The Barcelona City Council will launch an instrument to attract investments and international talent. The Barcelona Investment Office will be a one-stop shop for companies wishing to establish themselves in the city. A reference point for companies evaluating options for setting up, facilitating their arrival in Barcelona with comprehensive support.

This is an initiative of the City Council to create a public-private collaboration instrument, bringing together efforts with the Chamber of Commerce, Barcelona Global, the Generalitat de Catalunya, Fira de Barcelona, the Consorci de la Zona Franca, Port of Barcelona, the Barcelona Provincial Council (Diputació de Barcelona) and the Metropolitan Area.

This new resource will help establish a stable, dynamic, and agile system for attracting and capturing investments, acting in the four stages of the investment cycle: promotion, attraction, landing, and aftercare. An Investment Attraction Committee, composed of the different entities involved, will focus on the attraction phase to identify interested projects and design strategies aimed at influencing decision-making.

The Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, presented the project within the framework of the ‘Expansión Catalunya’ Grand Meeting. Integrated into the City Council’s economic strategy, the new initiative, Collboni remarked, “will create a consortium that coordinates efforts to attract the investments that Barcelona, its area of influence, and the metropolitan area will need in the coming times, an effort to make our city number one in attracting foreign investment, especially in technology.”

In the context of the new challenges posed by the changing paradigm of the global economy, Collboni emphasized that Barcelona “looks to the future with confidence and feels prepared to create the conditions for shared prosperity to become a reality in our city.”

Foreign investment projects have increased by 39%

In 2024, the City Council has attracted investments in the city worth over 649 million euros, with 32 projects landing—a 39% increase compared to 2023—and these companies have created 1,257 jobs in the city. These projects have been mainly distributed across the areas of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), industry and manufacturing, transport and logistics, creative and cultural production, and, secondarily, in the sectors of health and life sciences, environment, services, and others.  Moreover, a clear indicator of the city’s position as one of the most attractive global economic capitals for investment is that 69% of the projects come from outside the EU.

The work of attraction and support is carried out through the International Economic Promotion Directorate and the Business Landing Service of the Barcelona Activa Business Support Office.