Employer’s association and civil society organisation present a manifesto on the economic viability of a Catalan State

Barcelona (ACN).- The President of the employer’s association Cercle Català de Negocis (CCN), Albert Pont, and the Coordinator of the economic division of the Catalan National Assembly for independence (ANC), David Ros, presented on Monday a manifesto defending the economic viability of a Catalan State. The heads of the ANC and the CNN have called on professionals in the economic world to sign the document, entitled ‘Manifest dels professionals de l'economia de Catalunya’ (manifesto from professionals about the Catalan economy) since independence “is viable, and from an economic point of view, desirable”. Both Pont and Ros have also emphasised that the self-determination process is not harming the Catalan economy, quite the contrary, as revealed by the figures for exports and foreign investments.

During a ceremony at Barcelona’s Stock Exchange, in front of a hundred people, David Ros argued that an independent Catalonia would be one of the driving forces of Southern Europe. Ros insisted that Catalonia “is an economically viable state” and that independence “does not necessarily represent breaking ties with Spain: this is not in the interest of anyone”. The economy expert also expects that the self-determination process will be conducted under the guidance of the EU, at one time or another.  

Meanwhile, Albert Pont pointed out that the economic relations between Catalonia and Spain are “extremely toxic”, since the regional financing system perpetuates the “inequalities” between Autonomous Communities through the solidarity fund. “It's as if a shopkeeper went out on the street giving money to customers so they would buy things”, he said.

Pont also believes that the Spanish Government will have to recognise the independence of Catalonia, since it couldn’t assume the €1.5 billion per year that the Catalan economy annually transfers to the EU. The President of the CCN added that independence would generate profits “at all levels”, the elimination of the fiscal deficit, as well as bring capital to Barcelona and enable stronger decision-making power in the economic field.

Rejecting “economic asphyxia” and advocating the right to decide

The manifesto denounces an “economic asphyxia” caused by fiscal deficit, which has led Catalonia to rely on budget “cuts that threaten our welfare state and social cohesion”. The authors believe that the economic policies of successive Spanish Governments “have failed”, using the unemployment figures registered in Spain as one of the most striking examples, and stressing that “no European country has submitted figures even remotely comparable to these”.

“The infrastructure policies conducted by the various Spanish governments that have followed one another have been and still are discriminatory to Catalonia in particular and to the Mediterranean axis in general, representing a serious obstacle to our development and to our getting out of the crisis, which involves exports” explains the manifesto.

According to the text, “all of this means that now more than ever, we should be able to raise the possibility of a Catalan State as the solution to these structural problems”.  Therefore, the authors believe that Catalonia “has the right to freely and democratically decide its future” while “the economic crisis and the Catalan Government’s distress make it necessary and urgent for the binding referendum on the relationship between Catalonia and Spain” to take place.