Catalonia strengthens business ties with Morocco through institutional trade mission

Catalonia is strengthing business ties with Morocco through the organization of an institutional trade mission. Led by Catalonia's Minister for Business and Labour, Miquel Sàmper, the delegation will visit Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier from July 25 to 30. The mission has been organized by ACCIÓ – Catalonia Trade & Investment through its Trade and Investment Office in Casablanca.

The delegation, which also includes Secretary General for Business and Labour Pol Gibert, will meet with Moroccan public institutions, business organizations, investment promotion agencies and Catalan companies operating in the country. The goal is to strengthen commercial ties, identify new collaboration opportunities and support the international growth of Catalan businesses.

Morocco: a strategic market for Catalan companies

Morocco has become one of Catalonia's most important international business partners. It is currently Catalonia's 12th-largest trading partner worldwide and its leading export market in Africa.

Trade between the two economies has expanded significantly over the past decade. In 2025, Catalan exports to Morocco reached €2.39 billion, an 83% increase compared to ten years earlier. More than 1,600 Catalan companies now export regularly to the North African country.

Key export sectors include electrical equipment, plastics, vehicles, copper products and fuels. Catalonia also imports a wide range of products from Morocco, with imports totaling €2.25 billion in 2025, up 48% over the last decade.

Supporting Catalan companies abroad

The institutional agenda includes meetings with leading Moroccan business organizations and investment agencies, including representatives of the Casablanca-Settat and Rabat regional investment centers, as well as economic authorities in Tangier, one of Morocco's fastest-growing industrial and logistics hubs.

The delegation will also visit several Catalan companies that have established manufacturing operations in the Tangier Med Free Zone, including Pont, Aurell i Armengol, DOGA and Relats. These companies operate in strategic sectors such as automotive textiles, electromechanical systems and advanced industrial protection solutions, highlighting the growing industrial footprint of Catalan businesses in Morocco.

This business presence continues to expand. In 2025, 231 Catalan companies had subsidiaries in Morocco, up from 180 in 2022, reflecting the country's growing importance as a destination for international expansion, particularly in the automotive, textile and industrial manufacturing sectors.

Part of Catalonia's internationalization strategy

The mission forms part of the Catalan Government's Internationalization Strategy 2026–2030, led by ACCIÓ, which aims to help Catalan companies adapt to the evolving global trade landscape.

The strategy seeks to maintain Catalonia's export leadership in Spain, support 2,000 new exporting companies and increase the number of Catalan companies with international subsidiaries to 3,500, while strengthening the competitiveness of Catalan businesses in strategic international markets such as Morocco.