The report “European Cities and Regions of the Future 2022/23” by fDi Intelligence ranked Barcelona as the best city in Europe in the category of foreign investment strategy. The city also obtained second place in the connectivity category, highlighting its excellent transportation and telecommunications infrastructure.
“European Cities and Regions of the Future 2022/23” is one of the most comprehensive and rigorous research studies in evaluating the best cities and regions in Europe for foreign investment. Multinational companies use it to evaluate the potential of their investment projects. The study evaluated over 500 cities and regions across Europe in five categories: investment strategy, economic potential, human resources, costs and infrastructure, and business conditions.
Barcelona also ranks third in the human resources and education category, thanks to its broad talent pool and strong educational system, which includes some of the best universities and business schools in Europe.
The presence of numerous multinational companies in Barcelona, such as Amazon, Facebook, and Nestlé, who have invested in the city in recent years, is noteworthy. The city’s efforts to attract new tech companies are also highlighted, with initiatives like the 22@Barcelona Innovation District, which has become a center for tech companies and startups from around the world.
The city is home to the International Welcome Desk of Barcelona, a pioneering service in Spain that celebrates its first anniversary and helps foreign investors, researchers, and talent in their arrival and establishment in the city. The initiative is complemented by the Workation program of Turisme de Barcelona, an innovative project highlighted in the report that supports digital nomads who work remotely in the city.
The fDi Intelligence report also highlights the collaboration of the US multinational Intel with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center to create a microchip design laboratory. The investment will provide 300 new highly skilled jobs in the city’s tech ecosystem and 400 million euros in direct investment in the coming years.
The report also recognizes the city’s efforts to accelerate its energy transition. The Sustainable Energy Mechanism of Barcelona (MES Barcelona) encourages private investment in solar panels and renewable energy. Following a similar approach, Hidrogenera, the first eco-friendly hydrogen plant for public use in Spain, was inaugurated to supply the city’s buses. All of these initiatives make Barcelona an attractive city for companies looking for sustainable and environmentally-friendly solutions.
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