The business community of the Balearic Islands has celebrated Pedro Sánchez’s announcement that he will call for a general election. The president’s speech early Monday morning has already received a response from the islands’ main business organizations, the Confederation of Business Associations of the Balearic Islands (CAEB) and the Federation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises of Mallorca (PIMEM), who welcome this definitive turning point in a legislature “that had run its course.”
This is the view expressed by PIMEM president Jordi Mora, who emphasizes that the priority is to seek a majority “that provides security and stability.” In this regard, he pointed out that the November 29 elections were the only possible way in a context where “there were not enough majorities to pass decrees: an election had to be called.”. Although the economy “is doing well,” the president of the business organization has insisted that this positive business and economic climate is not accompanied by decisive policies due to the lack of parliamentary majorities.
Mora has highlighted the housing problem, emphasizing that it is “one of the biggest social problems” in Spain, “but also a business issue.” According to him, the housing decrees had been drafted “from a political perspective without resolving any of the structural problems that cause the housing shortage.” Furthermore, the business organization highlights the shared responsibility of regional and local authorities for housing and urges the start of construction on affordable housing for the working class and hardworking people, a priority that “has not translated into concrete policies” due to the lack of a parliamentary majority.
For her part, the president of the CAEB, Carmen Planas, expressed her surprise at the announcement, although she added that it was expected to come sooner rather than later. “It took us by surprise, but I think everyone already expected that an election would be called,” she said, emphasizing that “we advocate for institutional stability and legal certainty, because that is what allows companies to invest and grow. And that has an impact on the general well-being of citizens.” Planas added that “this will benefit us,” as “there was a lot of uncertainty at that time and it had been many years since there had been a budget.”
Strategic projects
Planas made these statements from the headquarters of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE) in Madrid, where he had traveled to attend the conference titled ‘The Balearic Islands: a land of opportunities for strategic projects‘. The event was inaugurated by the first vice president of the national business organization, Miguel Garrido, and was attended by the President of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Marga Prohens, who presented the Strategic Project Acceleration Unit (UAPE), a new initiative by the Balearic Government designed to facilitate, streamline, and support the implementation of strategic business projects in the Balearic Islands.
During his presentation, Planas called on the authorities “to listen to us, provide the tools, and streamline procedures so that business solutions and demands can be part of the ongoing economic transformation in the Balearic Islands.” In this line, he emphasized “the essential public-private collaboration, which must have the clear objective of promoting joint initiatives to support companies by improving their competitiveness, simplifying bureaucracy, and facilitating access to European funds and other sources of financing.”
For her part, Prohens has defended the potential of the Balearic Islands as a region for investment, entrepreneurship, and innovation, and has called for a public administration that “stops being an obstacle course and becomes an ally” of businesses. The president explained that the UAPE was created with the goal of attracting projects that help transform the economy of the Balearic Islands and to make dealings with the administration as streamlined as possible. Therefore, he emphasized that “it is not about circumventing the rules or eliminating safeguards,” but rather about coordinating the various administrative bodies, providing a single point of contact for developers, streamlining procedures, and reducing response times, all while guaranteeing legal certainty and regulatory compliance.
“We want a government that supports, listens, coordinates, provides answers, and reduces processing times. And one that, when a project is good for the islands, is able to say, ‘Let’s make it a reality,'” Prohens concluded.
