Catalonia has the tools to be the best country in the world. Cutting-edge and innovative industry, great talent, knowledge and research centers, and a great entrepreneurial capacity are some of the qualities attributed to the territory. However, the fiscal deficit, the lack of infrastructure and mobility, and the limited sovereignty hold back the country's full potential; a situation that increases year after year and prevents Catalonia from becoming one of the key territories in Europe. Tatxo Benet, president of FemCAT, stated this from the podium of the entity's annual Forum, held this Tuesday. "Spain's fiscal pact with Catalonia is shameful and intolerable," Benet lashed out, adding, however, that he wants to remain optimistic and emphasized that these are not empty complaints, but that he wants to work to improve all aspects that prevent Catalonia from being a great nation. For the president of FemCAT, we live in an "over-diagnosed" world. Thus, the turbulent reality of the world, which is increasingly fragmented, must serve as a call to "reach an agreement" to define what Catalonia should be like in 2044: "Catalonia has many reasons to trust in itself," he affirmed.
Under the motto Complicity, Commitment, Courage, Catalonia, the XIV FemCAT Forum once again brings together the country's entrepreneurs in a day that seeks to "take action," says Benet. With an attendance of approximately 500 entrepreneurs, the Petit Palau de la Música Catalana has become a space for conversation and reflection on several key pillars for Catalonia: investment as a country strategy, the integration of technology, and sovereignty. Three aspects that not only affect Catalans but have also been brought to a large scale, and these same questions have been reflected upon in a European context, with the honor participation of Sanna Marin, the former Prime Minister of Finland. Marin took the stage to warn entrepreneurs of the need to invest—now more than ever—in their own technology and research. In this regard, the Finnish politician defended that "it is absolutely necessary" and warned that Europe is already late, mirroring the United States and China, which enjoy much higher technological sovereignty: "We are at the last moment to act," she said.
Catalonia has an opportunity in this new global paradigm that Marin has described. For the former Prime Minister of Finland, AI, quantum computing, robotics, and other advanced technologies "are rapidly transforming our economies around the world." "If we depend on other countries, especially those that are not democratic, we run the risk of falling behind in the technological race," she added. However, the country, especially Barcelona, has become a major research and knowledge center, especially in quantum technology. Although Marin admitted that Europe is lagging in the technological race, Catalonia can be a key pillar in this struggle: "Entrepreneurs are willing to be part of this Catalonia," said Benet. Even so, the president of FemCAT recalled that European sovereignty must involve the exaltation and growth of countries. In addition, he also stated that "we have industry, knowledge, and infrastructure to be essential."
Regarding investment in a Catalan context, beyond the evidence that Marin's proclamations also apply to the country, Benet complained about infrastructure, especially transport. In this way, the president of FemCAT recalled that public transport works very well in Barcelona, but problems begin when leaving the city. In fact, he provided a piece of data: in Barcelona, more than 200 million are invested in connecting the tram through Diagonal while outside the Catalan capital "they lack the most minimal means of transport." "We have to be honest with ourselves," said the president of the entity, who added that "perhaps what is happening to us is that the trees of Barcelona have not let us see the forest of Catalonia." In addition, Benet also acknowledged that there is a clear need for collaboration with the public sector to get more diesel to make the country's companies bigger: "We are good at creating companies, but not so good at making them a little bigger," lamented Benet, who added, however, that the solidity of the Catalan industrial fabric has been achieved "with one hand tied behind our back," due to the inefficiency of the fiscal pact: "Imagine what we will do when we can use both," maintained the businessman.
Solid collaboration structures
The XIV FemCAT Forum has also given the opportunity to hear reflections on the world of the future to Catalan entrepreneurs. Led by great professionals from successful companies and leading research and knowledge centers, collaboration and the new era of technology have been the two areas chosen for the round tables. In the first, titled Knowledge, business and administration: complicity glances, Jaume Sanpera, CEO of Sateliot and Taekyu Lee, distinguished researcher at the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) and president of the Korean Institutional Economics Association (KIEA) have explained how the country's strategy must be a global company, that is, to compete but at a country level, with real investment to grow all sectors, not just companies. Moderated by Mariona Sanz, Director of Innovation and Business Development at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the experts recalled that "cooperation is a key strategy". In this way, they recalled that collaboration between companies is necessary, but also public investment. In short, a pool of various investors that make the business fabric increase —repeating the discourse of the former Finnish prime minister— the country's sovereignty.
Technology at the service of humanity
The second conversation has placed artificial intelligence at the center. Mònica Casabayó, tenured professor and researcher at Esade D3 (Institute for Data-Driven Decisions) interviewed Daniel Innerarity, professor of Political and Social Philosophy, Ikerbasque researcher at the University of the Basque Country and at the European University Institute in Florence. Under the title, AI and the future of people, the necessary commitment, Innerarity managed to captivate Catalan entrepreneurs with his unique visions on the new era of technological transformation. In this way, the expert assured that not all work will be replaced by AI, because he reminded that there are decisions "that cannot be left in the hands of machines". In his opinion, technology makes better decisions when the problem has a lot of data, is of binary solutions and without scenarios of uncertainty and ambiguity. "All decisions that involve contrary concepts will be better decided by you than by machines," the expert remarked. Finally, Innerarity confirmed that in the world of the future there will not be a war of humans against machines, but "of humans who control machines against other humans who control machines." Thus, the day closed with a call to strengthen collaboration between companies, institutions and knowledge centers to face the economic and technological challenges of the coming years. A challenge that, as Benet defended, requires leaving behind the diagnosis and moving to action to build the Catalonia of 2044.