Berta Pérez Pey: "Doing Business in Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region serves to build bridges between companies on both sides of the Mediterranean"

On behalf of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, the event "Doing Business in Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region" was attended by its Director of Internationalisation and European Projects, Berta Pérez Pey, who answered Atalayar's questions after the event. 

How do you value the celebration of this event, this "Doing Business", offering opportunities for collaboration and investment in a North African region such as Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, which has a very upward trajectory within Morocco? 

I think the conference was very positive: I think it was a very interesting day, we learned about all the investment opportunities that the region offers for Catalan companies that want to invest there, but also to build bridges between companies here and Moroccan companies.  

We have also heard specific cases of companies that are already doing business there and how well they are doing. In fact, it was very interesting to hear how enthusiastic they were to explain their personal cases, how they entered the market and how they have been growing there. It has been very interesting for us, as the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, to think about future activities that we can hold together with the entities that were represented here.

Is the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce going to recommend its members to invest in Morocco? With the new Investment Charter, the guarantees, the facilities and the political stability, it could be a suitable framework for investment. 

Absolutely, I think so. In fact, this year we have already been working with the Fira de Barcelona within the framework of the Construmat fair, where Morocco was the guest of honour.  

We have also worked together with the Moroccan Ministry to bring companies and make B2B agendas there within the framework of the fair. And, with a view to next year, our intention is also to be able to organise a mission with Catalan companies that can go to Morocco and then a reverse mission of Moroccan companies that come here.  

In this sense, we are in complete agreement that we must take advantage of the opportunities offered by the current situation to continue fostering ties and business between the community of Moroccan companies and the community of Catalan companies.

Talking to the head of the Port of Barcelona, who also spoke at the forum, she said that we are complementary. When she was thinking of the Port of Tangier Med, which has become a major Mediterranean port, she spoke of the need to strengthen cooperation and to be complementary in the Mediterranean, because the stability of these North African countries is our stability. 

Without a doubt, I totally agree. Cooperation is very important. We at the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce have been working with Morocco for years and we are delighted to build these bridges with the different entities and work in the sectors that have been mentioned, especially the automotive, textile, logistics, agro-industrial sectors... these are sectors that I really believe have a lot of potential and in which we are also very good here. So it is necessary to find this point of union and cooperation between the two regions.

Someone mentioned that, in addition to good business, whoever settles in Tangiers-Tetouan-Al Hoceima will also have a very good quality of life, in terms of education, sports, entertainment, gastronomy... And in that there is an offer that should also be exploited. 

Absolutely. Catalonia and Morocco are very Mediterranean, very similar in certain things such as quality of life, we are united by the same sea, an extraordinary gastronomy... We have many things in common and it is undoubtedly a point in our favour to have good living conditions so that companies want to set up there and also find qualified labour, something that has been mentioned before and which is also important.  

One of the colleagues from the companies that spoke at the event commented on how lucky she was to find labour there so that they can work together and make the company grow with local labour, from this area of Tangiers-Tetouan-Al Hoceima.

At a forum we organised before the summer on Spain and Africa, the former Prime Minister of Benin said that the solution for Europe is Africa. Because an ageing society like Europe's is going to find young people with skills, with training and with a great desire to progress in Africa. 

It is that talent that we lack here. And we also have highly trained young people here who can go to work in Morocco. Earlier we also talked about integration: when you go to another country you have to integrate in that country and there is specific aid for this, to hire young talent, women from the country who can work in companies.