- Josep Sánchez Llibre has invited the EU SMEs Special Envoy to Barcelona to learn firsthand about the employers’ proposals
- A delegation from the Catalan employers’ association proposes to the European Commission to activate a Community Solidarity Fund for Drought
- Foment once again urges the Government of the Generalitat to respond to the letter of summons to enable the expansion of El Prat airport
The president of Foment del Treball, Josep Sánchez Llibre, led a delegation from the Catalan employers’ association that visited the European Parliament and the European Commission to address issues affecting the Catalan and Spanish economy. One of these priorities is the size of companies. According to a study by CEPYME, the Spanish employers’ association of small and medium-sized enterprises, the relative – smaller – size of Spanish companies is concerning, with an average of 4.7 employees per company compared to the European average of 6, or the English case of 9, or even more relevant in Germany, which has 12 employees. This relatively larger size allows for improved productivity and, therefore, wages, competitiveness, and also public revenues.
In response, Foment del Treball has presented a package of measures in Brussels to improve the competitiveness of SMEs and advance the necessary European reindustrialization. President Sánchez Llibre has invited the new SMEs Special Envoy, Markus Pieper, known as Mister SME, who is the advisor to the President of the European Commission for the upcoming cycle of reindustrialization and growth of EU SMEs. The proposed measures aim to reduce bureaucracy, promote SME competitiveness, improve access to business financing, and internationalization.
It should be noted that if Spanish companies had the average European size, employment would increase by 1.2 million; GDP would rise by 5.2%, and business sales would increase by 249 billion euros. Additionally, the wage bill would increase by 29 billion euros, and tax collection, without altering rates, would increase by 20 billion, as higher aggregate productivity is achieved as company size increases, enabling better and more specialized human resources and incorporating more added value.
In Spain, there is no problem with the birth of companies, which exceeds the European average, but there is a mortality issue, as about half of the newly created companies fail by the third year. Therefore, economic policy should focus not only on generating new companies but also on ensuring their survival and growth, which is where economic policy efforts should be concentrated.
One hundred barriers to business growth have been identified, and it is particularly significant when companies exceed the threshold of 50 employees, where there is a strong regulatory burden. It is understood that this should first be assessed and reduced on the one hand, and on the other hand, there should be a transitional adaptation period, which could be set at 4 years, instead of the immediate application as current legislation stipulates, as this creates a certain reluctance to surpass this employee threshold.
El Prat Airport Expansion
One of the most significant issues on Foment del Treball’s agenda is the necessary expansion of Barcelona-El Prat Airport. It is imperative that the Government of the Generalitat and the central Government respond with a management plan to the letter of summons sent by the European Commission three years ago. The underlying problem of the degradation of protected areas lies in the absence of management.
Foment has proposed to the European Commission an intelligent management model for natural areas based on the following elements:
- An integral improvement in the management of the current protected area, with the creation and funding of a public-private entity that guarantees correct management and thus prevents politics from being judge and party.
- A substantial improvement in already protected areas with renaturalization measures and adaptation of species and habitats.
- Appropriate restoration of areas that required temporary occupation. Specific plans tailored to the type of habitat not necessarily protected, such as recovering key areas in migratory routes of certain birds.
- Anticipating some compensatory measures for medium and long-term projects to substantially reduce future impact so that new habitats begin to function.
- Increasing areas that improve the overall coherence of the protected area, objectifying the management of natural resources such as water, species conservation, production of basic raw materials, and other elements related to natural resources.
Solidarity Fund Against Drought
There is a clear need to adapt policies, especially those related to water management, to new climatic conditions (less constant but more torrential rains). The Catalan employers’ association delegation has also proposed to the European Commission the activation of a Community Solidarity Fund for Drought, as it is a consequence of severe natural disasters caused by climate change.
Foment has also made it clear that a common water policy is essential and that the European Commission should prioritize it in the next mandate, in its annual work plan, and with a specific portfolio, like the Water Department in California. Knowing that the European Commission is considering new fiscal rules, the Catalan employers’ association calls for financial flexibility regarding the deficit and public debt in relation to investments that will need to be made to address future droughts.
To maintain productive activity and compensate for losses, the Catalan employers’ association has proposed that direct aid for production reduction due to drought restrictions should not only be directed to the agricultural sector but also to industry.
The Foment delegation has met with the Spanish ambassador to REPER, Raúl Fuentes; a member of the cabinet of the Director-General of Environment of the European Commission, Luis Planas; and MEPs Diana Riba (ERC) and Laura Ballarín and Javi López from the Socialist Party, among others.
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