Economists defend Catalan economy strengths

A group of seven prestigious economists made a statement to defend the strength of the Catalan economy, despite recent political events. The statement, called 'Catalunya, una economia sòlida' (‘Catalonia, a strong economy’), is signed by prestigious economists, including the former Catalan Minister of Economy, Andreu Mas-Colell.

They also highlighted the strong GDP growth in Catalonia’s industrial sector and stated that all societies go through moments of uncertainty, specifically referring to recent political events, which can have an effect. Nevertheless, they said that the economy in Catalonia remains robust, despite all that has happened recently, including the police violence on October 1, when the independence referendum was held.  

According to them, the fact that differentiates societies that are experiencing a temporary crisis is the ability to face specific shocks on the basis of their strength. The group of experts said that the strengths of the Catalan economy are structural and reflect a “robust” economy based on positive indicators in different fields, such as investments, production, exports and domestic demand.

They stressed that the solid base of the Catalan economy ''won't disappear easily''. Thus, they considered that it can overcome '”any situation that is specifically adverse”. The economists that signed the statement are Salvador Alemany, Carles Gasòliba, Joan Hortalà, Guillem López Casasnovas, Andreu Mas-Colell, Antoni Serra Ramoneda and Joan B. Casas.