The president of the Exporters' Club stresses the need to moderate fiscal costs to boost competitiveness abroad

The President of the Spanish Exporters and Investors Club, Antonio Bonet, stressed the importance of moderating regulatory and fiscal costs so that Spanish companies continue to invest in producing better goods and services for foreign markets, and recalled that "internationalised companies are more resilient and competitive, generate higher quality employment and are spearheading our country out of crises".

This he said in his speech to the Secretary of State for Trade, Xiana Méndez, during the XX Internationalisation Awards ceremony, held in Madrid, which this year have distinguished the railway company CAF, the irrigation systems company RAESA and Álvaro Bustamante, former president of CESCE, for his professional career. 

The President of the Exporters' Club highlighted that, despite the current "more complex and uncertain" international economic environment, Spanish companies have continued to break records this year in international markets. In relation to this point, he recalled that in the period between January and September, exported goods have reached 287,000 million euros, 25% more than the previous year, which also broke all-time records.

However, he did not hide the fact that the base of Spanish exporting companies is still small, although it has grown in recent years: 59,000 regular exporters, with the 1,000 largest accounting for more than 67% of our foreign sales.

Antonio Bonet warned of the major challenges and uncertainties facing the foreign sector today, citing among them the risk of recession in Europe, which "continues to be our main export market, accounting for 67% of foreign sales". He also referred to the new trade disputes between the United States and the European Union, "which could be serious, and which are motivated by President Biden's protectionist plans". 

He also expressed his concern about the evolution of the trade balance of payments deficit, which is also breaking records and could drag down the current account balance of payments, which, "if confirmed, could mean that the foreign sector would cease to be the engine that helps us out of the crisis, as on other occasions".

In view of all these circumstances, the president of the Exporters' Club urged the authorities to continue to support the foreign sector with initiatives such as those recently launched, such as the digitalisation of SMEs, and instruments that will help to overcome the current problems and help to bring us into line with our competitors in the EU. 
  
Boosting competitiveness

For her part, the Secretary of State for Trade, Xiana Méndez, in her speech, highlighted the good figures that Spanish exports are achieving this year, and assured that, although the current economic situation makes it advisable to be vigilant, this does not mean that the ambition to promote the competitiveness of the Spanish foreign sector by diversifying the destination markets and increasing the added value of our exports, supported by innovation, the strengthening of the brand image and integration into global value chains, should be relinquished. He also stressed that both sustainability and the inclusion of women in business should form part of the drive for internationalisation, as well as a boost to public-private collaboration. 

Among the actions currently underway in favour of internationalisation, he drew the attention of the entrepreneurs to two of great interest: the non-refundable line of financing for feasibility studies and consultancy, endowed with 50 million euros, and the ICEX-Vives programme, which promotes scholarships for 2,000 young people in internationalised Spanish companies. 

The winners in 2022

The large Spanish company honoured with the 2022 Internationalisation Award was CAF, a multinational railway and rolling stock manufacturing and maintenance company created in 1917. Ninety percent of its turnover, which exceeds 3 billion euros, corresponds to its international activity. It has subsidiaries in 17 countries and production facilities in Europe and America. Its CEO, Javier Martínez Ojinaga, received the award from the Secretary of State for Trade.  

In the SME category, the award-winning company was RAESA from Palencia, created in 1982 and dedicated to the manufacture and implementation of irrigation solutions for agriculture. The company exports to 110 countries and 70% of its turnover comes from international business. It has factories in Argentina and Brazil and subsidiaries in 15 countries. Its deputy general manager, Ferran Tapia, who represents the second generation of this family business, collected the award. 

Álvaro Bustamante, a commercial technician and state economist, was honoured for his entire career in the service of the internationalisation of Spanish companies. He was Deputy Director General of Financing and subsequently, from 1992, he served at CESCE, where he was Director of the State Account and Chairman from 2012 to 2016.