"The appointment of Zaragoza as the centre for the 2008 International Exhibition completes the great social and econom ic moment of Aragon. Zaragoza deserved the opportunity to show the world its vocation as a great European capital, and has achieved it". This is how the President of Ibercaja, Amado Franco, congratulated all the poeple of Zaragoza and Aragon from Paris, and by extension all Spaniards, on 16th December 2004, when the International Exhibition Office from the French capital made Zaragoza the Headquarters for the 2008 International Exhibition.

Zaragoza was one of the three cities aspiring to be the centre for the 2008 International Exhibition, alongside Trieste (Italy) and Salonica (Greece). The capital of Aragon won with the subject "Water and sustainable development"; the facilities will be built on a tributary of the river Ebro on its entry in the city.

Ibercaja was alongside Zaragoza's candidature for the Expo 2008 at the time of its triumph in Paris, with the same enthusiasm as it had had since the project began, supporting the Pro-Expo 2008 Consortium, sure of its possibilities as a serious, viable project and of the magnificent opportunities for development and economic and social development that the event would suppose for the Aragonese capital and for the whole of the autonomous community.

Between 2002 and 2004, the savings entity signed collaboration agreements with the company "Zaragoza Expo 20008, S.A." for more than 246,000 euros, which were invested in actions and activities related to the promotion of the candidature.

The final, decisive support for the Aragonese candidature as opposed to Trieste and Salonica, came with the agreement of Ibercaja and the Zaragoza City Hall to purchase the land of the Ranillas tributary, where the Expo 2008 will be located. In October 2004, Ibercaja purchased the lands and then passed them over to the city. In exchange, the City Hall granted the savings entity urban rights on one of the expanding areas of the city, Arcosur, for 2,170 officially protected dwellings.

This operation was key to Zaragoza's candidature being presented for the final choice on 16th December 2004, with its homework done and finally being designated at the centre of a project that Ibercaja has supported since it began and which all of Aragon is experiencing intensely.

Aragon - affirmed the President of Ibercaja on the day of the choice in Paris, where he went to support the candidature now has a great opportunity to demonstrate its human and professional capacity, as it has at other times in history. I am sure that we will manage to take advantage of it and turn it into a great moment of social and economic development and make this day the beginning of the 21st century for Zaragoza. As it has always done, Ibercaja will be there alongside the people of Aragon and their great projects".