The president of the Government, Pedro Sanchezmade a public call this Wednesday to businessmen and women to “get involved” in the economic and social development of the country and to overcome the logic of “systemic rivalry” between the Government and companies that often promote “certain media and radical parties”.
During his speech at the plenary hall of the World Economic Fund (WEF) held in Davos, Sánchez presented the Government of Spain as the ally of the business class. “The Government of Spain is your ally,” he said at an event attended by Spanish business representatives such as José María Álvarez-Palletepresident and CEO of Telefónica; Ignacio Sánchez Galán, president and CEO of Iberdrola; cArlos Torrespresident of BBVA; Josu Jon Imaz, CEO of Repsol; Francisco Reynéspresident and CEO of Naturgy; Rafael del Pinoexecutive president of Ferrovial or Maarten Wetselaar, CEO of Cepsa.
These same business representatives were summoned immediately afterwards to a brief informal meeting with the President of the Government in a hotel, within the perimeter where the activities of the World Economic Forum take place in the Alpine resort of Davos. Ana Botín, president of Banco Santander, came to greet Sánchez before this meeting, since she had to participate in another meeting at the same time. The meeting with the dozen business representatives who attended the meeting took place “in an atmosphere of cordiality”, according to sources from La Moncloa, who highlighted the presence of Del Pino and Sánchez Galán after they refused to attend the meeting. last year to a similar appointment.
“Don’t fall into their trap”
“Act accordingly. Act responsibly,” the president asked them. “Think long term. Don’t get carried away by those radical media and political parties that are obsessed with projecting ourselves as systemic rivals. That they profit by selling polarization. Don’t fall into their trap. Let’s collaborate. Let’s take advantage of the great challenges that I mentioned before to build bridges, enhance synergies and establish new forms of public-private collaboration,” he added.
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The President of the Government’s message becomes relevant after recent episodes in which initiatives or speeches by his Executive have collided head-on with business organizations (case of the lack of agreement with the CEOE for the increase in the interprofessional minimum wage), with productive sectors (case of the special taxes on banking and energy companies) or with specific companies (for example, with the president of FerrovialRafael del Pino, or as it was later with the president of IberdrolaIgnacio Sánchez Galán).
The President of the Government wanted to dedicate a relevant part of his speech in Davos to asking the business class “to get involved” and to help the Government “to increase the purchasing power of workers, to stop the climate emergency, to vindicate the international standards and to defend democracy and fight against the regression represented by the reactionary wave sweeping the world. Sánchez has offered and asked for collaboration. “Let’s not swallow the old neoliberal postulates that present the State as a purely extractive entity that does not generate value. Or that they affirm that the responsibility of companies is to increase the profits of shareholders.”