La Jonquera: the ideal location for a logistics platform between France and Spain

Spain occupies a strategic position in Europe and is a very important crossroads of flows. Its Catalan region attracts many investors, seduced by its dynamism and economic prospects. The village of La Jonquera is located on the French-Spanish border. It is a prime location for the logistics sector.

Spain: a strategic position and developed infrastructure

Spain is ideally located in the south of Europe and connects Europe to much of the rest of the world. Spain's entry into the EU in 1986 encouraged the development of expressways, through the Decreto Real of 1988 and the cohesion funds of the EEC's Regional Policy. The Infrastructure Plan (1993-2007) saw the development of international connections with Portugal and France, underlining the desire to link the country to the rest of Europe. During the period from 1997 to 2005, the country carried out very important works to strengthen its transport infrastructure, which are among the most important in Europe.

From 2005 until 2020, the application of two major national plans has made it possible to make this transport network even denser. In the face of the 2007 crisis, the government emphasised its desire to promote the integration of Spain into the European Union, particularly through the internationalisation of the Spanish economy. These decisions favour the optimisation of flows within the country, but also internationally, notably thanks to the development of the rail network. By coupling this with its port power (46 ports for a traffic of 552.1 Mt in 2019), Spain has become a strategic platform in Southern Europe.

This infrastructure network is proving to be very attractive to operators from all over the world. The revival of the logistics sector in 2013 has led to the arrival of a large number of multinationals, such as Amazon in Catalonia. An important logistics centre (PLAZA) has also been built in Zaragoza to meet the needs and requirements of the different European markets. This intermodal platform has a strategic location.

Catalonia

Spain has a highly developed multimodal transport network and one of its regions, Catalonia, is strategically located for Europe. The region is one of Spain's 17 autonomous communities, with four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona. It is one of the most internationally oriented regions in Spain. It has a dense communication network: almost 1600 km of expressways and a main motorway with heavy traffic, the AP-7 (Autopista de la Mediterrània). It has an efficient port network, which also connects it to the rest of the world. The most important port is Barcelona, its capital, which is the 3rd largest port in Spain.

It is the economic engine of the country and also its most industrialised region. Its strategic sectors are agri-food, chemicals, tourism, automobiles, trade and logistics. Although industry plays a very important role, the service sectors have also developed very strongly. Catalonia is very open to the international market and offers advantageous conditions, not only because of its location, but also because of its qualified workforce and highly developed infrastructure.

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, and also the second largest city in Spain. It is a dynamic economic centre and an important tourist destination. In fact, with 4.6 million cruise passengers in 2019, it is the number one cruise destination in Europe and one of the most visited European cities. It is also difficult to talk about this region without mentioning its Costa Brava, a long stretch of coastline with a multitude of tourist destinations.

Logistics in La Jonquera

This town, in the municipality of the same name, is located in the north of the Catalonia region, close to the French border. It used to be known as a customs town and cross-border trade is still one of the pillars of its economy.

The end of the concession scheduled for this year, 2021, will see the liberalisation of over 600 km of motorways in Spain, including the AP-7. Many stretches of motorway in Catalonia will become free, and it is the Spanish region that will benefit the most, given that its roads have been paying since their creation. Between La Jonquera and Tarragona, tolls will be removed from almost 250 km.

The Mediterranean Corridor is a rail network that is one of the 10 priority axes of the TEN-T (Trans-European Transport Network), one of the most important in Europe. It connects Algeciras and La Jonquera, passing through the Costa Brava on the Spanish side. However, due to a difference between the gauge of the Spanish and European standard lines, goods transported by train on the classic line have to be transhipped at Portbou and Cerbère. Goods destined for France can then be diverted to La Jonquera and then transported by other routes. This problem does not exist on the LGV lines, as their gauge follows European standards.

The geographical location of La Jonquera, Pyrenees-Orientales, the cross-border gateway to France and AP-7, is ideal for the logistics sector. In fact, more than 3,000 international lorries stop here every day before continuing their journey through Europe. Although it does not have as much infrastructure as Barcelona, there is a wealth of land and commercial sites, as well as a skilled local workforce. The conditions offered in La Jonquera are therefore ideal for the establishment of depot areas, logistics centres or distribution centres.

It should also be noted that La Jonquera has been very badly affected since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, which has been particularly deadly in Spain. Transporters are among the few customers that its traders can still count on. This is one of the reasons why the city is looking for projects to revitalise its economy and mitigate the effects of a crisis that has yet to end. The efforts of the logistics and transport sectors will therefore continue, encouraged in this strategic region.