Josep Sánchez Llibre
Josep Sánchez Llibre, President of Foment del Treball Nacional, Vice-President of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations, former member of the Parliament of Catalonia and of the Congress of Deputies, former senator and Honorary Member of the Royal European Academy of Doctors (READ), will remain at the helm of Catalonia’s leading employers’ association for what will now be his third term, after his was the only candidacy submitted for the elections called for 18 May. The presidential list presented 290 endorsements, which, without the need for elections, confirmed broad support from the business world. Following the proclamation by the Electoral Board, the institution’s General Assembly ratified the election of Sánchez Llibre and his team.
“We are not carrying out a mere formality; we are renewing a commitment. Foment will continue to maintain a demanding but also constructive attitude; critical when necessary, but always loyal to the institutions and to the country’s economic and social progress,” the academic stated after automatically renewing his position. In his speech, the re-elected president identified productivity, business competitiveness, improved taxation, the fight against absenteeism, housing and infrastructure as the major axes of the new term, and defended the fact that Foment will continue to be a proactive and responsible institution, committed to building consensus in the service of business, social progress and the common good. “We offer an open hand, loyal dialogue and a willingness to reach agreements with the Government of Catalonia in order to build a deep and permanent space for collaboration,” he stated.
The employers’ leader set out productivity, business competitiveness, taxation, the fight against absenteeism, housing and infrastructure as priorities for his new term. In this regard, he called for stable, competitive, growth-oriented taxation that no longer weighs down economic activity. He also proposed abolishing the wealth tax, reforming the inheritance and gift taxes, adjusting the personal income tax for inflation, and avoiding new tax rates. As regards absenteeism, he described it as a silent emergency that hinders productivity and wages, and announced that Foment will promote a white paper on the subject, with the participation of experts and all the parties involved. On the housing problem, he defended increasing the land supply by streamlining administrative procedures and strengthening public-private collaboration and legal certainty, while rejecting measures that demonise property owners or deter investment. Finally, with regard to infrastructure, he demanded that committed projects be carried out, that the historic deficit be addressed and that reliable mobility be guaranteed.
Sánchez Llibre has been recognised with the Award of the Association of Self-Employed Workers of Catalonia, the Bernardo O’Higgins Medal, awarded by the Government of Chile; he is an honorary member of the Official Association of Commercial and Business Graduates of Barcelona, recipient of the Foment del Treball Medal of Honour for Business Career, the Gold and Diamond Badge of RCD Espanyol, the Gold Medal of the Order of Chambers of Commerce of the Council of Chambers of Commerce, the Red Cross Medal for his personal commitment and involvement with the institution and its humanitarian emergency programme “Creu Roja Respon”, the Medal of Honour of Automobile Barcelona, an honorary member of the Register of Auditor Economists of the General Council of Economists, recipient of the Gaudí Gresol Award for Notoriety and Excellence in the Business Leadership category, and author of the book “Les veritats de l’Estatut”.
