Leather Cluster Barcelona at the meeting of cluster presidents with Minister Chacón

The Minister for Business and Knowledge of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Àngels Chacón, has met the presidents of the 30 clusters to assess Catalan cluster policy and discuss the main challenges ahead.

From Igualada Town Council, Minister Chacón promoted the project Igualada European Capital of Quality Leather, one of the seeds of Leather Cluster Barcelona.

Representing the Catalan leather cluster at the event was Jaume Suriñach, its secretary, as the president, Carles Riba, and the vice-president, Xavier Badia, were travelling in the United States.

Within the framework of the Advisory Committee of ACCIÓ’s Catalunya Clústers programme, an annual meeting with the presidents of the Catalan clusters, Minister Chacón announced that the number of Catalan companies belonging to clusters in Catalonia has quadrupled over the past 10 years, according to figures from ACCIÓ – the business competitiveness agency of the Ministry of Business and Knowledge. There are currently 2,300 companies and stakeholders that are members of the 30 Catalan clusters, which account for 30% of Catalonia’s GDP (74 billion euros in aggregate turnover) and generate more than 300,000 jobs. These are the highest figures since the Generalitat’s programmes to boost the competitiveness of the Catalan business fabric through the cluster methodology were created in 1992.