The Economic Circle has approved an opinion document in which it chooses to give “very conditional” support to the amnesty for those accused as a result of the process and the referendum of October 1, 2017. The ‘opinion will be made known today, according to the sources consulted have assured this newspaper.
The economic forum chaired by Jaume Guardiola considers that amnesty, or a similar measure that would not be explicitly defined as such, can contribute to improving the political climate in Spain and Catalonia only if certain parameters are met and is not limited exclusively to the negotiation to obtain the votes of independence for the investiture of the socialist Pedro Sánchez. The debate in the Circle’s board has been intense, as some of its members were particularly reluctant to support the measure. For example, José María Lassalle, ex-Secretary of State for Culture in Mariano Rajoy’s government and José Manuel González Páramo, ex-executive advisor of the ECB and BBVA, take part in the Circle’s board. As a member of the board pointed out, “the document does not include the position of any of its members; it is the result of a consensus of minimums”.
First of all, that the measure of grace is conditioned on the renunciation of independence from unilateralism. In other words, to repeat the dynamic that culminated in the clash between the State and the Generalitat on October 1 and the following weeks.
A sector of independence, such as the former president of the Generalitat and top leader of Junts per Catalunya, Carles Puigdemont, who from Belgium, has not renounced that unilateralism. Yes, Oriol Junqueras did, the president of the other pro-independence party, ERC, who already accepted the pardon approved by the Government of Pedro Sánchez in the last legislature.
Likewise, the board of directors of the Cercle d’Economy defends that a measure of the draft of the amnesty should be agreed between the two major parties, the PSOE, which is now considering it in the framework of the negotiations for to the investiture of Sánchez as President of the Government and the PP of Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who has declared himself openly against it and has announced a tough campaign against the approval of the measure. In view of the position of the popular, this consideration of the Barcelona forum is far removed from any possibility of materialization in the current political moment.
The document presented today also reflects on the need for the agreement reached to be of the highest technical level and not be questioned by the bodies of Spanish justice, especially the Constitutional Court.
With today’s presentation of its opinion document, the Cercle will be the third association in the economic sphere of Catalonia to pronounce in favor of the grace measure, the second publicly.
The first organization to take sides was Foment del Treball, the large employers’ association chaired by Josep Sánchez Llibre and which has been holding discreet talks with Puigdemont, whom the business leader has visited on several occasions in Brussels, and with members of the Government for months . However, until now, Sánchez Llibre has not made public statements on the matter. Yesterday he acknowledged in Rac1 that those meetings had taken place, which he clarified are held with all the political forces.
In the conversations between the leaders of Junts and Foment, already before the general elections of last July 23, Puigdemont outlined what would be his basic lines for the current negotiation: amnesty, defense of Catalan and economic improvements, but not the independence referendum. Foment, for his part, is looking for that pact to create a political climate that favors economic stability and, above all, facilitates the return of companies that moved their headquarters outside of Catalonia in the turbulent days following the referendum in October 1.
A few days ago, the board of small companies Pimec, through the mouth of its president, Antoni Cañete, also spoke out in favor of amnesty and solving the political problems in that area and not in the judicial one. Cañete also asked for the renunciation of any illegal action.
