Pimec demands from Hereu a law that prevents obstacles to business growth

BarcelonaThe president of Pimec, Antoni Cañete, took advantage of the presence of the Minister of Industry, Jordi Hereu, at an event of this employers' association in Rubí to call for a law aimed at preventing obstacles that hinder the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This law to promote business growth should serve to encourage SMEs to gain size, productivity, and competitiveness. Hereu, who in the same event advocated for increasing the weight of local industry and trade, argued that public policies should be directed towards business growth, strengthening the size, productivity, and competitiveness of the SME fabric to face global challenges.

Cañete's request, which he maintains as one of his main demands, was made during the fourth edition of the Vallès Occidental business awards, held in Rubí. During his speech, he warned that business growth continues to be one of the major pending challenges for the Catalan and Spanish economies. "Catalonia and Spain have extraordinary companies, talent, and entrepreneurial capacity, but too often companies encounter obstacles that hinder their growth," he insisted. Therefore, he advocated, taking advantage of the minister's presence, for the need for a specific regulation that promotes business development and allows SMEs to gain scale without losing competitiveness.

The president of Pimec recalled that, according to the study on business size conducted by the SME Observatory, led by Professor Oriol Amat, 70% of companies want to grow, but only 30% achieve it. Nearly half of companies state that they have not received any form of help for growth and innovation.

Cañete emphasized the need for public policies aimed at eliminating administrative, regulatory, and fiscal barriers that hinder this process. "We need a regulatory framework that rewards those who want to grow and administrations that work together with business organizations to build effective solutions," he stated. According to the Pîmec study, 99.8% of Catalan companies are SMEs, and 94% of these are micro-enterprises, with fewer than 10 employees. In Catalonia, only 0.2% of companies are large enterprises, which contrasts with countries like Germany, where companies of this size represent 0.5%.

Cañete has taken advantage of the presence of Hereu and the Minister of Business, Miquel Sàmper, who also attended, to address them directly and ask them to complete the work developed in recent months between the ministry and the business organization. The main objective is for the business dimension to be formally incorporated as a priority on the work agenda of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism.

"The business dimension must be placed at the center of economic policies because a growing company is a more productive, more innovative, more export-oriented, and more resilient company in the face of crises," stated the president of Pimec.