27/06/2014

Josefina Beltrán Explains Importance of Exports to Second-Year Journalism Students

On Monday, 4 March 2013, Josefina Beltrán, the Head of the Foreign Trade Service of the ICEX Regional Trade Office in Barcelona, gave a lecture to second-year journalism students taking the course on Economics about the importance of foreign trade for the Spanish economy.

In the lecture "Why It's Good to Export", Beltrán discussed the balance of payments and explained why Spain's high energy bill is the main cause of the current deficit. In this regard, she argued for the need to change to an energy model that encourages the use of renewable energies and reduces Spain's dependence on foreign imports.

Of the different balances that make up the balance of payments, she insisted especially on the balance of trade, whose figures, marked by a steady increase in exports, make it one of the current driving forces of the Spanish economy in light of the lethargy of the domestic market.

With regard to exports, Beltrán highlighted the sale of agricultural vehicles and commodities, an area that is being heavily promoted by the government, primarily through the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade (ICEX).

During the lecture, Beltrán also discussed the changes that may be seen in the transfers deficit as a result of the exodus of Spanish emigrants and the return of immigrants in Spain to their native countries, and in the services balance, which relies heavily on tourism, an area in a process of transformation as it searches for new market niches (skiing tourism, conventions and congresses, cultural tourism, golf tourism, etc.) with greater added value and quality than the traditional "beach and sun" tourism.

The lecture was part of the Economics subject taught by professors Mónica Cerdán and Maite Baratech for second-year journalism students.