Within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union, the Leading Brands of Spain Forum has organised a Leading Brands of the EU Meeting, in collaboration with La Caixa and IESE Business School along with the support of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. The aim of the Meeting, which will take place on 22 April at the headquarters of La Caixa, in Barcelona, is to present an initiative so that Spain can promote a policy of competitiveness for European brands and for the backing of the international image of the products and services, namely, the ‘Made in/by EU’ image.

Through a sponsorship agreement signed with the Real Colegio Complutense at Harvard, the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE) will assist and participate in a business seminar to be held from 2 to 5 May, 2010 in The Harvard Faculty Club (Cambridge-Boston, Massachusetts).

The Report of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum’s 10th Anniversary was presented and given out to attendees of the Forum’s 10th Anniversary commemoration event held on 15 December in the conference hall of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce. The report lists the activities carried out by the Forum over the last ten years, as well as the main milestones the institution has reached since 1999. Accordingly, the information on these activities is organised into the following chapters, depending on the profile of each project: Ambassador Brands and Image of Spain; Research and Publications; Training and Circulation; and Institutional Co-operation and Communication.

The President of USP Hospitals and member of the Leading Brands of Spain Association’s Board of Directors, Gabriel Masfurroll, wrote an opinion column for the newspaper Expansión. The article published on 15 August, entitled ‘Made in/by Spain’ encourages Spanish business leaders not to try and conceal the origin of their products and to exploit the potential of the brands to ensure that Spain’s image abroad is set at a level in line with the reality of the country.

On 16 and 17 March several events took place in New York that served to present the Made in/by Spain Plan for the United States, in which the Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) plays an active role and which aims to increase the presence of Spanish companies in the American market. These acts were honoured by the presence of Their royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Asturias and the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade Miguel Sebastián.

In an act that took place at the Municipal Conference Centre in Madrid on 19 June, chaired by T. R. H. the Prince and Princess of Asturias, Leche Pascual, Mapfre and BBVA, companies belonging to the Leading Brands of Spain Association, were awarded Prince Felipe Awards for Business Excellence in the respective categories of Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency, Internationalisation and Leading Brand.