CATALONIA --- Catalan News Agency - CEOE and Foment only represent the views of 1% of Catalan economy, according to business association

Catalan News Agency - CEOE and Foment only represent the views of 1% of Catalan economy, according to business association

CEOE and Foment only represent the views of 1% of Catalan economy, according to business association

CNA

Barcelona (ACN).- The business owners’
association Cercle Català de Negocis (CCN) insisted that neither Spain’s
confederation of employer associations, CEOE, nor its Catalan member,
Foment del Treball “represent anything other than themselves and the
interests of large corporations linked to the Spanish Government”. After
the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, asked employers to
participate in all three of Catalonia’s main objectives on Friday:
fostering the economic recovery, maintaining social cohesion through the
Welfare State and enabling Catalonia’s self-determination, the CEOE and Foment rejected “getting involved” in any political issues.
On previous occasions, they had voiced their opposition to
independence. However, the CCN recalled that these large corporations
only represent a tiny part of Catalonia’s business sector. The CCN
stressed that small and medium sized enterprises (SME) account for 99%
of all Catalan production and many of their owners “have mostly
positioned themselves in favour of exercising the right to self
determination in surveys conducted by PIMEC, CECOT and even by
Barcelona’s Chamber of Commerce”. Last year, a survey issued by the main
SME owners’ association in Catalonia, PIMEC, had notably revealed that 66.8% would support an independent Catalonia within the EU.
Besides, this Tuesday, during a luncheon, Artur Mas nuanced his
previous statement, saying that he was “not asking for explicit
statements” but “to be within” the political debate. , He also added
that business owners cannot openly position themselves regarding
Catalonia’s self-determination due to “the daily interests” of their
companies and their sales. Mas added he understood their situation, as
he has been “on both [the Government and the companies’] side”.

“No employer association has given reasons based on rigor and
numbers that can refute the numerous studies – of the Cercle Català de
Negocis and others – which demonstrate that the Catalan economy needs
its own state” stated the Cercle Català de Negocis. They thus emphasised
the need to meet face to face “with those who advocate that employers
must be involved in achieving the creation of a separate State to debate
on the pros and cons”.

The employer’s association CCN, which has almost 8,000 members (with
more than 1,100 of them being full-right members) also called for the
resignation of the President of the CEOE, Juan Rosell. They were
reacting to Rosell’s argument, who stated that companies were not meant
to get involved in politics but to be devoted to creating jobs. The CCN
stated that Spanish employers “haven’t done anything” to create jobs,
and the “only” things to have risen are the unemployment figures. Since
Spanish employers have not met their main goal, Rosell should resign,
according to them.

Artur Mas: there is no need to make public stances, only “the need to be present”

During a luncheon on Tuesday, Artur Mas, nuanced his initial statements.
He explained that he had never asked for employers and businesses to
explicitly defend the self-determination process, but only “to be by the
side of” the majority of Catalans. He went on by saying that economy
being inseparable from politics did not mean that organisations had to
make public stances: “there is no need to commit with a stance in
public, simply the need to be present” he argued. The Catalan President
also added that he fully understood that certain statements “could harm
specific daily interests and that the economy had to protect itself”.
Mas insisted he has been “on both sides”, referring both the Government
and the private sector, and therefore he can fully understand the
businesspeople’s concerns, he said.  

More on

Artur Mas, Business, Business Association, Catalan Companies, Catalan Government, Catalan Independence, CEOE, Cercle Català de Negocis, Democracy, Foment, Independence, Pimec, Referendum, Self-Determination, Spanish Government, vote

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Artur Mas (centre) met with a group of businesspeople on Tuesday (by P. Mateos)

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Related links

http://www.catalannewsagency.com/politics/item/two-employer-associations-reject-catalan-president-s-petition-to-support-self-determination http://www.catalannewsagency.com/politics/item/catalan-president-urges-employers-to-work-together-on-the-economic-recovery-and-self-determination-process http://www.catalannewsagency.com/politics/item/668-of-small-and-medium-size-business-owners-would-support-an-independent-catalan-state-within-the-eu