Gas Natural SDG : The Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation and Aragón Exterior will jointly promote exports of the Aragonese SMEs

• The Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation is the fourth entity to be incorporated into the Driving-Sector Companies Programme begun by Aragón Exterior.

The Director General of the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation, Martí Solà, and the Minister for Economy and Employment of the government of Aragón, Francisco Bono, have signed an agreement whereby both entities will work together to help small and medium-sized Aragonese companies to begin exporting.

Under this agreement, the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation and Aragón Exterior - public company in the Autonomous Community of Aragón-, will undertake training and promotional events for the internationalisation of SMEs and will jointly encourage the development and advisory services for exports between the small and medium sized companies of the Autonomous Community of Aragón.

The agreement forms part of the First Exports Programme of the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation, aimed at offering free training and advice to SMEs wishing to embark on export activity. The initiative focuses on lending support to SMEs as they take their first steps towards exporting anywhere in the world through a full, free and ongoing training plan that includes in-person and online training sessions, as well as personalised advice and mentoring. Participants will learn about international marketing, business management and pricing, among other subjects.

The programme that the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation created in Argentina in 2001 has been implemented in Spain for the first time this year. In order to participate in the programme, interested companies have to provide a Tax ID number and register in the programme through the website www.fundaciongasnaturalfenosa.org.

Driving-Sector Companies Programme of Aragón Exterior

The Arex Network programme, of which the Driving-Sector Companies form part, is helping to ensure that the large companies with experience and international success support and advise the SMEs who wish to go out and sell abroad, but also to demonstrate the opportunities that these large companies offer in the setting of their corresponding international groups.

The Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation is the fourth entity to be included in the "Driving-Sector Companies: multinationals in the process of expansion" in which large companies are now based in Aragón with intense international - and in some cases global - activity, such as General Motors, CEMEX and Yudigar. After nearly two years of activity, more than 400 Aragonese companies have benefited from the advantages of the Arex Network and of the international network of companies, and have participated in their activities.

Aragón Exterior (AREX) is the public company dependent on the Ministry of Economy and Employment of the government of Aragón, which promotes the internationalisation of Aragonese companies. Its purpose is to attract investment from foreign companies to Aragón and to do this it is disseminating the advantages of the government of Aragón as an investment destination and acting as a partner to facilitate projects for the implementation of foreign companies. Furthermore, it offers individual advice and support via its international network of delegations and local consultants in more than 45 countries.

Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation

The Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation, founded in 1992, targets its activity towards the promotion of information, training and raising awareness in society, and on improving energy efficiency and technological innovation in the field of energy while respecting and protecting the environment, and promotes cultural activities through the Gas Museum aimed at preserving and disseminating the historical and cultural heritage of the region. Its international activities are carried out in Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Morocco, Italy and Moldova.

Zaragoza, 17 September 2014.