Sustainability, digitalization, and health, ways to transform the economy

Now that light is beginning to be seen at the end of the tunnel, as vaccination progresses, many debates want to define the bases for overcoming the crisis that still affects the economy. The Cercle d'Economia meeting could not be less, and in most round tables and presentations, the discussion is about what this imminent future should be like.

On the second day, former minister and president of BIST, Andreu Mas-Colell, the president of Agbar, Àngel Simón, and the CEO of Cybersecurity and Cloud at Telefónica, Maria Jesús Almazor, tried to shed some light on what initiatives should allow emerging from this global shock with a stronger productive system, moderated by the president of KPMG Spain, Hilario Albarracín.

Gaining sustainability and digitizing companies have been two of the strategic lines chosen, clearly influenced by the direction set by the Next Generation funds. Regarding the first pillar, Simón has opted to focus on reducing pollutant gas emissions rather than compensation. For Simón, to advance decisively in the transition towards a circular economy, public-private collaboration must increase, and for that, he has stressed that a more receptive environment towards business initiative is essential. And, regarding the second pillar, Almazor has asked administrations and companies to define a common plan that allows them to be more digital, a process that will also mean being more sustainable.

A third factor that has been claimed as key for the new stage has been the healthcare system. The former minister and president of BIST, Andreu Mas-Colell, has advocated for allocating European funds to reinforce the hospital network, after the pandemic has evidenced its lack of resources. "It has to be our strategic decision," he defended. Mas-Colell, who is being investigated by the Court of Accounts, received a long applause from the public before his intervention.

SMEs arrive at the Cercle d'Economia meeting

In an edition of the Cercle d'Economia meeting full of novelties, such as its new location, the president of Pimec, Antoni Cañete, has applauded the participation of SMEs for the first time. Cañete has highlighted the majority weight of small and medium-sized companies for the Catalan and Spanish economy, emphasizing the need for them to also be recipients of the Next Generation funds. The resources must serve them to gain weight, but also to digitalize, an issue that Almazor has also demanded. In fact, according to Almazor, SMEs can gain between 20% and 25% in productivity if they migrate to the cloud and change processes.