Pedro Sánchez and Feijóo will be at the Cercle d'Economia meeting to talk about strategic autonomy

BarcelonaThe President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, will attend the annual meeting of the Cercle d'Economia to be held from June 1 to 3 in Barcelona, the first meeting with Teresa Garcia-Milà as president of the institution. This year the central theme will be Europe's strategic autonomy in the context of the war in the Middle East, which adds to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the difficult relations of the Old Continent with the administration of Donald Trump in the United States.

On behalf of the Generalitat, President Salvador Illa and the Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero, will also participate. In addition, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, will also participate, as well as the lehendakari Imanol Pradales and the president of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda, as representatives of historical nationalities, and the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni. Sánchez will close the conference on Saturday, which will be opened on the 1st by Illa and Collboni.

Business vision

Garcia-Milà explained at the presentation of the meeting –which will take place at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, in Barcelona, and which this year celebrates its 41st edition– that the sessions will focus on fields such as chips or medicines. Last year the diagnosis was made and now the aim is to "move on to discussing solutions", he added.

Issues such as the challenge of decarbonization will be addressed, and for this reason, business leaders who can contribute to Europe's strategic autonomy will participate. The meetings will have "an eminently business vision", explained the president of the institution. The business representation will include the global president and CEO of Ikea, Juvencio Maeztu, and the presidents of CaixaBank, Tomàs Muniesa; of Telefónica, Marc Murtra; of Repsol, Antoni Brufau; of AstraZeneca, Laura Colón, and the CEO of Seat and Cupra, Markus Haupt.

The general director of the Cercle, Miquel Nadal, highlighted the essential aspects of the conferences, which he wants to answer a very specific question: "Europe's strategic autonomy: myth or reality?" In addition to European representatives, there will also be personalities from other parts of the world. Another important point will be to specify the Draghi report "to Spanish and Catalan reality".

The Cercle d'Economia Award for European Construction will be given to Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator for the British newspaper Financial Times. The journalist will receive the award from King Felipe VI.

In the geopolitics section, there will be sessions on how the world is seen from China and India. Jin Qingguo, university professor and member of the political consultative body of the Chinese Communist Party, and Mohan Kumar, former ambassador of India to France and Bahrain, will be present.

There will be another session on "what is happening in the USA", with Julissa Reynoso, former US ambassador to Spain under the Joe Biden administration; and Christopher Caldwell, a US conservative journalist and essayist. And on why we in Europe cannot agree, Minister Albares will participate in a session with Raphaël Glucksmann, MEP and leader of the European left; and Radoslaw Sikorski, Vice-President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland.

AI and defense

Questions will also be analyzed such as artificial intelligence, with the French multinational Mistral, or defense, with the German Helsing. One of the questions will be a debate on whether there can be a Catalan defense industry, with representatives from Sateliot or Pangea. Other topics will include decarbonization, the automotive sector, in which sectors Europe can lead, and how the European transformation will be financed.

Throughout the conference there will also be sessions on absenteeism at work with employers and union representatives; and on family businesses and generational transition.