22-11-2022
The Industrial Pact held its 26th General Council and the 51st meeting of the Executive Committee attended by the representatives of the local councils and entities which comprise the association. The meetings were held on 22 November at the BCIN of Badalona. The last time the city hosted this celebration was in 2008.
During the meeting, an amendment to the Articles of Association was approved incorporating the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium) as a new “important special partner” and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Association, consolidating and strengthening the collaboration which began two years ago. The special State delegate Pere Navarro explained this change as a move towards a new role for the consortium, making it a key stakeholder in the metropolitan area’s industry.
The adhesion of the Montmeló City Council as a regular member of the Industrial Pact has also been approved. With these additions, the Pacte Industrial continues to grow with the incorporation of new organisations that work to boost the competitiveness of the industry, encourage job creation and improve social cohesion and sustainability.
City councils and metropolitan economic and social agents demand speed in the deployment of the National Pact for Industry
The meeting was chaired by Jaume Collboni, President of the General Council of the Pacte Industrial and First Deputy Mayor for Economy, Work, Competitiveness and Finance of Barcelona City Council. Collboni pointed out that the approval of the PERTE [Strategic Projects for Economic Recovery and Transformation] is greatly helping to guarantee the economic future of our region. However, given the current economic context, both the city councils and the economic and social agents of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona expect the Government of Catalonia to deploy the National Pact for Industry quickly and effectively and provide the sector with the necessary instruments and budgetary resources for ensuring quality jobs in an industry adapted to the digital and ecological transitions.
The Pact was welcomed by Rubén Guijarro, Mayor of Badalona. Guijarro stressed that the Industrial Pact is the best example of how only through collaboration between different stakeholders and institutions can a region, or in this case the metropolitan area, be cohesive and move forward to meet the most immediate challenges, which undoubtedly involve a more sustainable productive and economic model. Encouraging dialogue that generates knowledge and transforms cities is a goal that we also share and work towards in Badalona.
Cooperation between stakeholders
Additionally, the Managing Director of the Pacte Industrial, Carles Rivera, presented the organisation’s Activity Report 2021 and spoke about some of the upcoming lines of work. Rivera has claimed the role of the association as an ideal space to encourage collaboration between different stakeholders, both public and private. He also highlighted the Sustainable Mobility Industry Forum, one of the association’s programmes that aims to contribute to the transformation of the various sectors involved in a sustainable mobility ecosystem capable of meeting both today’s challenges and those of the future.
The General Council also approved the appointment of the vice-presidencies. In view of the annual rotation provided for in the Corporate Bylaws, Sergi Fuster, of PIMEC, has taken over from M. Rosa Fiol, of AEBALL and representative of Foment del Treball, as Vice President on behalf of business organisations. Omar Minguillón, of the UGT de Catalunya, has taken over from Aurora Huerga, of CCOO de Catalunya, as vice-president representing the trade unions. Eva Menor continues as 3rd vice-president, representing the city councils and other local administrations. She is the president of the Economic Development, Tourism and Trade Area of the Barcelona Provincial Council.
Talk by Dr. Sonia Llorens
During the meeting, the talk “Transforming the industry from within the region: sustainability, innovation and empowerment of those involved” was given by Dr. Sònia Llorens, director of the ongoing Circular Economy and Sustainability Forum at Tecnocampus Mataró-Maresme.
The presentation by Dr. Llorens invited us to reflect on how collaboration between the area’s stakeholders is the key element in the transformation of an industry that aims to be more sustainable and innovative. She analysed how the circular economy will be a strategic vector for this transformation and how training can help empower those involved.
VIDEO