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.

The Spanish government is working on a package of measures to address the economic consequences of the war in the Middle East, especially the surge in energy prices. Meanwhile, employers' associations, unions, and various sectors of the economy are already presenting them with different demands, some of which share a common denominator: a tax cut. In fact, following the round of political talks between the Ministry of the Presidency and the parties in Congress, this Thursday morning it is the turn of the major unions and employers' associations: CCOO, UGT, CEOE, and Cepyme will meet with the Spanish government's economic ministers at the Ministry of Economy.

The severe windstorm that has been battering Catalonia this Thursday has led to the suspension of educational and university activities, as well as a recommendation from the Catalan government to take extreme precautions, avoid non-essential travel, and opt for teleworking. This scenario, in which an authority issues recommendations, limitations, or prohibitions on mobility, creates rights and obligations for workers—such as having paid leave or working remotely when possible—and also for companies—paying for this leave or facilitating teleworking. All of this is covered in Article 37.3.g) of the Workers' Statute, which states that employees "may be absent" from work for up to four days "with the right to remuneration" if they are unable to attend their workplace due to the authorities' directives regarding the weather. However, this right generates an economic cost that raises the following question: who should bear it?

The Ministry of Labor and the UGT and CCOO unions, but not the employers' associations, have agreed this Thursday to raise the minimum interprofessional wage (SMI). 1,221 euros gross in 14 paymentsThis represents a 3.1% increase compared to 2025. It's a rise of 37 euros per month, as announced by the Secretary of State for Labor, Joaquín Pérez Rey. The Council of Ministers will soon approve the salary increase, which will be retroactive to January 1st of this year. The employers' associations CEOE and Cepyme have distanced themselves from the agreement and rejected the increase, as anticipated in the statement released Thursday morning, in which they labeled the tax deduction in corporate income tax for the companies most affected by the pay increase as "deceptive" and "interventionist." According to the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor and the unions agree that this salary level will remain exempt from personal income tax.

The Ministry of Labor has offered social partners compensation for companies most affected by the minimum wage increase, but this is conditional on an increase in the lowest wages and maintaining current staffing levels. The ministry, headed by Yolanda Díaz, proposes a 3.1% increase in the minimum wage in 2021, to €1,221 per month (paid in fourteen installments), exempt from income tax. This was announced by the Secretary of State for Labor, Joaquín Pérez Rey, in a press conference following a nearly three-hour meeting with social partners. The Deputy Minister of Labor clarified that this compensation is not "a gift." urbi et orbi"To all companies, even those that are not affected by the minimum wage. Pérez Rey has not gone into detail about what this compensation would consist of "with respect" to the work that the Treasury is doing, since its design is still being defined, but he has admitted that one of the possibilities is to introduce a tax deduction in the corporate tax.

Antoni Cañete, president of Pimec, has been re-elected vice-president of European SMEs at the SME United assembly, where Italian candidate Davide Galli was elected president for the 2026-2027 term, replacing Finn Petri Salminen. With Cañete's re-election, Catalan SMEs consolidate their presence in the European social dialogue. The Pimec president represents Pymes Group—which works jointly with the Balearic employers' association PIMEB—in this organization and "leads the only SME organization in Catalonia and Spain with its own voice in Brussels," according to a statement from the organization. Ángela de Miguel, president of Cepyme, an organization linked to the CEOE (Spanish Confederation of Employers' Organizations), has also been appointed vice-president. During his speech, the president of Pimec explained the commitment to continue working on the strategic priorities of recent years, among which the fight against late payments stands out. He also highlighted the push for SME participation in public procurement, the need to reduce bureaucracy, facilitate business financing, and promote legislation that prioritizes smaller companies. In this regard, Cañete insisted on the need to promote the regulation against late payments in the European Commission's 2026 work program and the creation of an effective sanctions regime and compliance authorities in all member states "to guarantee the viability and competitiveness of SMEs and not jeopardize economic activity, which generates it." Regulatory framework

Furthermore, he also highlighted SME United's actions during 2025 aimed at raising awareness about the need for a regulatory framework that allows legislation to prioritize smaller businesses. In this regard, Cañete emphasized the promotion of the "T" manifesto.Think Small FirstTo work on legislation that is proportionate, practical, and adapted to the specific characteristics of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially regarding administrative simplification. Soler, Director of International Relations and European Affairs at PIMEC, as representative within Group I (Entrepreneurs) of the EESC, and Rosa Solanes, as PIMEC's Permanent Delegate in Brussels and coordinator of sectoral policies at SME United, stated that "the business organization is consolidating its influence in Europe and confirming its commitment to positioning SMEs."

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Ángela de Miguel defeated Gerardo Cuerva, who was running for re-election, in the elections held by Cepyme, the Spanish employers' association for small and medium-sized enterprises and part of CEOE, the main business organization in Spain.

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"We have been analyzing the situations regarding the mandates of the most representative agents, we have generated an internal debate, and unanimously it has been proposed to maintain the two-term limit, adding the possibility of a third term under exceptional conditions." This is how the president of Pimec, Antoni Cañete, announced a key point of the modification of the statutes voted on at the general meeting this Tuesday, which until now limited the number of terms for a single president to two. As Cañete pointed out, this "2+1" concept would be used "only in circumstances where a third term must be considered."

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In the midst of the crisis between the PSOE and Sumar over the contract for 15 million bullets, finally rescinded, of the Ministry of the Interior with an Israeli company, the Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, has announced that next week's Council of Ministers will approve in a second round the draft bill reducing the working week to 37.5 hours per week. The date is also significant, or at least symbolic, because it will be approved just before May Day.

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Pimec takes a new step toward becoming part of the social dialogue in Spain. The Official State Gazette (BOE) published today an order from the Ministry of Labor that continues and develops the provisions of a previous provision governing the appointment of union and company representatives to the National Advisory Commission on Collective Bargaining Agreements (CCNCC), pursuant to Royal Decree 1362/20.

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The employers' association Foment del Treball and the Association of Developers and Builders of Catalonia (APCE) have attacked this Monday the decree law agreed between the Government and the comuns that, among other measures, increases the tax on property transfers (ITP) - what is paid when a second-hand property is acquired - in the case of large holders and transactions of more flats. The president of Fomento, Josep Sánchez Llibre, has criticized that the Government has passed the norm without consulting the sector and has added that it will worsen access to housing.

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Spanish vice-president and minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation Nadia Calviño refused this Tuesday to have her picture taken alongside the organisers of the Madrid Leaders Forum because she was the only woman. Calviño had already warned in February that she would never again stand in front of the cameras or "participate in any debates" in which there were no more women present.

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The erroneous vote of PP MP Alberto Casero, which allowed the labour law reform to be passed, left a bittersweet taste in Ministry of Labour ranks. Minister Yolanda Díaz sought the support of the parties that invested Pedro Sánchez until the last minute, in order to avoid relying on Ciudadanos. Now, however, another measure in labour matters can revive the mood within the ministry: a retroactive increase in minimum wage to €14,000 per annum (applicable from January 1).

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If the financial crisis of some thirteen years ago highlighted Spain's dependence on bricks and mortar, the covid-19 crisis has shown that the only thing that has been done is to change the sector. That is, to become dependent on mass tourism. This is pointed out by the Cercle d'Economia, which in its latest opinion piece criticises that for decades homework is not done. According to the entity, practically the only opportunity to reform the production model now are the European funds, and to take advantage of them requires long-term political consensus, in addition to public-private collaboration and address the debate on the territorial model.

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"Yesterday Barcelona had its own Night of Broken Glass. Catalan shopkeepers, hoteliers and businessmen have expressed their condemnation of the looting that took place yesterday in the centre of Barcelona after the fifth night of demonstrations against the imprisonment of the rapper Pablo Hasél. 

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