The Heracles building in the Cádiz tax precinct was the scene of the meeting, prologue to the XXIX Conference of Ibero-American Free Trade Zones that starts tomorrow in Cádiz
Once the Assembly concluded, the members of the AZFA took a tour to learn about the facilities, companies and activity of the Cadiz fiscal space
In the afternoon, the participants attended the exhibition “That sea that unites us”, displayed at the Casa de Iberoamérica on the occasion of the week of events organized by the Free Trade Zone.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Albares, today welcomed the members of the Association of Ibero-American Free Zones (AZFA) to the fiscal premises of the Cádiz Free Zone, who participated in the General Assembly held in the Heracles building within the framework of the XXIX Conference of Ibero-American Free Zones, which starts tomorrow in Cádiz and brings together 53 entities from 20 countries.
Albares, who has been received at the Cádiz tax facility by the State delegate, Fran González, has signed the Consortium's Book of Honor and has held a meeting with the delegates of the Spanish free zones attending the international meeting, and with the president and vice president of AZFA, Claudia Pellerano and Carlos Wong, respectively.
Minister Jose Manuel Albares has highlighted the role of Cádiz as a “meeting point of peoples, cultures and opportunities” and has stressed that, in a particularly complex international context, “cooperation is preferable to confrontation.” Albares has recognized the work of the Cádiz Free Trade Zone and its consolidation as a benchmark for innovation, economic development and cooperation with Latin America, while highlighting the strategic position of the province as a space for investment and business collaboration. The minister has defended the need to strengthen economic alliances with Latin America, improve the competitiveness of companies and move towards greater European sovereignty that allows us to "defend our values and interests" independently.
Albares has also defended the need to strengthen relations between Europe and Latin America from “a multilateral vision of the world” based on “diplomacy, dialogue and negotiation.” The minister has pointed out that this community constitutes “a natural space for dialogue, cooperation and trust” that must be translated into concrete opportunities for citizens and the business community. In this context, he has highlighted “the absolutely exceptional value of free zones” as instruments to promote internationalization, diversify trade relations and strengthen value chains. Likewise, he has highlighted the importance of having infrastructure, efficient customs services and competitive productive spaces that allow attracting investments, facilitating business activity and transforming economic opportunities into growth and employment.
For his part, Fran González thanked “the support that the presence in Cádiz of Jose Manuel Albares represents for the city and for the Free Zone at the start of the celebration of the XXIX Conference of Ibero-American Free Zones, the most important event for the international free zone sector and which puts on the table the advances and challenges of the future.”
González has expressed satisfaction with the recognition of the work being carried out by the Free Zone “as a catalyst for opportunities and in promoting entrepreneurship and innovation, within the framework of sustainability and the Blue Economy.”
The president of AZFA thanked Minister Albares for the support of the Spanish Government to the free zone association event and especially to the Cádiz Free Zone Consortium headed by its Delegate Francisco González and stressed the importance of the relationship between Spain and the countries of Latin America, where free zones play a fundamental role in the integration of the economies on both sides of the Atlantic. Likewise, Ms. Pellerano noted that this event makes the conference motto a reality: “The ocean that unites us”; countries and free zones united by a common history and a shared vision in pursuit of development, innovation and sustainability.
The General Assembly of AZFA members has served as a prologue to the institutional opening, which will be carried out by the State delegate in the Cádiz Free Trade Zone, Fran González; the president of the World Free Zone Organization (WFZO), Mohammed Alzarooni, who will do it electronically; the president of AZFA, Claudia Pellerano; and the mayor of Cádiz, Bruno García.
The participants in the meeting took a tour of the Cádiz tax area, where they were able to learn about its activity and that of some established companies, very interested in learning “in situ” the innovative industry ecosystem around the Blue Economy.
Exhibition at the House of Ibero-America
The day concluded with a visit to the Casa de Iberoamérica, where the exhibition “That sea that unites us” is on display, organized by the Cádiz Free Zone in collaboration with the City Council and the Royal Provincial Academy of Fine Arts of Cádiz and curated by Bernardo Palomo, on the occasion of the XXIX Conference of Ibero-American Free Zones and the Blue Zone Forum Innovazul 2026.
The exhibition brings together painting, sculpture, photography, illustration and installations by prominent Cádiz creators and artists linked to the province, such as the Argentine artist Ingrid Haubrich. Works by 14 artists are on display, turning the sea and its ability to connect territories, cultures and sensibilities into the guiding thread of a broad artistic proposal.
Cádiz, international meeting point
It should be noted that the Ibero-American Free Zones Conference is the most important event for the Ibero-American Free Zones sector in which operators, users, government entities, investors, consultants and industry suppliers meet to discuss the current situation, advances, innovations, best practices, trends and future challenges. To understand the magnitude of this event, it is necessary to highlight that the AZFA, as organizer of the congress, together with the Cádiz Free Trade Zone, currently represents its affiliates in 25 countries on two continents, bringing together more than 600 free zones with more than 13,000 companies installed in them.
The XXIX Conference of Ibero-American Free Zones turns Cádiz into a meeting point for leaders and specialists from different economic, business, academic and institutional fields in Europe and Latin America for three days.
Under the motto "The ocean that unites us. The conversations that will mark the future", the event returns to Cádiz more than two decades after the city hosted this meeting in 2002 and will once again reinforce its role as a space for connection between both shores of the Atlantic.
The Conference will also be linked to the celebration of the Blue Zone Forum InnovAzul 2026, which will begin on October 28 and will last until the 30th. Both meetings will make up an intense week of international projection for Cádiz, bringing together institutional and business representatives, experts, researchers, entrepreneurs and professionals and connecting the field of free zones with innovation, entrepreneurship and the Blue Economy.