During the first edition of the Spain Global Forum, under the title “Spain: from Stability to Growth”, the keys to the European economy and the global economy in 2014 were discussed. The Forum was held at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao on March 3, 2014. It was inaugurated by His Majesty King Juan Carlos and closed by the Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy.
It brought together top-level speakers, including Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the IMF; Jeroen Dijsselbloem, President of the Eurogroup; Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank; Ángel Gurría, Secretary General of the OECD; Karel de Gucht, European Commissioner for Trade, and Joaquín Almunia, Vice-President of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Competition. The presidents of some of the most important Spanish companies also participated, such as Iberdrola, Técnicas Reunidas and BBVA, all members of the Club, as well as Telefónica, Talgo, Sener, Gestamp and Inditex.
The Forum was sponsored by the Business Council for Competitiveness as a strategic partner and by Aon, BBVA, Cofides and Deutsche Bank, all of them members of the Spanish Exporters and Investors Club.
The Forum focused on the opportunities of globalization for European companies and, more specifically, on the opportunities for Spanish companies. The presentations that took place during the day were: “Is Europe on the path to sustainable economic growth?”; “Stability and growth in the Eurozone economy”; “SME financing. Challenges and role in the European recovery”; “The competitiveness of the European economy in a global world”; “Reforms in Europe: progress and challenges”; “Opportunities of globalization for European companies” and “Productivity, innovation and competition: keys to competitiveness”.
With nearly 600 attendees and more than 250 accredited media, Global Forum Spain is the first major international economic forum in Spain.
