The Spanish Government has announced the launch of the "ICEX High Impact Plan for Competitiveness", an ambitious initiative aimed at strengthen internationalization and the resilience of the Spanish companies in the face of the complex global trade landscape, marked especially by the growing tariff tensionThis plan is part of a broader government strategy, the "Trade Response and Recovery Plan", which will mobilize a total of 14.100 billion euros to protect businesses and workers exposed to the trade crisis.
El Ministry of Economy, Commerce and Business, in close collaboration with the Autonomous Communities, has designed this action plan with the aim of providing Spanish companies with the necessary tools to face the challenges of the Capabilities in an uncertain economic context. The Autonomous Communities have contributed significantly to the plan, providing their own tools and expertise to complement national efforts.
The Minister of Economy, Commerce and Business, Charles Body, presented the ICEX Plan at a press conference, accompanied by the CEO of ICEX, Elisa CarbonellFollowing its recent coordination with the autonomous communities in the Interterritorial Council for Internationalization, the plan is now underway.
“The ICEX Plan is part of a comprehensive government response to the potential effects of a broader trade crisis, for which we plan to mobilize €14.100 billion,” explained Minister Cuerpo. “This response is structured in two phases: a first phase of financing and protection measures, acting as a safety net for businesses and workers, and a second phase, with a medium-term vision, to strengthen the resilience of our productive sector and boost its competitiveness.”
A central element of the plan is the personalized and intensive support to the most vulnerable companies, with a special focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It will seek to enhance crucial aspects such as branding, talent, business size, and the positioning of SMEs in global value chains.
At the same sector meeting, the creation of a "Monitoring Observatory of the impact of tariffs" which will meet monthly to analyze the evolving situation and its effects on the economy and businesses. Additionally, within the "Regime 20" initiative, regulatory simplification measures will be studied to facilitate both the internationalization of Spanish companies and the attraction of foreign investment.
In terms of information dissemination, ICEX will organize weekly workshops and conferences, such as the webinars already being held with economic and trade advisors in the U.S., and will strengthen dialogue with the entire export ecosystem through the ICEX Forum.
Immediate Actions: Information and Business Intelligence
In its initial phase, the plan focuses on providing valuable information and business intelligence. ICEX will launch a personalized support plan for the 500 Spanish companies with the highest export volumes. United States, offering them regular follow-up and tailored advice. They will be provided with key information on market diversification, highlighting the opportunities offered by existing trade agreements such as Mercosur and Mexico, as well as the advantage of cultural and linguistic proximity to other markets and the potential of the European Single Market.
For broader dissemination, ICEX will organize weekly workshops and conferences, including webinars with economic and trade advisors in the United States. dialogue with the export ecosystem will intensify through the ICEX Forum, which will be held in July as a space for debate and joint strategy development. The 2025 edition of the Forum plans around 700 bilateral meetings between experts and advisors from 40 countries, fostering a direct exchange of experiences and recommendations to address the challenges and seize the opportunities of the new scenario. international commercial.
In addition, the production of updated documentation in various formats will be increased, and queries to ICEX will be resolved within a maximum of 24 hours.
Medium and long-term measures: Brand and growth
In the medium term, the plan includes an international positioning campaign to strengthen Spain's image in strategic markets, promoted jointly with other public agencies. This initiative will seek to consolidate the association of Spain's exportable offering with attributes such as quality, innovation, and differentiation.
In parallel, the program «Brand & Innovation", which will train more than 250 CEOs annually, primarily from SMEs, in corporate differentiation strategies. With a special focus on sectors sensitive to tariff tensions, such as agri-food, this program will provide business leaders with the necessary tools to transform intangible assets such as brand, reputation, and technical know-how in growth engines.
To strengthen the business fabric, three business growth programs will be activated: one to promote open innovation in 200 medium-sized companies each year, another for 700 SMEs to obtain an official qualification and advice on intangible management, and a third to accelerate the growth of 200 startups through mentoring and access to international and public funding.
With the aim of increasing the use of public financing instruments for internationalization, the program will be strengthened ICEX AFIN advice about these resources.
In addition, a personalized service will be offered to strengthen value chains and a new program will be launched. ICEX-Invest in Spain to connect 100 foreign investors with Spanish SMEs, promoting their integration into global value chains as strategic suppliers, leveraging Spain's position as an international platform.
In terms of talent, ICEX will strengthen its alliances with universities and business schools, increase the ICEX scholarship slots for SMEs abroad by 10%, and expand the program ICEX VIVES up to 350 international internships in 2026 and will launch talent programs senior.
All these measures will have solid institutional support, which will give continuity to the roadshows and business meetings in major markets.
To implement and disseminate these actions, ICEX will rely on its network of strategic alliances, which includes autonomous communities, sector associations, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, the CEOE (Spanish Association of Enterprises), and other organizations, thus fostering public-private collaboration.
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