For years, relaunching the industry has been one of the great priorities in Catalonia. With the eternal promise that the sector must reach 25% of the gross domestic product (GDP, the indicator that measures the volume of an economy), the Government sealed a major pact with employers' associations and unions at the beginning of the summer to strengthen the weight of industry within the economy, which since the great financial crisis of 2008 has remained at around 17%. And in a context in which dual-use technologies –for civil and military use– are becoming increasingly relevant in the face of the Russian threat, this activity can become key to the country's growth and prosperity.

In a few years, the international order has become more unstable and multifaceted. Not only have poles of power multiplied, but technology has also ceased to be primarily a vehicle for innovation and progress to become, in addition, a fundamental actor, essential for understanding what war or communication is like in the 21st century, if these are two different things at all. To map out this new landscape, ARA is organizing a new edition of Enfoquem: the Solutions Forum, aimed at pointing out viable paths for the future based on a firm yet serene delimitation of the problems of the present and offering readers and subscribers keys to decode the current moment.

Yes, democracy is in danger, we're destroying the planet, and too many people can't afford rent. But after the two days of discussions at Focus: The Solutions Forum, organized by the ARA at the CCCB, we've shaken off what seems like "mandatory pessimism" and, at the same time, unmasked the opposite idea: "mandatory happiness."

There are phrases that jokingly disguise what is a fundamental idea that inspires the work at ARA. Our mission statement is to practice free and committed journalism that connects with a conscious community. "We are a community, not a sect," and we expressed this at the beginning of Focus: The Solutions Forum, a conference where we brought together more than a thousand people at the CCCB for a day and a half. However, in these dark times, the difference is crucial. A sect only wants loyalty; a community wants critical thinking. A sect imposes a narrative; a community informs itself without fear, discusses, compares, questions, and—if necessary—corrects. And if anything is at stake today, it is precisely that: the collective capacity to maintain critical thinking and sound judgment. To keep a cool head when the world is overheating. To stay informed and not shy away from the truth when the values ​​of liberal democracy and Europeanism are in danger.

Faced with liberal democracies besieged from within and without by the shockwaves of Trumpism, the undeniable evidence of the climate crisis—and climate denial—and growing inequalities with housing as the primary cause, the ARA gave voice for two days to the Enfoquem solutions forum, held by the CCCB. We detail 15 solutions across the three areas.

ARA's director, Esther Vera, had promised a "fiery" conversation, and it delivered. The quintessentially Barcelona-centric clash of titans between former mayor Ada Colau and economist Miquel Puig on the housing crisis did not disappoint. Let's start with the end: when, at the last minute, journalist Eva Arderius asked them for a reason for optimism, Puig mentioned the promise to eliminate tourist licenses and Colau the initiative for a law prohibiting speculative purchases. But this was in the pre-farewell relaxation. Behind them lay a battlefield of dialectical clashes, passionate arguments, and, in short, pure enjoyment for an audience that didn't lose focus for a moment.