Clemente González Soler, co-chair of CEMAES: “For Spain, Morocco is a strategic and complementary partner”

Clemente González Soler is the Spanish co-chair of CEMAES, an institution created by business leaders from Morocco and Spain to foster economic collaboration; he also chairs Grupo Alibérico, the leading industrial and technological group in the aluminium sector. His Moroccan counterpart as co-chair of CEMAES, Adil Rais, has also just been re-elected for a new term.

Atalayar spoke to Clemente González Soler to gain a deeper insight into the work of this organisation and the state of trade relations between Spain and Morocco.

A few weeks ago, you were re-elected – unanimously, at that – as president of the Spanish delegation of CEMAES. How would you assess your time as president from 2022, and what are your plans for the coming term, 2026–30?

I believe the results over the last four years have been very positive. Between 2022 and 2024 – excluding last year – Spanish investment in Morocco grew by 60 per cent, whilst Moroccan investment in Spain doubled over the same period. Over the past year, CEMAES has organised nine events in six cities – four in Morocco and two in Spain.

More than 150 companies took part in these nine events held in 2025, attended by around 500 executives and business leaders. This has been a very satisfactory outcome, which has resulted in investment from Spain in Morocco and from Morocco in Spain.

Furthermore, it is significant that the other co-chair, Adil Rais, has also been re-elected by the Moroccan delegation of CEMAES. What does this continuation in the co-presidency, in the presidency of CEMAES, mean to you?

For me, it brings peace of mind. It is also recognition of the work Adil has done; he is a wonderful person, a great entrepreneur and a consummate professional. And for me, it brings peace of mind because he is someone I get on with very well. Just by looking at each other, we already know what the other is thinking. We are both independent businesspeople. He is in the automotive sector; I am in the aluminium sector. But I was delighted that he too was re-elected unanimously.

And what does your re-election mean to you?

A fresh commitment. Another four years of work and of helping Spanish companies to invest, to gain a better understanding of the investment opportunities available in Morocco and to make them a reality.

What role does CEMAES play as a vehicle for cooperation between business organisations in Spain and Morocco?

I would say that CEMAES is an economic bridge that was originally set up by the Spanish CEOE and the Moroccan CGEM, the two business organisations that bring together the various companies in Spain and Morocco. I believe the partnership formed by these two organisations has been instrumental in achieving the goal of internationalising their member companies and associates.

For some years now, bilateral trade relations between Spain and Morocco have been at an all-time high: an increasing number of Spanish businesspeople are setting up in Morocco, and more Moroccans are doing the same in Spain. Trade between the two countries totalled 21,600 million euros in 2025. What scope for improvement is there in terms of investment and collaboration between the two countries?

I believe there is scope for growth, although it is difficult to assess at present in terms of both scale and pace. The coming years will be crucial for many Spanish companies, particularly in the industrial sector, to invest in Morocco. I would also like to highlight, in relation to these investments, the support we have received both from the Moroccan Embassy in Spain – and from the Ambassador, Karima Benyaich, who is a delightful and exceptional person when it comes to supporting businesses – and from the Spanish Ambassador in Rabat, Enrique Ojeda.

I hope that, in the coming years, in a changing world where the international rules of the game are no longer the same, many Spanish and European companies will open new factories in Morocco.

In this regard, Spain, Morocco and Portugal’s joint hosting of the 2030 World Cup also opens up many opportunities for collaboration.

We are already seeing the significance of the World Cup on a global, economic and political level. And I believe the next one will be very important. Huge investments are being made in Morocco; the stadium in Rabat, in which we, as the Alibérico Group, have played a part, has just been completed. We built the stadium’s façade, which has turned out beautifully. We would now love to be involved in the one in Casablanca, which is set to be the largest stadium in the world, with a capacity of 150,000 people.

These will be the factors driving greater investment in the coming years, as part of the preparations for these World Cups.

Morocco is promoting the economic development of some of its regions, but particularly the southern provinces – the Sahara – with which Spain has strong historical ties. Other countries, such as France, are also very keen to contribute to the economic development of that region. In fact, the French ambassador visited the Sahara a few days ago. What role can Spain play in the development of Western Sahara, and what role can Spanish businesspeople play?

I believe that Spanish companies will invest more in the north than in the south. In the south, I think there will be more investment in the service and tourism sectors, linked to the area, which is beautiful and spectacular. And in the north, particularly around Tangier and Nador, industry is set to be significantly boosted. There, in the short term, I foresee more industrial investment than in the Sahara region itself, where there will be more initiatives in the tourism sector and in services in general.

Can Cemaes show other European countries the way to deepen trade relations with the African continent on an equal footing?

This has already been achieved with Morocco, and I believe it is an example that could be followed with other African countries – with whom, incidentally, some initiatives are already underway via Morocco itself. At the Alibérico Group, we have two factories in Morocco – one wholly-owned and the other a joint venture – and we are already exploring opportunities in countries south of Morocco through our contacts there. I believe that in the future there will be further developments and investments in that region.

You mentioned Nador, where a port is nearing completion that is set to be very important. How does this fit in with the philosophy that Spain and Morocco are complementary rather than competitors?

I believe that our geostrategic interests are complementary. That is the key word: they are complementary interests.

Two weeks ago we held a series of meetings in Valencia, attended by Morocco’s Minister for Industry and Trade. During these meetings, Spanish companies were briefed on the benefits that the new port of Nador will bring; it is similar in size to the port of Valencia in terms of container volume, with the potential to triple its capacity in the future. And I believe Nador is set to become a key area for new investment. In fact, some Valencian companies have expressed an interest in investing in that area, and some have even already purchased land there. I believe they are two very complementary locations, given their geographical proximity and shipping strategy. All of this will enable them to complement one another and work together.

Therefore, I do not see it as competition. In its time, the port of Tangier Med also grew, and now Nador is set to do the same; and these are, in my view, complementary and very positive developments. It happened with Tangier Med. At first there was a great deal of mistrust, but this was eventually overcome and what we are now seeing is collaboration with the ports of Algeciras, Almería and Málaga. They are all working together and the benefits are clear.

The other day, for example, we had a meeting with the chairman of the Port of Alicante, Luis Rodríguez González. We arranged a meeting for him with the Minister for Industry and Trade to explore the possibility of launching a passenger and freight service between Alicante and Nador. And there will be further discussions. The chairman of Balearia, Adolfo Utor, who was present at those meetings, has very clear ideas on the matter. In fact, he is already operating a route from Tangier to Tarifa, using two 100 per cent electric ships, which is set to become a global benchmark for sustainability.

All in all, I see many more opportunities in the short term, particularly for industrial investment, in northern Morocco, starting with Tangier and continuing on to Nador. The other major port currently under construction is that of Dajla, in the Sahara. But its focus is different. Due to its proximity to the Sahel region, it has a different set of implications. It is designed for a different type of cargo and will come into operation in a second phase. Its operations will have a very positive impact on the Canary Islands and Cádiz thanks to commercial and economic collaboration, as well as political and security cooperation, covering issues such as immigration and terrorism. For Spain, Morocco is a strategic and, I would emphasise, complementary partner.

What has your experience been like in Morocco as a businessman?

We have been there for 16 years and are delighted with the level of security, the responsiveness of the authorities and the streamlined administrative procedures. In Europe, we have lost out in some areas, such as excessive regulation, and I am convinced that those 14 kilometres that physically separate us will be insignificant compared to everything that can unite us in the coming years. That is why I believe that CEMAES will continue to play a major role in these business relations, and both the Moroccan and Spanish employers’ organisations are willing to continue helping and supporting efforts to strengthen these ties.

Incidentally, there is a new president of the CGEM, Mehdi Tazi, who was previously the vice-president; he is a businessman in the insurance sector, a charming person, a clear, direct and effective professional, and has a very good relationship with Antonio Garamendi, the president of the COE. These factors are also important for the future.

Finally, Morocco is set to sign an unprecedented treaty with France; indeed, King Mohammed VI is due to make an official visit to France. Spain must ensure it does not fall behind and must be in a position to take advantage of all the opportunities Morocco offers us…

I believe Spain has the potential to develop more business with Morocco, and Morocco has the potential to do the same with Spain. If Morocco does business with France, that’s brilliant; they’re free to do as they please. But in the case of CEMAES, we’re focused on Morocco–Spain and Spain–Morocco relations. I believe this collaboration holds great promise for the future. We’ve seen this over the past four years, and if we’ve been re-elected, it’s because we must have done things right. We have devoted a great deal of work, effort and enthusiasm to this endeavour. And when things are done with all those ingredients, they ultimately succeed – all the more so if they have the support of local authorities, which is very important. We saw this at the meetings in Valencia. These were attended, amongst other officials, by the Vice-President of the Generalitat and the Regional Minister for Industry. In other words, there was very strong institutional support.

I also believe that, above and beyond individual countries, the framework for collaboration should perhaps lie with the European Union, which is the body that needs to be supporting relations with our southern neighbours. Naturally, we are very concerned about the situation in Ukraine, but Europe has its own problems and still has many issues yet to be resolved. For example, we need to revive the industrial sector, which we have lost over the last 20 years. Instead of nurturing it, understanding it, protecting it, supporting it and incentivising it, we have done the exact opposite. There has been excessive regulation which has discouraged many European companies from continuing to invest in their own countries, and the figures speak for themselves – not only in Spain, but also in Germany, Italy and France. In all these countries, there is clear evidence of a decline in the share of the automotive sector – and, more generally, of the industrial sector – in GDP.