The Ambassador, José Pascual Marco, welcomed the results of the Barometer, emphasizing Spain's commitment to the United Kingdom and its desire for London to move closer to the EU. Eduardo Barrachina, President of the Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the role of Spanish companies in key sectors for the transformation of the country, such as energy, telecommunications, finance and infrastructure.
Douglas Alexander, British Secretary of State for Trade and Business, emphasized the strength of economic ties between the two countries and reaffirmed the will of the Labour Government to create "more open and mature relations" with the EU and Spain. His Spanish counterpart, Amparo Senovilla, mentioned the good health of the Spanish economy, as well as the resilience and adaptation capacity of Spanish investors after Brexit.
Following the speeches, a panel of experts reviewed the conclusions of the survey and analysed present and future of Spanish investment.
Spanish direct investment in the United Kingdom has grown by more than 30% in the first half of the year, placing Spain among the top ten investors in the United Kingdom and the UK as the second destination for Spanish investment in the world. In the last twenty years, these investments have meant almost 170,000 million euros, contributing to the creation of 133,000 UK jobs.