Business leaders from Central America and
Spain meet in San Pedro Sula

Representatives from 90 Spanish companies and more than 150 Central American companies met in San Pedro Sula on November 16 and 17 at their 4th Annual Meeting. The forum is designed to promote business contacts, encourage investment and foster development throughout the region.

The event, which highlighted the benefits of doing business in Central America for foreign investors, was born after an official visit to Barcelona by Honduran President Ricardo Maduro in 2003. There, he proposed that Honduras be the host for the series of events.

The Honduran Embassy in Spain has worked hard to organize and plan the forum, which is sponsored jointly by the Honduran government and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce. The most successful of Spanish companies are invited to participate and open their doors to commerce with Central America.

A result of the forums has been the signing of a technical cooperation agreement between the Honduran Maquila Association and the Genero de Punto Group of Cataluña. Among the goals of the agreement is to strengthen trade ties, facilitate the transfer of know-how and implement new technologies.

This 4th forum was divided into segments: business rounds to promote trade; investment forums promoted by President Maduro; and personalized meetings to facilitate contacts between individual companies interested in doing business together.

Present at the event were the Spanish Minister of Trade and Tourism, Pedro Mejia and former Foreign Relations Minister Marcelino Oreja, who gave a presentation on relations between the European Union and Central America.