José Luis Bonet: “The return to protectionism is the main international threat”

Participate in the Economic Forum “El Diario Montañes”

“Closing borders in the name of particular interests would be a step backwards with incalculable consequences,” he said.

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El president of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Bonet, has warned that the main threat it faces Spain On the international level it is the return to protectionism. This is what he said during his speech at the Economic Forum “The Montañes Diary”, which has been held in Santander.

 

“It is hard to believe that we could see a return to protectionism and the lifting of barriers, because close the borders in the name of particular interests would mean a setback with incalculable consequences not only in the economic sphere, but also in the political and social sphere," he stressed.

 

Therefore, Joseph Louis Bonet has argued that since Europe We must continue to advance along the path of liberalization, trade opening and multilateral agreement to ensure the progress and well-being of citizens, as well as the emergence of opportunities for the business community, especially SMEs.

 

“Our positioning,” he added, “must be firm in defense of a model that has brought well-being, growth, stability and competitiveness. Multilateralism represents the true spirit and driving force of the European Union”. In this sense, Joseph Louis Bonet has announced that the Chamber of Commerce of Spain will soon launch an institutional declaration to demonstrate the commitment of Spanish companies to the international free trade.

 

Bonet has referred to the Capabilities, the digitalization and Development as the three axes on which the Spanish economy must pivot to ensure sustainable economic growth that allows continued job creation.

 

On the first axis, the Capabilities, Joseph Louis Bonet He said that it is a basic issue for the survival of companies. “The challenge is to make companies, especially SMEs, aware that this process should not be seen only as a temporary solution in times of crisis, but as a structural change that should permeate all their decisions.” He also encouraged people to take advantage of the internationalization platform- the Spanish multinationals– which can act as a driving force for the entire set of Spanish SMEs.

 

 

Internationalization, training and digitalization, the main axes on which economic growth must be based

 

 

For José Luis Bonet, opening up to other markets requires an improvement in competitiveness, the levers of which are innovation and, above all, digitalisation. “Digitalisation improves the offer because new products and services are created, but it also expands demand by offering companies new ways of relating to their customers and accessing new customers and market niches.

 

As for the third axis, the Development, the Speaker of the House of Trade of Spain He stated that “the Spanish economy needs to closely link the educational system with the skills needs that companies seek in the labour market, thus improving the employability of people and the competitiveness of our productive fabric”. In this sense, he defended a State Pact for Education, Training and Employment, because Spanish society demands that politicians understand this matter.

 

In this context, the president of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce has highlighted the importance of the role of the Chamber of Commerce of Spain and the territorial network of chambers of commerce due to its proximity to the business fabric, its knowledge of the needs of companies and its territorial capillarity.

 

“The chamber system is now more important than ever,” he added, “through the Chamber of Commerce of Spain which is an intermediate body of the European Union, the system will manage more than 2014 million euros of European funds between 2020 and 400, which will benefit the business community through programmes developed by the territorial chambers of commerce.

 

Finally, he stressed the importance of collaboration between public administrations and chambers of commerce in all actions aimed at improving competitiveness and internationalisation "which will translate into greater economic activity and job creation and, ultimately, a guarantee of well-being for citizens."