MedaTalk Consorci Zona Franca de Barcelona

The Mediterranean, a sea where three continents meet, was the cradle in which the first concept of Free Zones was born 2000 years ago, driven by Chaldeans, Phoenicians and Carthaginians. These civilisations were born in a framework of free ports: an alternative to facilitate trade and business logistics.

In the last 50 years Free Zones have played an important role in boosting the development of several countries and consolidating their transition to thriving economies. Currently, 19 terms are used to describe these zones (open, free, industrial, special, export, etc.), with more than 4,500 Free Zones in the world in 135 countries, 839 of which are in OECD countries. Asia hosts the largest number of Free Zones, followed by the Americas and the Middle East. 30% of the world trade owes its origins to these areas.

The potential of Free Zones as niches of business creation, employment and attraction of foreign investment is undoubted. These are fast economic development platforms that also impact the growth of their cities, regions, countries and logistic sectors. One of its main effects is to facilitate the development of business cooperation. The Mediterranean region has a strong interrelation between Free Zones and the logistics and transport sector, which means that they are called to play a fundamental role in achieving the development objectives that are set from a start.

Free Zones play an important role in stimulating economic growth in many regions and are essential for an integrated global economy.