The general assembly of Foment del Treball has renewed Josep Sánchez Llibre as president this Monday, who will continue to lead the Catalan employers’ association until 2030. The leader faced this re-election without competition, as no other candidacies were presented in a process without possible surprises. This will be Sánchez Llibre’s third term, accumulating 12 years in office by the end of the term.
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The president, who received 290 endorsements from the board in this victory, entered the auditorium of the Catalan employers’ association headquarters to applause and to the rhythm of the soundtrack from the film Chariots of Fire. In his speech to the assembly, Sánchez Llibre emphasized that this proclamation without an alternative candidacy is “a show of confidence” in a project that obliges him to “go all out.” “We are not celebrating a formality, we are renewing a commitment,” said the leader.
Sánchez Llibre stressed that this will be a “continuity” term with three “very clear” objectives to defend: freedom of enterprise, the right to private property, and legal certainty. On the verge of a pact for the next Catalan budgets between the PSC and ERC, the president of Foment wished for it to come to a good conclusion: “A country without budgets cannot function.” In this regard, he demanded that this imminent agreement does not increase the tax pressure on companies and families and spoke of “fiscal suffocation” in Catalonia.
The leader opens a “continuity” term in which he will seek to “deepen” his relationship with the Generalitat
In fact, Sánchez Llibre warned that during this term he intends to “deepen” the relationship between Foment and the Generalitat to “build a space for permanent dialogue.” In his intervention, he stressed the role of the entity as the “central interlocutor of the Catalan economy” and claimed that he will not allow companies to be criminalized or treated as “permanent suspects.”
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The event was also attended by the president of the CEOE, Antonio Garamendi; the president of ATA, Lorenzo Amor; and the president of Cepyme, Ángela de Miguel. Garamendi showcased the “responsibility” these organizations represent “at a time of sectarianism and radicalism” in which entrepreneurs do not feel “comfortable.”
In mid-April, the board of directors of the employers’ association approved an electoral advance of two months and called new elections for May 18. Two years ago, Foment reformed its statutes to eliminate the term limits for president. Until then, it was prohibited to run for more than two consecutive four-year terms. Previously, the CEOE had already applied the same measure.
