PROA Communicationa consultancy firm specialising in designing, managing and consolidating the communication and corporate reputation of institutions, companies and senior executives, has held a new edition of its Current Affairs Dialogues with the participation of Juan Bravo BaenaThe Popular Party's Deputy Secretary for the Economy.
Under the heading "A Spain that worksThe meeting provided a first-hand look at the economic diagnosis of the main opposition party and its proposals for tackling the country's major challenges in a context marked by uncertainty and the deterioration of public confidence in the institutions.
Before starting, Juan Bravo answered three questions posed by PROA Comunicación that anticipated some of the key points of his speech. He pointed to public spending and debt as country's main economic weaknessesby limiting investment in priorities such as infrastructure. "We need a great national plan: there is more than 300 billion euros of pending investment", he stressed. With regard to the international context, he described it as uncertain and changing, and defended the fact that this is precisely what makes it an opportunity to focus on domestic issues. As a message to foreign investors, he also stated that Spain has "a great deal of talent" and promised that with a PP government there will be "institutional respect", legal certainty and independence of the three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial".
During the opening of the event, Valvanuz Serna Ruizmanaging partner of PROA CommunicationHe underlined the consultancy firm's commitment to generating "spaces for calm, in-depth and open analysis of the issues that are shaping current affairs". "Today, more than ever, we understand the importance of listening, asking questions and understanding what is happening," he said, before introducing Bravo as "one of the most rigorous and respected voices on the Spanish economic scene".
In his speech, Bravo warned about the "institutional wear and tear" of the country and the called for a "realistic diagnosis". He acknowledged that GDP is growing, but warned that this growth "does not translate into well-being for families", as it is driven by population growth rather than structural improvements. He also criticised the opacity and lack of credibility of some official figures, citing as an example the contracts for discontinuous permanent workers. And he warned of the cost of the debt: "More than 40,000 million, like the budget of Andalusia".
Following the diagnosis, it set out the six priority axes on which the the People's Party's economic recipeHe said he would like to see more tax cuts where possible, control of public spending, administrative simplification, better implementation of European funds, a boost to productivity and quality employment. "Doubling the average wage would alleviate the problem of pensions, for example," he said. "We have to train, accompany and help. Unemployment not only destroys income, but also self-esteem," he added.
In the subsequent dialogue with those attending the event, Bravo defended labour flexibility against the generalised reduction of working hours: "Workers are not asking to work less, but to earn more". On pensionsHe pointed out that the current system is "simply unsustainable" and called for incentives for high-value sectors: "The real challenge is to ensure that families have decent wages, that two people in a house can earn 50,000 euros a year". He rejected focusing the debate on the minimum wage - "that is a failure of the country" - and warned: "pensions should not be used to buy votes or to provoke generational battles".
He also defended public-private collaboration: "It is not a question of public-private, but of private-public: without private initiative, there is no basis for the public sector". He proposed a common EBAU for the whole country, advocated consolidating entrepreneurship as a social culture and bet on key sectors such as defenceThe more defence we have, the more peace we have. And for every euro invested in it, we generate three results: security, industrial development and, consequently, social welfare.
In the final section, he urged the President of the Government to call elections: "Sánchez must call elections if society really wants a political change. It is not about criticising the government - I think people are tired of that - but what we are experiencing is extremely serious". Referring to the announced strike by judges and prosecutors, he described it as "a clear symptom of institutional deterioration" and concluded: "...the government must call elections if society really wants a political change".When we govern, you will see a Spain that truly resembles what Spaniards are.. You will never hear the word 'wall' from us. The polarised Spain that Sánchez has built is not the real Spain.
With this new session, PROA Comunicación reinforces its role as a meeting point for business leadership, strategic reflection and rigorous analysis of political and economic current affairs. The Current Affairs Dialogues are consolidated as a platform for listening to and debating with key protagonists of the Spanish present.
