The annual meeting of the influential Círculo de Economía is perhaps the best thermometer over the years of the relationship between the Catalan economic and political power and that of Madrid, the central one. Seeing how the president and the opposition leader, who almost always come, are received here, is a way to analyze who is strong, at least for the Catalan business community, and what speech is most liked in the heart of the historically most powerful bourgeoisie in Spain . If Alberto Núñez Feijóo was received with enthusiasm in 2022, when shortly after taking over the leadership of the PP he spoke here of the “Catalan nation”, and last year, in the middle of the electoral campaign, he also triumphed by promising tax cuts when almost all The polls said that he would go to La Moncloa, this year it has clearly been Pedro Sánchez who has taken the honey, while the leader of the PP received clear indifference on Thursday in the face of a very harsh speech, almost identical to the one he gave in Madrid, which did not He opened no doors in Catalonia and was also in favor of a pact with the ultra Giorgia Meloni.
The businessmen of the Círculo de Economía seem happy with the final point at processes that the Catalan elections entailed, and they have openly told Sánchez. The president of the Círculo, Jaume Guardiola, has openly praised the president’s “courage” not only with the pardons, which the Círculo supported with much internal debate, but also with the amnesty, so criticized by the PP, although he asked him to seek the agreement with the opposition. And Sánchez, who as always receives much kinder treatment in Catalonia than in Madrid, the land of his birth, seemed very comfortable and promised to solve the two main pending problems, financing reform and better infrastructure.
Guardiola’s speech, and the questions he later asked Sánchez, were a very clear example of the change that has occurred in Catalonia and the open gratitude that the business community has with Sánchez. But even more evident were the conversations in the hallways, where criticism of Feijóo’s speech the day before was the norm, while Sánchez did what many expected: speak positively about the new situation that opens after the independentists have lost the most. The president, who in the rest of Spain has a complicated relationship with the business elite especially due to his fiscal policy and taxes on energy companies or banks, in Catalonia has been received in an even better way than he could have expected.
Guardiola was very clear, in a speech that represents the entire Circle: “We are leaving behind the turbulent and painful moments that we have experienced. The institutional normalization that Catalonia has recovered is largely related to your Government action. And we want to thank you. The Cercle supported the pardons. And after an in-depth discussion, we understood the amnesty law as a risky but constructive opportunity. We would have liked it to have had more consensus, and a more restrained attitude on the part of the beneficiaries. But we think it is an opportunity to close a barren period. In this climate of enormous tension, whose purpose is to delegitimize your presidency, in addition to the resistance manual, you have shown courage when making decisions. To some it will seem like audacity. To us it looks like courage. That is why we appeal to this courage to reform the financing system and also to rebuild space for dialogue and negotiation with the opposition that the president must lead,” he assured.
Sánchez, visibly satisfied with the atmosphere that received him in Barcelona, responded: “I also want to thank the Círculo. Because when it was needed most, he supported dialogue, coexistence and encounter. You were right, we were right. The Circle has played a fundamental role in overcoming one of the greatest political and coexistence crises. Now, after the elections, Catalonia is going to get involved in the progress of Spain, and will lead an open Europe.”
“All roads pass through Illa”
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And from there, the president showed his offer to Catalonia to regain momentum. First he insisted that Salvador Illa, who was in the front row, will be the president. “There is no majority without the PSC. All roads pass through Illa and reach Illa. “The Government will decide in Catalonia and will obey Catalan needs.” In the corridors, almost no one was betting on a repeat election, although there is still time to know what ERC will decide and in the middle are the European elections, which are also relevant to that decision. But above all, Sánchez promised to improve financing and infrastructure, the two great historical demands in Catalonia, in addition to guaranteeing absolute respect for the Catalan language, which after the agreements with ERC and Junts can now be spoken openly in Congress. “The Government will redouble investment in infrastructure. Especially in Rodalies. We are going to maintain commitments to forgive the debt that we acquired in the investiture with the Government of Pere Aragonès, to whom I want to recognize his work. That means 15,000 million euros for Catalonia. We will also carry out a reform to have more and better financing for Catalonia and for all communities. From Spain we thus propose respect for the history and language of Catalonia, better and greater financing and redoubling investment in infrastructure. We have learned these barren years that with stronger Catalonia, Spain is stronger,” he insisted.
Sánchez also achieved the approval of businessmen, tired of the processes, when he recalled that in 2017, because of that crisis, the possibility of Barcelona being the headquarters of the European Medicines Agency was lost. “A thousand senior officials would have come, 400 million euros in annual budget. A key accelerator for the pharmaceutical industry, which is very relevant in Catalonia. Barcelona had unbeatable conditions. Now, on the contrary, Moody’s confirms that the election result in Catalonia reduces risks and encourages investment. That’s called trust. Businessmen know how difficult it is to win it and how easy it is to lose it,” he cried to end the processes. Sánchez from Madrid thus confirms that Catalonia is the most comfortable place for him, even among the always suspicious business community. But now he is in the middle of the European campaign and also needs a powerful mobilization of the left throughout Spain to prevent the PP from achieving a great success on June 9 that gives wings to the opposition.
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