Spain: The Spanish cement association, Oficemen, recorded total national cement consumption of 7.54Mt throughout the first half of 2023. This corresponds to a 0.3% year-on-year rise from first-half 2022 levels. Meanwhile, first-half exports fell by 2.3% year-on-year to 2.84Mt.
The Cinco Días newspaper has reported that Oficemen general director Aniceto Zaragoza said “The first half of 2023 has closed with zero growth, in line with our forecasts at the beginning of the year. The confluence of three elections, which will end with the general elections on 23 July 2023, is an unusual circumstance, which has affected not only investments in public works but also at the business level." Zaragoza added that construction decision-making had 'already slowed down by itself due to the current international situation.'