King Felipe VI presided this Monday the 250th anniversary awards of Foment del Treball, the oldest employer’s association in Europe, founded in 1771, which turned the act into a tribute to the work of businessmen, with a Medal for the president of the La Caixa Banking Foundation, Isidro Fainé, as the main winner.
In his speech, Felipe VI called to preserve legal security because it enables “the stability, certainty and trust that developed economies demand.” “A stable context gives us the right scenario to conceive and develop initiatives with a view to a sufficient time space that allows obtaining and verifying concrete results. This stability is possible thanks to legal certainty that offers certainty to investments and business decisions” , the King has argued.
Don Felipe has highlighted that the Spanish economy is based on a large number of SMEs and the self-employed: “It is true, as has often been said, and Isidre Fainé reminded us at the last CEDE Congress, that it would be desirable for the the average size of our firms was larger, “he said, paraphrasing one of the winners of the night.
He considers that this is a challenge that all the actors pose and that it is part of the business ambition: “We also know very well the vitality of our companies, something that you demonstrate every day and that is clearly reflected in the figures of our exports, that you head the Catalan companies “.
Foment, an “example of success”
The King began the speech speaking in Catalan praising Barcelona, Catalonia and Foment because he believes that “they have managed to preserve the qualities that have always characterized them: initiative, entrepreneurial spirit, dynamism and commitment to the well-being of citizens.”
He applauded Foment turning 250 years, which he defined as an “example of success of a society with a network of civil society organizations that unite and contribute to the progress of all.”
In this sense, it has vindicated the Catalan employers’ association as a pioneering institution in Europe and that has managed to move from the medieval guilds to become “a great institution that brings together all economic sectors.” He considers this to be “a very relevant fact that helps to understand why Catalonia has always been a land of entrepreneurs and of economic and social initiatives that have favored the progress and well-being of its inhabitants”.
The flower and the cream
The ceremony took place at the National Museum of Art of Catalonia with business and institutional representatives of Catalonia and state, up to a total of 600 guests. In the institutional section, in addition to Felipe VI, among those attending the event were the President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonés; the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations, José Luis Escrivá; the Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez; the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau; as well as the president of Aragon, Javier Lambán; and the president of the Valencian Community, Ximo Puig.
In the business section, the highest representatives of the Catalan employers’ associations and unions attended, as well as the president of the CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, and that of Cepyme, Gerardo Cuerva. Also executives such as Antonio Brufau (Repsol), Francisco Reynés (Naturgy), Ángel Simon (Agbar), José Ignacio Goirigolzarri and Gonzalo Gortázar (CaicaBank), Josep Oliu (Banco Sabadell), Juan José Brugera (Colonial), Salvador Alemany (Saba and Liceu) and Pau Relat (Fira de Barcelona). In addition to the Commemorative Medal of the 250th anniversary of the Catalan employer’s association to Isidro Fainé, another was received by the Industrial Textile Association of the Cotton Process (AITPA).
In the first speeches, Aragonès insisted on the request for co-governance with the State in the management of European Next Generation funds, and advocated continuing the negotiation with the central government for self-determination and amnesty: “Stability is not synonymous with immobility , institutions must evolve. ” In this sense, he also asked for support in the defense of the Catalan language: “A country is much more than budgets and laws, it is also its identity.”
Minister Raquel Sánchez thanked Foment for its work in favor of the progress of Catalonia and Spain beyond the business sphere. He also recognized that in politics there are always different interests, but “we must understand each other for the common good”, with pacts that imply resignations by the parties in favor of the joint benefit. “Spain does better when Catalonia does well, and vice versa,” he said, adding that Catalonia has a lot to contribute to Spain.
Colau highlighted that Foment has been present in the political, economic and social milestones that have marked the history of Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain, and defended dialogue and agreement as a way to identify meeting points, as well as public-private collaboration to inclusive progress that leaves no one behind. He also celebrated that in 2022 there will be budgets at all levels of administration (Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain), which should be part of normality but in recent years it has not been.
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