The economic world, awaiting the Alliance phenomenon

BarcelonaThe president of Aliança Catalana, Sílvia Orriols, will participate next Saturday in a meeting organized by Emilio Cuatrecasas, honorary president of the renowned law firm, at the Hotel Terraverda in the small municipality of Gualta, with a group of members of the collective.Empordà Small CommitteeThe positive electoral prospects predicted by all polls for the party—the latest CEO survey gave them up to 20 seats in future Catalan parliamentary elections—have sparked interest within the economic and business world. Aware that the rise of the far-right pro-independence movement in institutions is not a passing phenomenon, the establishment wants to learn firsthand what their intentions are. It is within this context that Orriols's talk, followed by a question-and-answer session, was directly promoted by Cuatrecasas, a firm that has publicly opposed Catalan independence. The aim is for members of the group to learn about Orriols's political project, a figure still relatively unknown to the establishment, which is waiting to see what his trajectory might be.

Sources within Aliança Catalana confirmed to ARA that it was a "personal invitation" from Cuatrecasas to Orriols, and that the party leader and mayor of Ripoll accepted it after speaking directly with the businessman. This will be Orriols' first major event with key Catalan power circles since she canceled a conference at the last minute last October at the New Economy Forum, held at the Palace Hotel in Barcelona, ​​which has been attended by leading political figures. The leader of Aliança Catalana announced she would be unable to attend due to illness, which annoyed the organizers, according to party sources. These same sources explained that they are trying to reschedule the event for a new date: "They want to resolve the situation because nobody likes having a conference canceled on the day of the event."

While awaiting confirmation of the date and time for the meeting at the Palace Hotel and the gathering in Baix Empordà spearheaded by Cuatrecasas, Aliança's relationship with Catalan businesses remains an enigma. The general feeling among the business community is that Silvia Orriols' party lacks a clear program regarding economics and business, and, so far, interactions have been scarce. "They seem unprepared on economic matters, as seen with pensions and certain things they say about immigration," notes a business source, recalling the controversy the xenophobic party stirred up with its initial push to privatize pensions, a position it later softened.

In fact, the only outreach Alianza has made to the business world so far has been a meeting with the employers' association Pimec. The meeting took place at the institution's headquarters before Christmas, "at Aliança's request," which was not made public. According to sources familiar with the meeting, the party president did not attend, and the association was represented by its secretary general, Josep Ginesta. "We presented our demands for businesses, just as we do with all political parties that are willing to listen to us," the small and medium-sized business association stated.

No meetings scheduled with Foment or Cecot

Regarding Foment del Treball, "no meeting is scheduled, and there is no record of anyone having requested one," neither from the party nor the employers' association. However, Foment's president, Josep Sánchez Llibre, explained during the traditional Christmas reception in December that he did not rule out a meeting if they requested it. "We have sent them our proposals, as we do with all parliamentary groups, but we have not requested an appointment, nor are we aware that they have; it is possible that we will end up meeting at some point, but as we do with everyone," he noted at the time. Cecot, which met this week with ERC and Junts to discuss the new financing model, has also had no contact with the Orriols party and maintains that "it is not planned, at the moment." The Círculo de Economía (Circle of Economy) responds similarly: "We have no meetings scheduled," they confirm.

At the Círculo Ecuestre, a private club for businesspeople, politicians, and cultural figures, Aliança Catalana made an appearance once, to attend a private event hosted by the Registrars. "The Círculo rents its spaces to members who need them for private events; that's what the Registrars did, and they invited Aliança Catalana, but Orriols didn't come, she attended another event for her party," they say, referring to the other member of parliament, Rosa Maria Soberana. They emphasize, however, that "it wasn't an event organized by the Círculo," and that they haven't had any contact with them. Nevertheless, it's common for the Círculo to invite candidates to speak to its members during election campaigns. "We'll consider it when the time comes," sources at the elite institution say. The fact that Aliança doesn't have a key role in the governance of Catalonia and on crucial issues like the new financing model, as well as its decision not to run in the Spanish elections, means that the business community is in no hurry to meet with the Orriols-based party. Sources within Aliança also acknowledge that they haven't requested further meetings with the business sector, but are open to attending if invited. In any case, the meeting promoted by Cuatrecasas demonstrates that the business world is not oblivious to the growth that all polls predict Aliança will experience in the upcoming elections.