The event, organized by Barcelona-Catalunya Centre Logistic (BCL) with sponsorship from Banc Sabadell and collaboration from the Port of Barcelona, the Port of Tarragona, the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, the Barcelona City Council, CIMALSA, and Terquimsa, aims to become an annual reference point for the sector.
The congress will bring together sector leaders, institutions, companies, and academic representatives to highlight the strategic role of logistics as a factor for competitiveness, resilience, and value creation, especially in a context marked by continuous crises and disruptions in supply chains.
The objective is to emphasize logistics as the system that coordinates international trade and industrial flows, ensuring continuity, efficiency, security, and adaptability. The idea “Thinking to move” underscores the need for strategic planning for the movement of goods, information, energy, and capital.
Santiago J. Castellà, president of BCL and the Port of Tarragona, views the congress as a “unique opportunity” to gather prominent figures from the logistics and business landscape in an “incomparable setting,” positioning Catalonia as the epicenter of the sector's debate.
José Alberto Carbonell, president of the Port of Barcelona and vice-president of BCL, emphasizes the need to “think to move” and strengthen the logistics system's capacity, connectivity, sustainability, and resilience, highlighting the importance of joint action as an ecosystem.
Pere Navarro, executive president of the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona and vice-president of BCL, states that logistics “moves the world” and that CLICI will provide a platform for sharing challenges and fostering dialogue among the public, private, and academic sectors.
Xavier Comerma, deputy general director of Banc Sabadell and territorial director of Catalonia, notes that companies need solid alliances to undertake new projects and that the sponsorship reflects the bank's commitment to logistics, industry, and international trade.
The congress is structured around three economic axes: logistics, industry, and international trade, complemented by the transversal principles of knowledge, community, and balance. Expert speakers will address topics such as global disruptions, climate change, and Artificial Intelligence.
The institutional program includes a session on “Global disruptions: climate change and Artificial Intelligence” with experts like José María Baldasano, professor of Environmental Engineering at UPC. There will also be an organ and cello concert honoring Pau Casals and an institutional dialogue dinner on the “Challenges of Spanish industry in a global disorder” led by the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu.
The institutional inauguration on Friday, November 20, will feature the Minister of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition, Sílvia Paneque, the Abbot of the Royal Monastery, Rafael Barruè, and the presidents of BCL and the Port of Barcelona, Santiago J. Castellà and José Alberto Carbonell, along with Pere Navarro from the Consorci de la Zona Franca.
The keynote speech will be delivered by José Antonio Santano, Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, on “Logistics infrastructures for competitiveness”.
Subsequently, three round tables will discuss “International trade and global value chains” with participation from Jaume Duch (Generalitat), Javant N. Khobragade (Ambassador of India), and Víctor Martínez Albéniz (IESE); “Industry and competitiveness for value creation” with Jordi Garcia Brustenga (Secretary of State for Industry); and “Logistics: the world in motion” with Juan Pablo Jiménez (DHL Supply Chain Iberia) and Guillermo Belcastro (Hutchison Ports BEST).
Conclusions will be presented by the Secretary General of Air and Maritime Transport, Benito Núñez; the Minister of Business and Labor, Miquel Sàmper; and Pere Navarro.
The congress will conclude on Friday, November 20, at 2:00 PM with a lunch-colloquium featuring the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Salvador Illa, and a guided tour of the Monastery.
