Foreign investment in the Barcelona area

Catalonia, and the Barcelona area in particular, boasts a long tradition of attracting foreign investment, which has become a major driving force both in terms of the growth of the Catalan economy and of the improvement of its competitiveness. For this reason, it is of interest to analyse the evolution of this type of investment regularly, including the main obstacles and motivators that affect these flows. The main aim of this study is to draw some specific conclusions regarding the present state of inward investment in Catalonia, especially the Barcelona area, and about the challenges and opportunities that are faced through analysis of the latest data and the evaluations made by the experts and entrepreneurs playing a central role. The study seeks to look into the impact of the crisis on foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and into the foreign companies established in the Barcelona area and Catalonia, and to identify future trends in terms of attracting FDI.