The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, today presented the platform #TogetherMasFar, which includes for the first time all the services and tools to support the internationalization of Spanish companies. It is an initiative included in the Shock Plan against COVID-19 in support of internationalization that was launched since the beginning of the pandemic to maintain the Spanish export fabric.
The minister highlighted that this platform offers complementarity and collaboration between the different organizations and agents involved in supporting internationalization. "The tool is a joint initiative of ICEX, CEOE and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, a clear example of the excellent public-private collaboration between the three institutions, with the ultimate aim of supporting the internationalization of the Spanish economy."
In his speech, Reyes Maroto thanked the work carried out by the network of economic and commercial offices and by ICEX, with an extraordinary adaptation to the new circumstances. "In the absence of international mobility, the commercial advisers have been key to closing commercial operations or obtaining supplies of medical supplies, among other actions they have carried out with extraordinary professionalism," he acknowledged.
Reyes Maroto has detailed that the set of measures of the Shock Plan against COVID has mobilized 2,643 million euros. In addition, he recalled the financial support instruments for internationalization: increased the funds available for export and investment operations of SMEs by expanding the endowment of the FIEM PYME Line, from 50 million to 150 million euros; the CESCE COVID line with a global amount of 2,000 million euros intended to ensure bank financing for exporting companies affected by the pandemic, and increased to 500 million for the line for SMEs and unlisted companies; or the new fast track mechanism launched by COFIDES, aimed at approving the deferral of debt installments of companies affected by the crisis.
Platform #TogetherMasFar
Through a single access point, the platform #TogetherMasFar was born with the vocation of being an informative, formative and collaborative space to provide Spanish companies with all the tools to support them in their internationalization processes: advice, financial support, aid and subsidies, commercial promotion or measures for digitization, among others.
The presentation was attended by representatives of the institutions that have launched this initiative: the Secretary of State for Commerce, Xiana Méndez, the president of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Bonet, the president of the CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, in addition to the CEO of ICEX Spain Export and Investments, María Peña.
For the Secretary of State for Commerce, Xiana Méndez, this platform is extremely relevant to provide agile responses adapted to the current needs of companies in the post-COVID era, since “the foreign sector will be one of the engines of the economic recovery of our country as it was in the last economic crisis ”. For this reason, it considers essential "to promote it and offer all the resources of the highest quality and usefulness available to our companies to accompany them in their internationalization processes and place them in good positions to face new challenges".
For the CEOE president, Antonio Garamendi, “it is essential to promote and help companies in their international expansion. Therefore, we want to show the commitment of the private and public sectors to go hand in hand to promote internationalization through this project. #Together”.
In his speech, the president of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Bonet, stated that “#Together it represents an example of the fruits that public-private collaboration can give ”. For Bonet "it is essential to highlight the role of companies, and the organizations that represent them, in the internationalization strategy of the Spanish economy led by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism and in its biennial action plans."
More information: https://www.juntosmaslejos.es/
