Amec believes that the situation in the Middle East is "temporary" and that the "structural" problem is Chinese competition.

BarcelonaThe association dedicated to promoting internationalized industry, Amec, asserted on Monday that the war in the Middle East is a "temporary" problem and that 30 percent of its 500 members have considered revising their 2026 forecasts downward. Amec's CEO, Joan Tristany, argued that "the structural conflict is Chinese competition," and that due to the tariffs imposed by the United States government, Chinese products are "everywhere." In fact, in 2025, despite Donald Trump's tariff war, Amec members' exports increased by 5.54%, a growth that Tristan considers "surprising and extraordinary" given the international geopolitical landscape. However, according to the report prepared by the association and published on Monday, companies have grown during 2025, although the "playing field is shifting," as Tristan explained during the presentation. However, he points out that, looking ahead to this year, companies are working with "ambition and caution."

Exports are increasing

Exports, despite growing by no more than 1% overall in Catalonia and Spain last year, increased by 5.54% among member companies. In fact, foreign sales represent half of these organizations' trade (57%), which generated approximately €16 billion in revenue, €8.6 billion of which came from exports. Furthermore, 74.1% of these companies expect to increase exports by 2026, with growth exceeding 10% despite geopolitical and trade uncertainty.

The decline recorded in the Americas and Asia has been offset by increased sales in European markets, with France (16.3% of global sales) leading the ranking. This is followed by the United States (9.6%), Portugal (7.9%), Italy (6.5%), and Germany (6.4%).

One of the countries the CEO highlighted is Saudi Arabia (2.2%), because it demonstrates a "fundamental market diversification." A process that is "slow" and complicated, but which "opens up new opportunities with the Mercosur agreement," he asserted.

The Trump effect

This diversification has been driven by Trump's tariffs. However, Amec points out that the US is still the main market of interest for 47% of its member companies, followed by France, Mexico, Germany, and India. In the US, in fact, a dozen companies opened 14 new subsidiaries during 2025, and it is estimated that another 16 will open this year.

The current problem, however, is not primarily tariffs. In fact, Tristán highlighted that there is "maturity" among Amec companies because in recent years there have been several "focused" events and situations with a global impact, such as the situation in Algeria, Brexit, and the Russian blockade, a market that represented 20% of sales for many firms. "Right now we have a problem" in the Middle East, which is the destination for 5% of exports, but "with a much broader effect," Tristán said.

So far this year, the CEO of Amec has highlighted that "only" 30% of companies have considered lowering their expectations due to the geopolitical situation. One of the report's conclusions is that the difficulty of selling in the US has made competition one of the main obstacles to market access. However, in addition to territorial diversification, companies are also investing in innovation.

In 2025, Amec member companies' spending on innovation was 6.2%, compared to the usual 4%. "Faced with a complex situation, the focus has been on innovation," said the association's CEO, because 40% of companies plan to continue increasing their budget in this area. In the face of "difficulty, uncertainty, and fierce competition from China," the response has been "market diversification and product innovation," he added.