CEOE has presented this Wednesday the ‘Framework Document for the recovery, transformation and resilience of the Spanish economy’, a report that includes a contribution, from a business perspective, to the ‘Spain can’ Plan.
The general secretary of CEOE, José Alberto González Ruiz, and the vice president of CEOE and president of the Institute for Economic Studies (IEE), Íñigo Fernández de Mesa, participated in the event.
Specifically, the report sets out the business vision of how the recovery of the Spanish economy should be addressed through reforms and investments, as well as other elements, such as the elimination of bureaucratic obstacles or the implementation of tax incentives.
With the preparation of this Document, CEOE wants to maximize the impact of European funds in Spain. For this, the Confederation is finalizing a catalog of tractor macroprojects that it will present in the coming weeks.
Reactivate the business fabric
CEOE identifies as priority objectives for Spain to rebuild, reactivate and strengthen the business structure affected by the Covid-19 crisis; promote a broad private investment program that includes the intangible component and human capital; and promote a program of structural reforms that respond to the main challenges and opportunities of the Spanish economy.
For this, several transverse vectors are identified. Among them, CEOE considers that the resources should be allocated to investment projects led by the private sector, to increase the potential growth of the economy and competitiveness in the future.
In addition, the use of these resources must follow public-private collaboration schemes, including the streamlining of public contracts and subsidies procedures and the elimination of "bottlenecks."
The report also indicates that the financial sector must actively participate in the management of the resources channeled via credit to guarantee their viability and ensure compliance. Furthermore, European funds must be complemented by an appropriate framework of tax incentives.
In CEOE's opinion, consultation with the social partners is key so that the recovery plan is truly linked to the companies.
Reforms and investment
Regarding reform and investment priorities, and in order to preserve the productive fabric, CEOE considers it necessary to implement a set of urgent economic measures, as a continuation of those already applied during the state of alarm.
The ecological transition is another of the priorities identified by entrepreneurs, for whom the transformation of the Spanish economy towards a climate-neutral economy will require considerable investments over a prolonged period, especially in industry.
CEOE also proposes establishing an ambitious program to support industrial activity, which is key, to a large extent, for the long-term competitiveness of the economy.
The digital transition is also a priority, since the competitiveness and efficiency of companies will depend, to a large extent, on their adaptation to the new technological environment.
Furthermore, CEOE considers that the company is a key agent in the field of equality, another of the priorities identified by the organization. In this sense, it points out four key levers: training, entrepreneurship, co-responsibility, conciliation and the elimination of gaps.
