Salvador Illa demands support for housing as companies had during covid

BarcelonaThe President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, once again claims the need for housing opportunities to be guaranteed in Catalonia and throughout the State, after the death this Wednesday of Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman who became a symbol of the fight for the right to a home following her eviction in Madrid. During a meeting with BBVA and Mexican businessmen held this Thursday at the Pedralbes Palace in Barcelona, Illa equated the current situation in the housing sector with the impact suffered by the productive sector after the outbreak of COVID-19.

"At that time it was clear that the productive fabric had to be supported, no one discussed it. [...] In similar terms we must do it now to guarantee housing opportunities, so that the economy functions and so that prosperity is shared," said the socialist leader. In this sense, and in line with the message that he published yesterday on social media, the President of the Generalitat has conveyed his condolences to the family of Maricarmen Abascal in the face of a death that has "deeply affected everyone" and that "has left no one indifferent". "In politics and in everything we do in life, human values must always be present," he noted.

Within the framework of the meeting, in the upper part of Barcelona, Illa once again valued the European social and economic model, based on three main pillars: the generation of prosperity based on market economies, the defense of democratic political regimes, and the preservation of a welfare state that guarantees "a minimum social cohesion". For the Catalan leader, the current geopolitical context remains marked by "a profound change", in which forces that try to "undermine day by day" multilateral institutions prevail. In this sense, Illa has called for continuing to bet on Europe and specifically on Catalonia. "We are a fifth of the Spanish economy, we are well positioned [...] and I think there are interesting bridges to build and reinforce," he said before the Mexican businessmen and BBVA representatives present at the event.

Beyond housing, Illa has claimed Catalonia as a key territory where renewable energies are promoted, a leader in water resource management and favorable conditions, and a driver of administrative simplification and the attraction and training of talent. On the other hand, he highlighted the importance of continuing to bet on the modernization of infrastructure, in a new week marked by incidents on the railway network following the latest extreme weather phenomena. In parallel, Illa has again emphasized the need to expand El Prat airport, ensuring that all environmental concerns will be resolved. "No country will be able to generate anything if it is not well connected," he said. "We want to build one of the most sustainable airports in southern Europe [...] and we are also working to recover the investments in Rodalies that should have been made in recent years," he insisted.

Bringing Catalonia and Mexico closer

This Thursday's meeting featured the prominent presence of BBVA chairman Carlos Torres, who focused his speech on praising the virtues of Catalonia and its business fabric. For the executive of the Basque-originated entity, Catalonia and Mexico "have a lot to offer," and stand out for their "entrepreneurial and international vocation" and their industrial and manufacturing base.

The executive recalled that Catalan exports to Mexico have increased by 80% over the last ten years, reaching around 2 billion euros. Today, more than 1,500 Catalan companies sell regularly to Mexico, and some 380 are established there. At the same time, and as the leading entity in terms of client volume in the Latin American territory, BBVA has accompanied more than 600 Catalan companies in their process of entering the Mexican market.

In line with Illa's words, Torres commented that Catalonia and Mexico can "strengthen ties" through the exploration of "new opportunities for collaboration and investment." According to the data mentioned by the entity, the delegation of Mexican businessmen present this week in Barcelona represents up to 470 companies from the country, with an estimated impact of 10% of the gross domestic product (GDP, the indicator that measures the economic activity of a territory) of Mexico.