Thirty years of Spanish–Slovak relations

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Spain and Slovakia, SARIO CEO Robert Šimončič gave an interview to the Spanish section of Radio Slovakia International RTVS with a focus on trade and investments.

You can listen to the entire interview in Spanish on rtvs.sk.

INVESTMENTS

„Spain is one of our important partners in terms of foreign investment, especially in terms of presence. I can mention the Nemak foundry, or the metalworking Funderia Condals or Gestamp, which came to Nitra in connection with the Jaguar Land Rover factory.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Spain and Slovakia, SARIO CEO Robert Šimončič gave an interview to the Spanish section of Radio Slovakia International RTVS with a focus on trade and investments.

You can listen to the entire interview in Spanish on rtvs.sk.

INVESTMENTS

Spain is one of our important partners in terms of foreign investment, especially in terms of presence. I can mention the Nemak foundry, or the metalworking Funderia Condals or Gestamp, which came to Nitra in connection with the Jaguar Land Rover factory.

During the last year, we implemented an important project of CPM Internacional in printing industry sector, which will create around 500 jobs, and another project of Grupo Copo, a manufacturer of foam padding for seats, which will offer jobs to around 100 people.

Our partners already know that the government always supports high-quality foreign investments, which in turn creates confidence in Slovak economy. In this sense, Slovakia is considered one of the most open economies in the world. The truth is that we are heavily dependent on large investments. Therefore, one of our priorities is the involvement of Slovak companies in supplier networks.

In terms of Slovak investments in Spain, Robert Šimončič mentioned Železiarne Podbrezová, which established itself in Barcelona in 2008 and expanded its activities to Sant Ramone in 2012. Recently, also activities of others, e.g., MSM Group, Inobat were recorded.

According to the available data, Spain has invested almost three quarters of a billion euros, mainly in the automotive industry.

COMMERCIAL EXCHANGE

In the last 2 years, we have implemented several specific activities to support exports to Spain — for example in 2021 business mission, and in 2022 national stand at the Alimentaria Fair. The next business mission to Spain is being prepared by the SARIO team in cooperation with the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Spain this autumn.

Interest in these missions or in participation at international fairs is always great. In Madrid, we organized a mission focused on ICT, electromobility, the engineering industry and smart solutions.

In this way, we build bridges, but companies have to cross these bridges themselves. This was successfully achieved by the Slovak company SEAK, which won a contract to install intelligent lighting in Málaga, Córdoba and Barcelona, thanks to its participation in a business mission.

I would also highlight the success of Sensoneo. In the spring of this year, they announced the largest intelligent waste installation in Europe in Madrid. Spain is Slovakia's 12th most important trading partner.

Among the successful Slovak exporters to the Spanish market are e.g. Zvolenské mliekárne or engineering firm Kovaco.