Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia. Its metropolitan area is home to almost two-thirds of the Catalan population. The city has gained a reputation throughout the world for being one of Europe's foremost business cities. 

In fact, Barcelona's economic growth is well above that of the main European capitals, with more than 30,000 companies created annually. In that sense, Barcelona is the 4th best European city in which to locate a business (according to Cushman&Wakefield's European Cities Monitor, 2007), and also, according to the Financial Times and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) magazine, Barcelona was chosen as the European City of the Future 2004/2005.

Barcelona offers a balanced combination of services and industry and a gateway to Europe, and its metropolitan area plays host to a highly diversified business structure. The city has become known for its economic clusters in areas such as information technology, automotive and graphic design, electronics and automotive supply-chain industries. Nowadays, the city and its surroundings form a centre for business activities relating to new technologies and advanced services (such as shared services centres) within the framework of the Knowledge Society.

For years people have talked about Barcelona design. Unlike any other place, the city has a specific image in people's minds that can be reflected in a piece of furniture or the interior décor for a restaurant. This city's spirit has embraced many social and economic spheres, such as design schools, urban infrastructure, buildings, state-of-the-art industrial design, etc.

Also, Barcelona has become one of the largest distribution centres in the Mediterranean region and is also an excellent stepping-stone to South America. The infrastructure already in place allows for the rapid distribution of products to an immediate market of 360 million consumers. No other European city can boast a first-class airport, port, international trade-fair facilities and a wide range of logistics parks within such a confined space (5 kilometres) and so close to the city centre. Future investment projects such as the fastest high-speed train in Europe and the enlargement of the port and airport will consolidate Barcelona's position as the largest logistics centre in Southern Europe. 

Barcelona is a city of conferences and congresses. It ranks among the ten leading congress cities in Europe. The city is equipped with major infrastructure, which includes three conference centres, hotels and auditoriums near the city's business district.

Barcelona is also known throughout the world for its availability of skilled human resources and a highly qualified workforce. There are 8 universities (and 7 more within 1 hour from Barcelona), 30 business schools, including some of the most renowned in the world (IESE, ESADE) and a wide range of vocational training schools.

Barcelona is at the forefront of the new technological revolution and a driving force behind the new digital-based economy. There is a wide choice of data and voice carriers and data centres, providing seamless voice, video and data links with major international carriers and a large number of applications developers for Internet, mobile-phone and digital-television technologies. Barcelona is leader in digital microwave transmission, satellite-communication services and mobile telecommunications and also in the development of high-bandwidth Internet technologies (high-bandwidth infrastructure with 100% availability for companies).

All these facts together make Barcelona one of the most attractive European destinations for investors.