MERLIN Properties Annual Report 2023

8 | Annual report | 2023 Improvements in corporate governance have also been implemented. MERLIN has a robust governance system, in line with its values of ethics, compliance and transparency, backed by independent third-party validation. In 2023, the corporate governance system was simplified, the information security policy was approved, in line with obtaining 27.001 certification, the management of the whistleblower channel was outsourced, and the documentation and verification of the internal control system for non-financial information (SCIINF) was carried out for the first time. In short, 2023 has been a difficult year for MERLIN, requiring a strong focus on operational management to compensate for the drop in value of our assets. Although the result was not ideal, it was the result of a lot of hard work in a difficult market environment. On the other hand, the foundations have been laid for a new growth area that we expect to contribute significantly to value creation in the medium term and that will give MERLIN exposure to sectors with high growth expectations, such as Artificial Intelligence or Cloud data storage technology. Once again this year I would like to thank the Board of Directors that I have the honour of chairing, the employees, suppliers and all MERLIN Properties stakeholders for their trust and dedication, and especially the shareholders for their confidence and support without whom everything we do would not be possible. Thank you very much.