Grow better, national priority

BarcelonaThe growth of the Catalan and Spanish economy is undeniable. And future estimates, despite a slowdown, confirm that we will continue to be the champions of GDP growth. The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, did not fail to mention this during his speech at the annual meeting of the Cercle d'Economia in Barcelona, where he surprised the audience by announcing the steps to present the State budgets for 2027, which sound more like an electoral program than a real possibility.

The president of the Cercle, Teresa Garcia-Milà, admitted the economic dynamism, but pointed out a worrying issue: we are growing more in volume than in quality. This is the problem of low productivity, recently warned by the Fenix ReportAs the population at risk of poverty increasesToday, despite the undeniable growth of GDP in recent years, the redistribution of wealth is not improving and per capita income is stagnant. The day only has 24 hours, no more can be added, and therefore, the solution is to produce and generate more with more investment in innovation and training, among other things. It is about working fewer hours and generating more. If more than a hundred years ago more than 1,800 hours of work were needed just to buy basic food, today less than half are needed. It is about advancing along this path.

But today the benefits of growth are increasingly concentrated at the top of society. While the population at risk of poverty is increasing, last year, for example, 13,100 millionaires were made in Spain, and there are already more than 259,000. And an essential element, housing, has prices, both for rent and purchase, impossible for the majority to pay and which are therefore a source of inequality. The risk is to create a society in which there are only rich and poor, with no one in between, who, in the end, are the people who sustain a good part of the welfare state.

We are not yet at a point of no return. Political actions are needed, not partisan ones, and to truly execute the motto of Salvador Illa's government: inclusive growth. This means consensus on issues like housing. I know it sounds like a chimera given the political situation of polarization and judicialization, as Garcia-Milà said, but there are not many other solutions. It is in the hands of politicians. And this is indeed a true national priority.