The vice president of the Government, Nadia Calviño, appeals for unity of action to get out of the crisis

Extraordinary Plenary Session of the Chamber of Spain

The companies of the Chamber of Spain confirm the coincidence in the diagnosis of the situation and ask that the necessary solutions be addressed based on consensus.

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The third vice president of the Government and minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, has appealed to unity of action against the economic and social crisis derived from the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

“The diagnosis of the situation is shared, as well as the recipes to deal with it. There is more that unites Spanish society than separates it and that must also be reflected in politics. “It is time for unity, to lend a hand,” stated the Vice President of the Government.

 

During his speech at the Extraordinary Plenary Session of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, Calviño has underlined the fundamental role that must be played by Chambers of Commerce – who have asked for collaboration in this stage of reconstruction in the digital transformation process and in the Capabilities, particularly SMEs “The digital transformation of small and medium-sized companies constitutes the most important structural reform that lies ahead of us and we have to accelerate and intensify it exponentially,” Calviño stressed.

 

The digital transition, together with the ecological transition, training and internationalization have been some of the issues that have focused the debate on proposals for action in the face of the economic crisis and the main challenges and priorities that must be raised in the reconstruction stage, starring for the Presidents of BBVA, Banco Santander, HP, Iberdrola, Indra and Telefónica.

 

The participating companies have agreed both in the diagnosis and in the appeal for the necessary unity of action to overcome the crisis.

 

Thus, the president of Banco Santander, Ana Botín, has stated that “there is a great consensus on the principles on which the recovery must be based: that the future is in Europe and that we want a more sustainable, inclusive, digital and feminist economy. From here what needs to be discussed is how the reconstruction is carried out and, in my opinion, it should be based on four aspects. "That the projects have a multiplier effect, that they are supported by business leadership, the capillarity of aid and governance so that there is responsibility."

 

Another common aspect in the interventions of the different speakers has been the need to transform this crisis into an opportunity to change the Spanish economic model.

 

Ignacio Sánchez Galán, Chairman of Iberdrola, has influenced the ecological transition. “Investment in the green economy does not only have to do with energy, but also presents great structural advantages due to its transversal nature: it improves the economic competitiveness of our country, our balance of payments and our energy autonomy; It reduces our emissions and our pollution, and promotes the electrification of energy uses with an important driving effect in sectors such as air conditioning or transportation,” Galán assured.

 

In turn, the president of Indra, Fernando Abril-Martorell, has placed emphasis on the need for the Spanish economy to gain competitiveness and improve its productivity: “Technology gives Spain the opportunity to do an industrial 'reset' and relocate capacities,” he stated.

 

The digital transition has occupied a good part of the dialogue between companies, also agreeing on how digitalization has gained special relevance in the exceptional situation we are experiencing.

 

El president of Telefónica, José María Álvarez-Pallete, has revealed the leadership that Spain exercises among the digital infrastructures of the entire Europe, with the most extensive fiber optic network and the recent launch of 5G, which Telefónica will bring to 75 percent of the population this year. He stressed that “today it is more necessary than ever to imagine what the new digital society is going to be like and take the best. For this reason, in July we presented our Digital Pact, to anticipate the digital transition and lead it.”

 

El President of BBVA, Carlos Torres Vila, has paid special attention to the importance of digitalization for SMEs: “The role of banks in the crisis has been key, amplifying the effect of public money. In the medium-long term, we have to accelerate the change towards a production model based on new technologies and the efficient use of data. Digitalization makes it easier for SMEs to achieve efficiency in production processes. For example, cloud computing opens up a new world for them. We have to work on riding SMEs on that wave, combining reforms and investment.”

 

For its part, the President of HP for Spain, Portugal, France and Italy, Helena Herrero, has emphasized the incidence of digitization in internationalization.

 

“Globalization is unstoppable but after the pandemic it will be different. More digital, more sustainable and more focused on people," said Herrero, who has proposed that "as a country we have to fight to have and attract strategic centers with global impact, bet on talent and create digital ecosystems, working hand in hand. SMEs and multinationals.

 

The role of Chambers of Commerce

 

El president of the Chamber of Spain, José Luis Bonet, has reiterated the willingness of companies to collaborate with public authorities in getting out of the crisis and the fundamental role that the Chamber of Spain and the cameral network, which due to its capillarity is a fundamental instrument of the Government so that European aid reaches the entire productive fabric. “We must face the situation with determination, courage, determination and vision for the future, without leaving anyone behind, looking out for the people, of course, but also for the companies that are the key to recovery, the creation of employment and the growth of the economy”, he stated Bonetti.

 

In the same sense, it has been stated president of the Chamber of Valencia and the Council of Chambers of the Valencian Community, José Vicente Morata, which has stressed that the capillarity and proximity to the productive fabric of the cameral system “are necessary to transfer public policies to the private sphere. And, furthermore, quickly and efficiently, which is precisely what is required in the current situation.”

 

For his part, president of the Chamber of Granada, Gerardo Cuerva, has insisted on the need to count on the whole of society to carry out the necessary reforms and particularly with regard to digitalization.

 

“If we want to succeed in the digital transition process, we must remember the people,” he stated.