What does the future hold for business in Catalonia?

“Wait and see.” This is what the president of Pimec (Small and Medium Business in Catalonia), Josep González said on Wednesday in reference to international financier’s decisions to invest in Catalonia. In these uncertain times, with the future still undetermined, he explained that they are in no hurry to carry out business in the country.

In an interview with TV3, González said that there is distrust amidst entrepreneurs, resulting in a slight reduction in investments, as they wait to for the political crisis between Catalonia and Spain to play out and reach a definitive conclusion.

In reference to recent calls ‘for work stoppages’, similar to an unofficial strike, he said he was not in favor of “altering the system of production” for political purposes.

Optimism in the face of uncertainty

As many companies continue to move their legal headquarters outside of Catalonia amidst the ongoing political crisis, the government remains optimistic that banks and companies will eventually return.

The secretary of economy Pere Aragonès believes that the situation is temporary, and will return to the status quo of before regardless of whether Catalonia becomes achieves full sovereignty or not. “When the situation is normalized,” he explained to TV3 that companies will come back to Catalonia because it is where personnel and production centers are.

However, he also admitted some pending business decisions will not be made until the precarious political situation is clarified, noting that it is not a withdrawal of investments. Aragonès affirmed that this is usual during times of political change.

He admitted that the exodus of businesses and banks from Catalonia is a cause for concern for the government, justifying it as a response “to a situation of temporary political uncertainty,” even though “it is a situation we do not like.”