Catalan businesses: a valuable asset for Catalonia
Catalonia's economic trajectory is inseparable from the role played by its business community, which has been able to generate prosperity, structure the territory, and contribute a modern and open-minded vision. In a country that, for centuries, lacked its own administration and significant natural resources, private enterprise not only compensated for these deficiencies but also became the backbone of economic and social development. Understanding Catalonia's present and future requires acknowledging this contribution.
Catalan commercial roots are ancient and deep. The Consulate of the Sea, one of the most advanced mercantile institutions of its time, consolidated a way of understanding business based on rules, responsibility, and international outreach. This spirit allowed Catalonia to integrate itself into Mediterranean trade networks. When, centuries later, phylloxera devastated the countryside, the business community reacted creatively: restructuring, diversification, innovation, and the opening of new markets. This was not a historical exception but a pattern that would be consistently repeated. The Industrial Revolution reinforced this character. Catalonia industrialized without a state policy to support it and without a natural supply of coal to facilitate it. The modernization of textile machinery, the investment in industrial colonies, the creation of modern financial institutions, and the development of infrastructure were business decisions made in a context of zero political autonomy, which reinforced the responsibility of entrepreneurs as a key asset for sustaining the country. Catalonia became the industrial engine of Spain, and Barcelona, its economic capital, because its entrepreneurs assumed a leading and transformative role, and without them, history would have been different. In other cultural and institutional traditions, especially Anglo-Saxon and Germanic ones, a more favorable view of the role of entrepreneurs has been developed. In these environments, private initiative is perceived as a collective asset, and its contribution is recognized socially and politically. This cultural framework has fostered economic ecosystems that drive innovation, promote entrepreneurial ambition, and generate a virtuous cycle of initiative, well-being, and progress. Understanding between society and businesses allows these countries to advance with greater stability and confidence. Catalonia, despite its commercial and industrial tradition, has not always enjoyed this explicit recognition. The lack of its own political power for centuries, coupled with a traditionally Spanish political culture more resistant to business, has shaped the public narrative about the role of entrepreneurs. In 2025, the president of Fomento, Josep Sánchez Llibre, at the awards ceremony of this employers' association on November 25th, demanded respect for businesspeople and private property, as they are often subjected to constant attacks that cast suspicion and portray them as suspects. On the contrary, they comply with the law, generate wealth, and create jobs. The entrepreneur not only drives a business, but also takes risks, champions ideas, and creates real opportunities where none existed before.
Moreover, in an uncertain, difficult, and ever-changing context, the figure of the entrepreneur is even more relevant. That is why their contribution is asserted with serenity, conviction, and pride, avoiding situations in which the business community often feels questioned, over-regulated, or insufficiently heard.
A recent example: the proposed law from the Catalan Center for Business and Human Rights, which, supposedly to prevent human rights violations abroad from harming Catalan companies, is imbued with distrust of business. It is worth noting that Article 12.2 literally states: "The Director [...] may not be linked to the governing bodies or boards of directors of for-profit entities, nor may they belong to non-profit foundations and/or business associations in the five years prior to their appointment." This treatment is an affront to these individuals because it is discriminatory and violates human rights, reflecting a negative view of the business world. Demanding a five-year suspension, or, if the company is non-profit, that it not be affiliated with a business association, harms these individuals and projects a socially inappropriate and out-of-touch view of the business community in Catalonia.
Catalonia's economy has been built largely through private initiative and greater public-private collaboration; therefore, the political, institutional, and cultural conditions must be created to ensure this remains one of its greatest assets.