Eugenio Barroso, CEO MP Lifts: Por una política industrial eficiente y sostenible

Good afternoon. A quick transition to make way for the panel, and allow me a brief introduction. It may seem like a lifetime, but I believe that at this moment more than ever it is necessary. When we talk about the economy, about industries, if we refer to the grave institutional deterioration we are living through, it is almost like saying we don't need a good coat without mentioning that a long, dark winter may be coming. When we thought there were a series of serious problems to solve, it turns out that all the events of 2020, especially the eruption of COVID, reveal that it is much more serious — that it is the very foundations of the model that are suffering a deterioration of such a nature that they will leave us without foundations, without support, without pillars. This is not a mere declaration; it is a reality.

Let's say the academic side captures it brilliantly as always. We move to the vulgar, earthly part, and those of us in the day-to-day of companies already know that there are projects that are paralyzed, that are leaving Spain precisely for this reason. I believe that today more than ever it is appropriate to give — and let's do it — support to the constitutional system and to the basic respect for institutions, upheld by the head of state, His Majesty the King. And whoever agrees with my proposal, let's say it always and everywhere. I believe it is our duty and obligation.

Industry — the necessary elements for industrial development. How difficult it is to talk about industry! How much one has to row against the current, how little industrial atmosphere there is in Europe, in Spain, in Andalusia. How difficult it is to talk about industry, and the difficulty lies in the fact that it is a titanic task, a task that concerns all of society, that concerns everyone. But it is a collective task, a task where there must be leadership — the leadership of the public sector. Without that leadership, it is not possible to make any kind of reindustrialization plan. It requires the coordination of that entire ecosystem that Rafael referred to, and it requires leadership from the administration. Without that leadership, it is simply not possible.

I am not very optimistic — not very optimistic — if we talk about reindustrialization depending on what the aspiration is and how it is formulated. I believe that the first obligation of that new governance system that Rafael proposes is precisely to define an aspiration. What is the aspiration? If the aspiration is to be first in the league, it is not the same as being at the back of the pack. What is the aspiration? If the aspiration is to stand out in industry, I am not optimistic. If the aspiration is that there will be good players — I recall the phrase of the great NBA player Charles Barkley, who said that a good player wins you a game, but a team is what wins you the league. That team, that ecosystem. Therefore, depending on what the aspiration is — if the aspiration is to have good players, then I am optimistic. The data and evidence are there, and let no one tell us that Andalusia cannot do it. The success stories are there.

But there is no atmosphere of reform, no atmosphere of industrial transformation. As Rafael said, we were in a phase of proposing a new industrial framework, but the shock is not there in Spain. We will all agree that there is no atmosphere for an industrial pact in Spain that is not merely a photo opportunity. And certainly there is none in Andalusia, where these years of administrative change really show us that beyond small tweaks, there is no true proposal for industrial transformation. And meanwhile, where we are — while it is especially difficult for me to speak in those terms because I am genetically optimistic — what will happen? It is also true that we must keep our feet on the ground. And meanwhile, we must keep working. What can we do from the private sector? We can do a lot. It is like the bird that pecks at an acorn and drops it in a somewhat fertilized spot, and there a holm oak or an oak tree grows. That is what we can do. We cannot achieve it if there is no true will, no transformation, no defined aspiration from Europe down to Andalusia that there will be an industrial transformation. But we can ensure that those players emerge, and that is the task of all business organizations, all professional associations. I believe that is the greatest task we can do — to ensure there are good players so that we keep winning games.

From the private sector, what can we do? First, lead by example. There are cases that demonstrate this can be done. For family reasons, I have been going to Bilbao since 1992, accompanying a good friend, president of the employers' association of Álava. They also welcome you well in Bilbao, especially during the big week. We were sitting at a table, talking about the magnificent management of the mayor, and this friend of mine interrupted the speaker: 'Don't be mistaken, the success of Bilbao does not come from the mayor.' He joined the city council in 1999 and found 80 percent of the work already done. The success came because after an industrial reconversion that left Bilbao devastated — shipyards, furnaces — a person who had an aspiration and created the governance was José Borrell, Minister of Development at that time. He established a governance called Ría 2000, which started in 1992, with more than 60 projects. All of you who have been there know them: Iberdrola Tower, Plaza Euskalduna, the tramway. Even today, 20 years later, projects are still being carried out — the underground railway line, Sala Rekalde. Twenty years later, and this person was leading it. The success was that no one could touch the plan because it was shielded. No one could touch the plan because it was shielded.

And I agree with what was said earlier: it is not possible to plan a 20-year plan because this is a project, ladies and gentlemen, that exceeds the political cycle, that exceeds the economic cycle, and coincides with the generational cycle. Therefore, I ask you to agree with me: it is not that it is not possible — there is no atmosphere from the private sector. Two points that are so important and where I would focus: working for entrepreneurship and working for productivity. That is where everything is summarized. Why? When we talk about economic and social rights, we say there is the duty and the right to work, but we say there is the freedom of enterprise — yet there is no duty to undertake, no duty to create and maintain a cow, and not only the right to receive the milk. Productivity and entrepreneurship — those are the only two recipes that work. I now yield the floor to the panel. Thank you for your attention.