The Canary Islands are strengthening their position as a strategic destination for investment in innovative and high added-value sectors. The city of Madrid was the chosen venue to close the tour of events organised by Proexca on the peninsula, following previous stops in Seville and Zaragoza, with the aim of strengthening ties with companies in the expansion phase and raising awareness of the competitive advantages of the archipelago.
The meeting, held under the slogan ‘The Canary Islands, where companies discover their best version’, brought together experts, institutional representatives and executives from companies linked to strategic areas such as information and communication technologies (ICT), R&D&I, gaming, animation, the audiovisual sector and the aerospace industry in the capital.
During the conference, the unique conditions offered by the Canary Islands as a business platform were presented, highlighting its differentiated tax framework, connectivity, legal stability and geostrategic position as an outermost region of the European Union.
The event was opened by the managing director of Prensa Ibérica, Sergi Guillot, who stressed the importance of communication in conveying the current reality of the Canary Islands and highlighted the publishing group’s historic links with the archipelago.
For his part, the president of Proexca and deputy minister of the Presidency of the Canary Islands Government, Alfonso Cabello, stated that economic diversification is a priority objective for the autonomous community. In this regard, he highlighted three key factors: the territory’s resilience, its proximity to the African continent and its integration into the European Union.
‘Many things happen in the Canary Islands that generate great opportunities. Our plan is to help companies that set up on the islands to develop their best version,’ said Cabello, adding that the archipelago aspires to project an image abroad that goes beyond the climate, based also on innovation and economic growth.
Proexca’s executive CEO, Pablo Martín Carbajal, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to promoting this ’new Canary Islands‘ linked to productive diversification. ’We have a long way to go, but we hope to see many of these companies set up in the Canary Islands soon,” he said.
Along the same lines, the director of Proexca’s Investment Area, Pilar Moreno, recalled that more than a thousand companies have already chosen the islands as a base for growth in an innovative and sustainable environment, mainly in sectors such as technology, semiconductors, audiovisuals, animation and video games. ‘There is a growing business ecosystem and close collaboration between the public and private sectors,’ she stressed.
The conference also focused on the aerospace industry and connectivity. Juan José Cornejo, Director of Business Development and Institutional Relations at Startical, highlighted that the Canary Islands’ tax incentives bring stability to the sector, while Beatriz Arias, Director of Digital Transformation at DigitalES, warned of the constant increase in demand for capacity and connectivity, which requires a comprehensive approach in this area.
Talent was another key topic of discussion. Carlos D’Ursi, president of the Madrid Audiovisual Association and CEO of Potenza Producciones, pointed out that retaining professionals has become one of the main challenges for the audiovisual sector, and argued that the Canary Islands offer a positive differential by allowing for greater profitability and stability. ‘The Canary Islands have shown that filming and production are not an expense, but an investment,’ he said.
In the field of animation, Xosé Zapata, president of the Pixel Cluster of the Community of Madrid, acknowledged that the development of the sector in Spain would not be possible without the Canary Islands, highlighting the importance of funding to sustain long-term projects and retain talent.
This was echoed by economist María Dolores Rodríguez Mejías, project director at Aeconomia XI, who pointed out that the Canary Islands’ regulatory framework offers multiple incentives, from the Canary Islands Special Zone to tax deductions applicable to innovation and the audiovisual sector.
The day’s discussions were moderated by the director of Economic Information at Prensa Ibérica, Martí Saballs. In one of them, Carlos Fernández de la Peña, CEO of Telespazio Ibérica, highlighted that it is possible to develop space projects with a global impact from the Canary Islands. Likewise, the director general of the COTEC Foundation, Jorge Barrero, highlighted the growing proactivity of the Canary Islands Government in terms of innovation and argued that this commitment should be framed within a European context.
The meeting concluded with the presentation of two success stories of companies established on the islands, by Jesús Pérez Narezo, regional director in Madrid of Lãberit, and Rubén Criado, director of the New Technologies area at Arquimea. Both agreed that the innovative ecosystem in the Canary Islands is the result of a sustained commitment over time and offers real opportunities for growth.
‘An ecosystem cannot be improvised, it is built over years, and the Canary Islands have managed to do so,’ said Criado, while Pérez Narezo highlighted the value of the archipelago as a laboratory for solutions that can be exported to other markets.
The tour, under the brand name ‘Canary Islands, your best version’, closes with a positive balance and with the archipelago at the centre of the national innovation map. A communication strategy that reinforces the Canary Islands’ international profile and the internationalisation of its economy, hand in hand with the institutions involved in this common goal.
