are already underway.

Aragonese Innovation on the International Stage

Aragon’s role in the global innovation ecosystem was further reinforced by its presence in the roundtable “Innovation in Action: Digital Transformation and Smart City Development.”

Andrés Llombart, CEO of CIRCE, represented Aragon, sharing insights alongside:
– Khaled Abbas, Chairman and CEO of the Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD)
– Emad El Sewedy, Chairman and CEO of El Sewedy Electrometer Group
– Ahmed El Zaher, CEO of ITIDA and Deputy Minister for Ecosystem Development

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Doing Business in Aragon

The Walqa Technology Park , the place to be

Walqa Meeting, Walqa Grow and Walqa Cloud are the newest ideal business ecosystem in Aragon

60 companies already take part in Walqa, one of the main concentrations of human capital and innovative business activity in northern Spain

Changes in the way companies work and relate to each other that digitalization has favored have been accelerated by the outbreak of the pandemic. In this context, the Walqa Technology Park has carried out a renewed service proposal.

With this expansion and updating of services, the Walqa Technology Park reaffirms its status as a strategic project for the development of the city of Huesca, its province and the entire autonomous community. Promoted by the Department of Industry, Competitiveness and Business Development of the Government of Aragon, it is one of the main concentrations of human capital and innovative business activity in northern Spain, involving half a thousand people and nearly 60 companies in its ecosystem.

This project is based on three pillars: Walqa Meeting, Walqa Grow and Walqa Cloud. Under these names are included the services and advantages that make this Park the ideal ecosystem in Aragon to carry out any activity or business meeting, grow a new project or develop it in a connected environment in which attendance is no longer decisive.

Walqa Meeting, Walqa’s proposal for business meetings

Within Walqa Meeting, meeting rooms, training rooms and an assembly hall are offered, equipped with audiovisual media, capacity up to 200 people and catering services in the park itself.  Designed for companies whose staff is geographically distributed, a new product has been offered: offices for temporary use with a capacity of up to 24 workstations.

Walqa Grow, a fountain of growth for projects 

To the current 12-seater coworking, called Cowalqing, a new space will be added in the upcoming months, with new membership formulas. It covers the needs of both people who undertake individually and larger teams who want offices for rent, rentals with the option to buy or even build your own building on the available land.

Currently 70% of the space is in use or reserved for future implementations. Spaces have opened up at the Ramón y Cajal Building, the María Josefa Yzuel Building, or the Félix de Azara Building.

The companies established in Walqa have advantages such as a lower price of the plots, a line of aid for investments and hiring from the Aragonese Development Institute, preferential conditions in aid from the Government of Aragon or reductions in municipal taxes.

Walqa Cloud, new solutions for companies in a global world

Walqa Cloud offers the possibility of belonging to the Park’s ecosystem without the need for a permanent physical presence. Thus, Cloud Home allows you to establish your virtual headquarters in the Park, make use of its facilities and participate in activities. Cloud Nomad is designed for the traveling professionals or those who only need sporadic use of coworking. Lastly, Cloud Nine is a powerful network that connects those companies with their own buildings in the Park with a group of companies and entities essential to the ecosystem.

The activities organized by the Park are included under the Walqa Roots brand, and include actions to attract talent, promote the professional growth of workers, spread technology, create an innovative culture and consolidate a professional and business network in Huesca and Alto Aragón.

Source: Aragonhoy
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Doing Business in Aragon

The Zaragoza area, a magnet for new investments

The municipalities located within a radius of 30 kilometers from the capital await a shower of projects

Certest, Amazon Web Services, Becton Dickinson and BonÁrea are the first firms to make the most of Aragonese attractive assets

The ring that surrounds Zaragoza has become in recent years a magnet for business investment. Zuera, Villanueva de Gállego, San Mateo de Gállego, La Muela, El Burgo de Ebro, Épila, La Cartuja and Pedrola are part of the list of municipalities that surround the Aragonese capital and that will be the focus of a shower of projects that will boost the corridors and regions in which they are located. Some of these initiatives may have not seen the light yet, but the Government of Aragon has rushed to enable industrial land at the request of numerous companies.

Among these investments, we find:

  • The Aragonese biotechnology company CerTest plans to disburse 100 million euros to light, among other projects, a factory for vaccines against COVID-19.
  • The giant Amazon finalizes the start-up of its three data centers (El Burgo, Huesca and Villanueva) with an investment of around 2,500 million euros.
  • Becton Dickinson recently announced an investment of 200 million euros and the creation of 600 jobs at the Empresarium of La Cartuja.
  • BonÁrea works are advancing at a good pace in a project that will generate 4,000 jobs in Épila.

But these projects are only the spearhead of many others that will arrive and serve as a driving force for attracting more companies. This diversified productive fabric will include the following sectors: logistics, automobile, renewable energies, new technologies, agri-food and biotechnology.

In order to make it happen, industrial land is needed in that golden ring. Therefore, the Governing Council approved land to build a logistics-industrial estate of 1.5 million square meters in Zuera in which 28 million euros will be invested over the next three years. In addition, the Government of Aragon and Sareb recently signed an agreement so that the grounds of the Recycling Technology Park (PTR) in Zaragoza, a total of 175 hectares, can house companies that are not just recycling.

Attractive Assets

There are several reasons why companies want to locate their facilities within this ring. Large firms are looking for administrative agility, adjusted land and logistics costs, good communications – all municipalities are located in corridors -, proximity to the airport or the railway and economic aid. Alongside these assets, they value stability and its proximity to Zaragoza guarantees qualified labor for these projects.

“Our concern is to be able to respond to the lively and growing demand of investors, but with Malpica, the PTR, the extension of Plaza and the Zuera industrial estate, a good supply is guaranteed, and sufficient in the medium term, in real estate logistics”, affirmed the Executive. In this sense, they add that “the generation of employment is guaranteed in good numbers.”

The Government of Aragon trusts that the implementation of projects will improve communications, boost growth in population, promote residential areas and, ultimately, provide employment and wealth to their neighbors.

Source: El Periódico de Aragón
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Doing Business in Aragon Logistics

DHL Express invests 4.7 million euros in its Zaragoza facilities

The project includes the implementation of a new international transport center in Aragon
E-commerce in Aragon has grown by 60% in two years, and traditional businesses are recovering pre-pandemic activity levels
DHL Express will expand its presence in Zaragoza Logistics Platform (PLAZA) with a new 1,995-square-meter center for operations related to international transport. These new fully mechanized facilities, built on an area of 8,900 square meters and incorporating the latest technology, have already been in operation for a few weeks. The total investment for the expansion is 4,739,000 euros.

The objective of this investment is to respond to the registered growth of more than 50% both in the volume of import and export shipments in the Zaragoza facilities. “Industrial development is being strong and the companies we are providing services to are growing,” says Miguel Borrás, Managing Director of DHL Express Spain and Portugal.

Growth in B2B and B2C trade led the company to delopy five additional delivery routes between 2006 and 2021. Retail, fashion and engineering are the main sectors that concentrate shipments and deliveries in Zaragoza, followed by professional services, consumer goods and the automotive industry. Regarding the origin of shipments to the Zaragoza facilities, the “top” countries are China, Italy and Germany, while Mexico, France, the United Kingdom and Italy are the main destinations for the merchandise.

Due to this expansion, DHL’s workforce in Zaragoza has increased by 15%, mainly to carry out work related to routes and customs, among others. In fact, chances are DHL will be able to incorporate more professionals according to the growth and development macroeconomic trends for this year.

In Zaragoza, DHL Express has also committed to sustainability acquiring 12 small electric aircraft  and it is expected that, by 2025, the company will have replaced all its fleet to be electric, with the exception of long-haul vehicles.

Future growth and expansion

By maintaining the existing facilities focused on domestic transport operations, DHL Express expects to continue growing because e-commerce in the area of Zaragoza and Aragon has grown by 60% in two years, even during the pandemic, and traditional businesses are recovering, reaching pre-pandemic activity levels.

DHL’s growth forecasts within Aragon are currently focused on Zaragoza and Teruel, although the company does not rule out opening another facility in the third Aragonese province, Huesca, in the longer term. The company has a market share of around 53%, although “in Zaragoza, it may be higher and above the Spanish average.”