Resilience. At a Spanish, Catalan and Barcelona level. That has been the word most used by the politicians participating in the ‘Empresa de l’Any’ 2022 gala. The ‘president’ Pere Aragones, stressed that the Catalan economy has demonstrated its strength and resilience.
As an example, the record in the exports and recovery of gross domestic product (GDP) prior to the pandemic last year in his speech at the end of the awards ceremony ‘Company of l’Any’organized by EL PERIÓDICO DE CATALUNYA and attended by some 300 people from the economic, social and political world.
In any case, he has claimed more self esteem to take advantage of the assets that the country has and vindicated the role of companies and entrepreneurs. Aragonès has made use of history to highlight that Catalonia is “a country that has overcome difficulties thanks to talent”. At the same time, he has underlined the rise of Catalonia and Barcelona as an attractive territory for ‘start-ups’ and as a hub for biomedical companies.
He has recalled in this same gal that a year ago nobody anticipated a change in the international scenario such as the war in Ukraine and the impact on the economy, but at the same time the satisfaction for the selection of Barcelona for the America’s Cup of sailing in 2024 .
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In his opinion, one of the challenges is to ensure that the industry represents 25% of GDP in 2030, while walking in the green transition. “I am convinced that in this country we will overcome all the challenges we face,” he summarized.
Aragonès has coincided with the Minister of Science, Diana Morant and the mayoress of Barcelona, Ada Colau. During the act, which was attended by numerous businessmen and executives, several politicians in an atmosphere in some cases pre-electoral with Salvador Illa and Jaume Collboni (PSC), Ernest Maragall (ERC), Xavier Trias and Albert Batet (Junts) or Daniel Sirera (PP), among others.
In her speech, the Minister of Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, has put the pandemic as an example of the resilience of the Spanish economy. “The capacity for innovation will be the lifeline”, he highlighted. And he took the opportunity to recall that the Government allocates “the largest budget in the history of Spain” to innovation. “We don’t want to be dependent on chips from outside Europe, or Russian oil and gas, or people having to travel to the US for expensive therapies.”
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The Mayor of Barcelona, Ada ColauFor his part, he highlighted Barcelona’s “extraordinary resilience capacity” and sent a message of optimism about the city. After a string of positive data, Colau, who has recognized the pre-election environment that exists before the local elections in May, has stated that “a competitive city facilitates entrepreneurship” but also that workers have good working conditions and transport and public spaces healthy.
The Puig family group has been the recipient of the ‘Empresa de l’Any’ 2022 award and the president of Air Nostrum and the Iryo railway company, Carlos Bertomeu, has received the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award, which premieres in this edition in the one in which the rest of the awards have also been adapted to the new context: Empresa + Sostenible; to the food group owned by Gallina Blanca and Affinity, Agrolimen; as a +International Company; to the company that develops solutions to treat neurological diseases with graphene Inbrain, as a +Innovative Company; to the Ampans Foundation as a +Inclusive Company; and Catalana Occidente, as Family Business of the year.