The Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Function, José Luis Escrivá, participated on February 21 in an event organized by AmChamSpain where he met with more than 100 senior executives from our member companies, involving them in "his commitment to the modernization of the country, especially in the Public Administrations, through the use of technologies, especially leveraging the potential of artificial intelligence."

During the working lunch, the president of AmChamSpain, Jaime Malet, endorsed the roadmap presented by the ministry, stating that "the focus should be on the use of technology, not on increasing regulation." Furthermore, Malet ensured that AmChamSpain and its members are willing to collaborate to drive the digitalization of the productive fabric, especially of SMEs.

For his part, Escrivá stated that "the public administration must catalyze initiatives that promote digital transformation," taking into account Spain's leadership in terms of connectivity and its ability to attract and generate talent in the STEM sector. Specifically, the minister has outlined plans to turn Spain into a technological hub, mentioning measures to attract talent with post-doctoral scholarships and ease in obtaining visas for technology workers. He has also outlined the advantages of Spain to attract investment due to the quality of its connectivity, capacity for renewable energy production, and Spain's geographical and geopolitical position.

Regarding the modernization of Public Administrations and their public procurement processes, Malet emphasized the importance of prioritizing reliable and secure technology over the cheapest option. In this regard, he stressed the need to prioritize criteria of security and innovation to guarantee the resilience of critical infrastructures in Spain.

On the other hand, Malet pointed out the interest of AmChamSpain's members in participating in the development of the open strategic autonomy of the European Union and Spain, attracting investments to the country. In this context, he mentioned investments made in the construction of data regions in recent years and the commitment to the design and development of semiconductors through new projects.

In response to investments, Escrivá assured that "Spain is a good place to invest," but for this, it is necessary to deepen further into public-private collaboration. Spain enjoys a geostrategic position on the world map, and therefore, it must consolidate itself as one of the main destinations for European and American investment in Europe.

Finally, Malet made a call to avoid the introduction of protectionist measures that may discriminate against the role of U.S.-based companies operating in the European Union, with the aim of maintaining a conducive environment for foreign investment in innovation and high-value-added projects. Changing the concept of strategic autonomy to that of strategic interdependence with companies from allied countries.

We thank the Minister for his participation, as well as the Official Sponsors of 2024 for making this event possible: Amazon Web Services, Bristol Myers Squibb, Coca Cola, Delta, Gilead, Google, Nippon Gases, and Santander.