Minister Cuerpo closes the UNO Assembly and reaffirms his commitment to the competitiveness of the logistics sector.

The Minister of Economy, Trade and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, today closed the General Assembly of UNO , the Spanish logistics and transport association, at a meeting that brought together more than 100 leaders from the sector's leading companies. During the event, held at the CEOE headquarters and sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Spain, the main economic and regulatory challenges affecting the logistics industry were addressed , with the aim of identifying urgent needs to strengthen its competitiveness.

During his speech, the minister emphasized that the logistics sector is "strategic for the economy and demonstrates its strength and adaptability." In his dialogue with UNO members, the Ministry addressed the major challenges currently facing the sector, "such as competitiveness and productivity." He also proposed maintaining "an open channel of communication to exchange information, with the aim of identifying barriers to business growth and addressing them within the framework of the Regime 20 initiative for administrative simplification, which the Ministry of Economy shares with the Autonomous Communities ."

For his part, the president of UNO, Francisco Aranda, thanked the minister for his participation in the Assembly and underscored the importance of ensuring a stable economic environment for the sector's development: "Fuel price volatility, inflation, and rising financial costs, coupled with geopolitical uncertainty, are hampering business planning and investment. It is essential that the government implement a stable economic policy that provides legal certainty and fosters the sustainable growth of this strategic sector, which has positioned itself as the third largest source of employment in the last year," he stated.

Aranda also expressed his concern about the trade policy proposed by Trump: "These strategies hinder trade, fuel inflation and reduce consumption."

of households, which ultimately translates into an obstacle to the creation and maintenance of jobs." In his opinion, one of the most urgent priorities is "to alleviate the burden that a potential increase in costs would represent due to new tariffs; if exporting becomes more expensive, reducing companies' operating costs must become a strategic objective, as must the search for alternative markets."

In this regard, Aranda continued, "it is essential to make progress in reducing social security contributions, which in Spain remain among the highest in Europe." "Excessive fiscal pressure limits economic activity and, in the long term, reduces government revenue. We are making significant investments to remain competitive, so further increasing tax burdens would compromise our ability to operate in the future."

In the labor market, Aranda expressed the sector's concern regarding the measures implemented outside of social dialogue and emphasized the need for greater flexibility to adapt to constant market fluctuations: "Our sector must respond quickly to peaks in demand and changes in consumer habits. Labor rigidity penalizes hiring and hinders business growth," he stated.

He also took the opportunity to support the Minister of Economy's "Regime 20" initiative, which aims to reduce the administrative barriers between autonomous communities. "By promoting the creation of a common regulatory framework for all of Spain, we are automatically injecting competitiveness into businesses. This simplifies business access to different regions and eliminates barriers that increase operating costs and hinder growth," he noted. "The "Regime 20" project increases business productivity and encourages investment."

On the other hand, in terms of international competitiveness, Aranda emphasized the importance of leveraging Spain's geostrategic position as a hub connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa with Latin America and the United States . "This potential must be reflected in the government's commercial strategy, promoting our logistics infrastructure at major international trade fairs so that more companies can consolidate their major intercontinental traffic here," he emphasized.

Another aspect addressed during the event was the sector's technological DNA , as well as its commitment to smart mobility and eco-logistics. In this regard, the president of UNO called for the implementation of specific measures to promote investment in innovation and sustainability, which are essential for the modernization and future of the logistics sector: "We need public policies that promote this transition and a tax regime that allows for accelerated amortization of investments in these areas to improve our efficiency and competitiveness. The efforts of our companies in this regard are very evident, as we are already the third sector that makes the most use of big data and are among the top ten that most apply AI."

Finally, the president of UNO reiterated the importance of generating high-value talent: "Our sector has established itself as a huge source of jobs and as part of the solution to Spain's structural unemployment, but to guarantee the recruitment of talent, it is crucial that the State strengthen educational programs, with a special focus on vocational and university training with technological skills," he stated.

Aranda concluded his speech by thanking Minister Cuerpo for his close collaboration with the sector and highlighting the importance of continuing to strengthen public-private dialogue. "It is essential that governments actively listen to our companies, ensuring that the policies adopted respond to their real needs and fostering their development in an increasingly demanding and competitive global market."