INTERES was created in October 2005, with start-up capital of €300,000. The sole shareholder is ICEX, the Spanish Foreign Trade Institute.

“According to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2005, Spain is one of the most attractive destinations for foreign investors, as it ranked eighth in terms of FDI inflows in 2004. Nevertheless, the worldwide drop in FDI inflows in 2001 also affected our country. The creation of an organisation therefore became necessary in order to publicise our competitive advantages and boost Spain’s image as an attractive country for foreign investment,” said Ana García Camarillo, INTERES’s marketing and communications manager.

Until 2005, the General Directorate for Trade and Investment, a department of Spain’s Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, was in charge of the promotion of foreign investment in Spain.