The president of Foment del Treball, Josep Sánchez Llibre, has decided to run for a third term at the head of the Catalan employers' organization, until 2030. He communicated this today to the board of directors, in which the organization's next elections have been called for May 18, instead of July 18, which is when the term expires. The deadline for submitting candidacies is May 8. In 2024, the statutes of this employers' association were modified to lift the term limit, established until then at two consecutive terms, which leads to the current president. The change gave Sánchez Llibre the possibility to run for president again, which he has finally decided to do.

Foment del Treball is considering taking the regulation of speculative housing purchases, agreed upon between the PSC and the Comuns, to the Constitutional Court. This was announced by the president of this employers' association, Josep Sánchez Llibre, during the assembly held this Monday in Barcelona. "The recent agreement between the Catalan Government and the Comuns is the socialization of private property; it is an attack on private property, a measure that has no place in our society. If necessary, we will promote the filing of an appeal of unconstitutionality or the raising of a question of unconstitutionality against this measure, which we consider lethal for the Catalan economy and society." He added that "the rules of the game cannot be changed from an ideological corner, thinking about propaganda or looking good." During his speech, in addition to insisting on reducing the tax burden in Catalonia, he urged President Salvador Illa to seek support from the opposition should ERC not support the budget. Despite stating that the budgets are "highly taxed and very interventionist," he asserted that the country needs a budget, without which €4 billion in investments will be lost. He explained that the Ministry of Public Works will negotiate amendments with parliamentary groups "aimed at reducing the tax burden and improving the supply of affordable housing." Regarding the budget, he did not mention Junts, but he did mention their rejection of the 37.5-hour workweek, highlighting the "courage" of the post-convergent party in voting against it along with the PP and Vox. This has allowed them to "stop the Ministry of Labor's unhealthy obsession" with "imposing" the reduced working hours. He also warned of "new legislative threats," ranging from extended leave policies "to the participation of unions on boards of directors." Legal certainty and investment

He insisted on preserving social dialogue, which he described as "a jewel of our democracy," and argued that the housing crisis will only be solved with increased supply, especially considering the influx of immigrants, which he defends as a way to "sustain the labor market," and the regularization process planned by the Spanish government. Sánchez Llibre championed private property and reiterated his criticism of the PSC and Comuns agreement on speculative purchases because "without legal certainty there is no investment, no housing, no industry, and no innovation." "A major public-private partnership is the only solution that will work," and he asserted that "it is unacceptable" to try to correct "the failure of housing policy" by making homeowners subsidiarily responsible or, worse still, scapegoats for errors that are not theirs." Regarding taxes, he mentioned the increase in the tourist tax and the municipal surcharge, which "will bleed businesses, entrepreneurs, and workers dry," and he insisted that Catalonia has become "a tax hell." One of his objectives is to negotiate budget amendments with the various parliamentary groups "aimed at reducing the tax burden and improving the housing supply," given the stalled industrial investments. "Catalonia needs to bring forward network investments to support both production and consumption," he said. "BK_SLT_LNA~" public and private sector."

]]>

The agreement between the Government, employers' associations (Foment del Treball and Pimec) and unions (UGT and CCOO) to pass the budget includes two points relating to the granting of sick leave. one of the most controversial topics of recent weeksThe agreement also underscores the need to "continue strengthening primary care"—the main manager of temporary disability (TD) claims—with an investment of up to €3.878 billion. It also includes the objective of "improving the entire care process" surrounding these procedures, "automating tasks and allowing for a reduction." Among these actions, the agreement indicates that an increase in situations where TD can be prescribed from the hospital is anticipated.

]]>

The Catalan government needs a budget to function properly. Currently, it is still operating under the extended 2023 budget, which severely limits the administration's room for maneuver and leaves it short of approximately €1.5 billion. This amount remains unused because new expenses or projects cannot be included due to the lack of a budget. This sum is equivalent to the annual allocation of departments such as the Department of Business and Labor or the Department of Universities and Research. The truth is, citizens deserve a government that operates with a budget that reflects the country's current needs, not figures that were based on the reality of three years ago. Furthermore, having a budget would allow the government to make the most of the resources generated by record tax revenues thanks to economic growth. This includes both taxes in which Catalonia participates, such as personal income tax (IRPF), and those collected directly and transferred to the government (inheritance and property transfer taxes) under the current financing system.

]]>

The budget agreement between the Government and the Commons, which foresees the prohibition of speculative housing purchasesThe proposal has been met with strong disapproval from homeowners' associations and business organizations, as well as from tenants' groups, who consider it timid. To the voices critical of the text, which proposes amending the urban planning law to empower municipalities to introduce veto power, a new voice was added this Friday: that of Jaime Palomera, from the Barcelona Institute for Urban Research (IDRA), one of the experts who participated in the Catalan government's working group on the matter. and that he prepared a report in favor Regarding the measure, IDRA stated in a position paper drafted by Palomera himself, as confirmed by ARA, "The current proposal on speculative housing purchases will hardly achieve its objective." What flaws does he see in the measure? Firstly, it doesn't prevent the purchase of homes to resell them shortly afterward at a higher price, which he says will generate more tension in the market. The agreed-upon bill introduces mechanisms to try to prevent this: for example, by requiring large property owners to register their address at a property to ensure they purchased it for their own use, or by limiting the number of second homes a person can own. It also requires large property owners and companies that buy entire buildings to put them all on the rental market according to price indices, but it doesn't prevent their resale.

]]>

An average of more than 500 complaints per day. This is the volume of grievances handled by the economic-administrative courts—bodies attached to the Ministry of Finance—an essential avenue for challenging tax assessments before resorting to the courts, according to regulations. It represents a veritable avalanche of work for these entities. However, in 2024—according to the latest available data—complaints decreased by 17.87% compared to the previous year, reaching 196,442. Conversely, the number of cases resolved, which reached 222,737, increased by 14.20%. The economic-administrative courts in Madrid lead the way in complaints, with more than 33,000; followed by those in Andalusia, with 31,000, and those in Catalonia, with 30,395—the three most populous autonomous communities.

]]>

The Catalan employers' association Foment del Treball and forty other economic entities have launched the Commission for Guaranteeing Reliable and Efficient Everyday Mobility in Catalonia. This commission will study the causes behind the "critical situation" of Catalan infrastructure and offer solutions. The president of the Catalan employers' association, Josep Sánchez Llibre, stated during the press conference that "the current situation in Catalonia from a mobility perspective is unsustainable, intolerable, and unacceptable." The commission will include representatives from the Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia (RACC), the College of Economists of Catalonia, the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, and the Chamber of Contractors of Catalonia, among other economic stakeholders. These representatives will attend bi-weekly hearings with relevant institutional officials. Sánchez Llibre emphasized that the goal of this working group is for it to be "open to everyone, with the intention of adding, not subtracting," and to generate a "positive and constructive" debate: "We don't want to point fingers, we're not here to criticize or destroy anything; mobility has a solution, and we will find it together." In addition to these hearings—where they will seek the participation of figures from the Department of Territory, the Ministry of Transport, the Cercanías commuter rail network, and Adif (the Spanish railway infrastructure manager)—the commission will also prepare reports analyzing the current situation and present proposals for the future. It will also investigate the current state of the infrastructure deficit and, finally, examine how many resources are needed to address it. The employers' association estimates the accumulated structural deficit in infrastructure between 2009 and 2023 at 42.5 billion euros. Results in October

The commission's work will begin now and will last until September of this year. Its conclusions are expected to be published in October, and the body will be coordinated by Lluís Moreno, president of the Catalan Chamber of Construction Contractors (CCOC) and vice president of Foment del Treball. In addition to Moreno and Sánchez Llibre, the presentation also included the president of the RACC (Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia), Josep Mateu; the managing director of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Roger Guasch; and the dean of the College of Economists of Catalonia, Carles Puig de Travy. Mateu lamented that the administrations have not provided "reliable answers" to crises such as the Cercanías commuter rail crisis and criticized the fact that during the term of Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, there have been as many as three presidents of Renfe (the Spanish national railway company), which generates a lack of "credibility and trust." For his part, Puig de Travy stressed that leaders must adopt a "forward-thinking approach" because "without adequate mobility, it is impossible for Catalonia to move forward," and estimated the impact of deficient mobility infrastructure at 1.5 percent of Catalonia's GDP.

]]>

Last year, 109 workers died in work-related accidents in Catalonia, a 22.5% increase compared to the previous year. Data from the Observatory of Labor and the Production Model sheds light on the trend of workplace accidents in 2025, a year in which the number of victims reached its highest level in the last 14 years. One has to go back to 2011, when 113 people died, to find a higher figure.

]]>

Collective bargaining is the forum where representatives of workers and companies meet to negotiate all aspects of working conditions, from wages and holidays to working hours. These agreements are formalized through collective bargaining agreements, a mechanism that, ironically, experienced a 16.89% drop in Catalonia last year. The employers' association Foment del Treball has indicated that in 2025, a total of 310 agreements were registered in the Principality, affecting 611,698 employees and 64,153 companies. This data is included in its latest report. Labor market and collective bargaining report, which was published this Thursday.

]]>

The Christmas parties hosted by employers' associations are one of the most enjoyable moments for journalists who cover business organizations. They aren't usually held to announce any news, but rather as a moment of relaxation. A chance to let their guard down. A "we'll talk about that in January." And, indeed, we will talk about it for sure, in January. Because these Christmas parties—breakfasts, cocktails, light meals, lunches—also serve as an opportunity to take stock of the year, list achievements, and outline the challenges for the coming year.

]]>

On the 5th, the president of the employers' association Fomento, Josep Sánchez Llibre, proposed to Spanish society a social pact in favor of immigration, avoiding the ideological and partisan character that characterizes the debate and focusing it on the economic effects that the demographic evolution is having.

]]>

Following the failure of BBVA's takeover bid for Banc Sabadell, Josep Oliu has received widespread acclaim. The latest accolades, including the Businessman of the Year Medal of Honor, were bestowed on Tuesday evening at the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya (TNC), during the eighteenth Carles Ferrer Salat Awards presented by Fomento del Trabajo. There, the president of the Catalan bank was applauded "for having been the driving force behind this benchmark, with national and international reach," according to the employers' association. Banco Sabadell, in fact, received two awards on this evening of business gatherings: the Medal of Honor for Business Trajectory was awarded to Pedro Fontana, chairman of the board of directors of Areas and also vice-chairman of the board of directors of the Vallès-based bank. Undoubtedly, yet another cry of victory in the face of the failed BBVA takeover bid, which the employers' association chaired by Josep Sánchez Llibre had already openly opposed, and which it has now celebrated with these awards before more than 800 attendees at a packed TNC.

]]>

Foment del Treball presented this Monday the second report of the cycle Business growth and good jobs: The role of the public sector, in which he proposed that the administration take advantage of the flood of retirements that will occur in the coming years to "modernize" and take advantage of the opportunities offered by new technologies.

]]>

He president of Banc Sabadell, Josep Oliu, has admitted in his first reaction after the failure of the BBVA takeover bid that he hadn't expected "such a resounding result." "It was a big surprise," he told Catalunya Ràdio, adding that he thought the takeover bid would be "over 30%." Oliu said they were aware of the "absolute support" of minority shareholders, but that they had "no evidence" of the overall support there would be for the Vallesan bank's project.

]]>

The outcome of BBVA's takeover bid for Banc Sabadell, which has resulted in bankruptcy because it has not reached the minimum requirement of 30%, it has taken everyone by surprise. And it hasn't been because of the result, since nobody was entirely sure what would happen, but because it was published late on Thursday, a day ahead of schedule. Be that as it may, in the last few hours there have been a flurry of political and business reactions to the news.

]]>

Since the end of the Spanish Civil War, October 1st has been dedicated to honoring General Francisco Franco through "Caudillo Day." As chance would have it, towards the end of the regime, one of the key businessmen of the Franco era, Barcelona native Miquel Mateu Pla, also died on October 1st.

]]>

The conditions that the Spanish government has imposed BBVA's takeover bid on Banc Sabadell, which vetoes the merger for at least three years and requires both banks to maintain their independence during this period, has sparked reactions from both political leaders and the business sector. Brussels has also had its say, in this case a much less euphoric reaction than the others: it has warned the Spanish government that it will withdraw all "unjustified restrictions" on the takeover bid.

]]>

It has been days since the Congress of Deputies brought together so many senior executives from some of the country's main companies, and also the highest representative of the Catalan employers' association Foment del Treball, Josep Sánchez Llibre, and from the Spanish CEOE, Antonio Garamendi. In fact, they are all usually reluctant to be photographed at events that go beyond the business and economic sphere, and they put up even more obstacles if they enter fully into a political space.

]]>

The president of the Spanish employers' association CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, is a figure in himself. A figure who, in the almost eight years he has led the organization, has had to protect his throne on several occasions, and for the moment he has come out on top. However, his image is beginning to weaken, and despite having already taken charge of modifying the association's statutes to eliminate the limitation of two four-year terms per president to be eligible for a third term, the next elections are scheduled to be held in 2026, and recent events do not indicate his best performance.

]]>

"It is probably the most serious economic error from a legislative perspective, committed by Pedro Sánchez's government, at the behest of Vice President Yolanda Díaz, in these 46 years of democracy." This is how the president of the Catalan Labour Promotion Agency, Josep Sánchez Llibre, described the legal imposition of the reduction of the working week to 37.5 hours during his speech at the Catalan employers' association's general assembly.

]]>