‘Cercle d’Economia’ on independence declaration: it stems foreign investment and forces companies to leave

 

Barcelona (CNA).- The Cercle d’Economia, the main Catalan economic forum open to businesspeople and academics, stated this Friday that “it is indispensable and urgent to change Catalan politics’direction”. The organisation warned that the declaration of independence, approved in the Parliament by pro-independence forces ‘Junts Pel Sí’and CUP “breaks the law”and could cause “a strong social fracture”, and emphasised that “a wide majority of society”didn’t support the text.  According to the Cercle d’Economia’s president, Anton Costas “from the first minute”after the declaration was approved “there have been negative effects on business decisions regarding investment and location of corporate headquarters in Catalonia”. The Cercle d’Economia call for a combination of democracy and remaining within the EU as “the most productive way to generate wealth and social progress”.

The organisation warned that the negative effects caused by the independence declaration would be “magnified”if cross-party ‘Junts Pel Sí’and radical left CUP finally reach an agreement. According to its president, this would mean creating a government “with an unstable majority”subject to politics that may generate “a great uncertainty amongst companies, investors and savers”. Therefore, the Cercle d’Economia called those involved to “urgently change the Catalan politics’direction”and set up a government “with a stable majority, respectful with the law”and if this was not possible, calling elections would be “the appropriate way”to proceed.

In its newsletter, the organisation admitted that after the 27-S elections the pro-independence forces “have been reinforced”but that this “doesn’t mean a blank cheque to unilaterally break the law!”. “This political aspiration is legitimate but it has to be driven through democratic ways and not by breaking the law”stated the text. The organisation also insisted on the need to hold an “agreed and legal consultation”.

Upcoming Spanish elections could be “an opportunity”

The Cercle d’Economia also criticised the “stagnation”of the Spanish government and highlighted that 80% of Catalans are for a territorial reform, although “the majority of them”wants it “without breaking”with Spain. Therefore, Costas regards the upcoming 20^th of December Spanish elections as “an opportunity”to change the status quo and “reconcile the democratic principles with the legality”.

The EU as a development guarantee

The Cercle d’Economia also calls for Catalonia to remain within the EU, as Europe and the Euro “strengthen”the capacity to “converge with those European countries which are leaders both in the quality of their democratic principles and that of their social development”. “These principles were defended in the Cercle d’Economia foundation, in the fifties, and we think they are shared by a vast majority of the citizens”stated the organisation’s newsletter.