When ten years ago I was commissioned to preside over the Chamber of Spain, I accepted because of my commitment to the country, and especially, because of my commitment to our companies.
The network of chambers was still in a state of shock, after the Decree Law of December 3, 2010 and although with the Law of 2014 and the creation of the Chamber of Spain, they reestablished representativeness, they had to reinvent themselves financially.
Today, with the provision of services to companies, especially small and medium-sized companies, and the development of the advisory function, the chambers are not only viable, but have been strengthened and consolidated.
We play a key role in the service of the general interest, improving the competitiveness of companies, particularly SMEs; also, of its institutional defense and the cohesion and territorial structuring of Spain. Taking stock of this decade we can feel satisfied with the results achieved:
• We have encouraged SMEs to go abroad with more than five million internationalization actions.
• Also, we have promoted the digitalization of 700,000 small and medium-sized companies.
• We have helped 240,000 entrepreneurs to move their businesses forward.
• And we have trained 300,000 people, 60% young.
And all this through the network of 84 chambers of commerce, 44 chambers abroad, 67 Acelera Pyme Offices and the largest European network of infrastructures to support entrepreneurship promoted by the Incyde Foundation of the Chambers of Commerce, through the 143 business incubators, 26 high-tech incubators, 35 digital coworking and 7 4.0 business incubators. In addition, we have strengthened arbitration and mediation institutions to offer companies alternative mechanisms for resolving their commercial conflicts. In this way, we encourage them to focus their efforts and resources on what is really important, their businesses, contributing, also in this way, to an improvement in their competitiveness.
During this time, there has been no shortage of black swans: the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East or the growing rarity of geopolitics have tested us as a society and pushed our economy to the limit.
Thus, in 2014, we began our journey still under the effects of the great recession and, when a sustained recovery in economic activity began to appear, the pandemic took us into unknown territory, into growing uncertainty.
At that time, the response of Spanish companies was equal to the serious circumstances and contributed to accelerating the exit from the recession. Their behavior was exemplary and they were the true social shields in the face of the crisis.
An attitude that they have continued to demonstrate with the disturbances that have occurred, and that have allowed the Spanish economy to be the one that is registering the best performance among the countries around us.
This evolution also owes a lot to the European Union, which launched an unprecedented recovery plan in 2020 to face a crisis. Here, once again, the Chambers of Commerce – as public law entities serving the general interest and with extensive experience in the management of European funds – have assumed leadership and are working to ensure that European aid reaches the last SME in the country. .
Our goal is that no company that wants to transform, reinvent itself and compete in the world stops doing so. Spain is a country of SMEs, and whether the country can take another great leap in modernization and progress like the one we have experienced in the last 50 years depends on its modernization and adaptation to the new technological, industrial and environmental reality.
Therefore, our focus is on the future and on digitalization, internationalization, training or sustainability, in short, on accelerating the economic transformation that has already begun.
From the Chamber of Spain we will always be at the side of companies, and especially SMEs, to help and accompany them in this essential transformation process that makes the Spanish economy more productive and prosperous, ensuring the well-being of the entire society.
The commitment of the Spanish Chamber is clear: to continue being the engine that drives our SMEs and ensure that Spain is at the forefront of global transformation.
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