Andorra's Xavier Espot Praises Canary Islands' ZEC in Gran Canaria Talks

Andorra's head of government, Xavier Espot, met with Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo in Gran Canaria on Monday to discuss strengthening cooperation between the two territories. The bilateral talks focused on economic diversification, sustainable tourism, technological innovation, digital economy, audiovisual production, and attracting foreign investment.

Both leaders highlighted the potential for stable collaboration despite geographical differences. They exchanged experiences on economic transformation strategies, emphasizing high-value sectors and tools to boost competitiveness, such as special economic zones and innovation policies. Clavijo described the partnership as offering "a space for useful and stable collaboration" around activities that support more diversified and sustainable models.

A key topic was the Canary Islands' Special Zone (ZEC), a fiscal incentive scheme aimed at drawing international companies and developing emerging sectors like digital services. Espot called it "an example to follow" for attracting investment and creating high-skilled jobs, viewing it as relevant to Andorra's efforts to complement traditional sectors such as commerce, finance, and winter tourism.

The Andorran delegation also examined Proexca, the public agency promoting business internationalization, and the Canary Islands' audiovisual sector as a hub for international productions. Espot outlined Andorra's recent economic shifts, including its National Plan for Innovation and Economic Diversification, which targets digital economy, research, and international services. He stressed the Andorra-EU association agreement as vital for market access while preserving fiscal autonomy, alongside progress in transparency, double taxation treaties, and openness to foreign investment.

Shared challenges like tourism dependency, connectivity limitations, climate vulnerability, housing pressures, and energy transition were addressed. Andorra could share expertise on tourism deseanonalization and attracting higher-spending visitors, while learning from the Canary Islands' diversification.

Following the meeting, Judit Hidalgo, director of Andorra Business, presented investment opportunities to local businesses and institutions. The delegation held working sessions with ZEC and Proexca officials and planned visits to sites including La Luz Autoport Terminal logistics center, Binter Canarias airline, and the Canary Islands Technological Institute to explore innovation models for potential joint projects.