Garamendi sees "dangerous" The government’s reaction to the Ferrovial march: "I wish there were more Del Pino"

March 3 () –

The president of the CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, described this Friday as “incredible, absurd and dangerous” the government’s reaction to Ferrovial’s announcement that it will transfer its headquarters to the Netherlands, and has notified the chief executive, Pedro Sánchez, that pointing out, with names and surnames, Rafael del Pino, president of Ferrovial, generates “mistrust” among investors.

The problem, according to the president of the CEOE, is not so much that the company is blamed, but specific people with names and surnames. “You look at people, you look for people and you try to destroy people,” Garamendi denounced, alluding to the criticism that members of the Government have made of businessmen such as Juan Roig (Mercadona) or Amancio Ortega, founder of Inditex.

In statements to Onda Cero collected by Europa Press, the president of the CEOE has assured that businessmen “are the solution, not the problem” and has insisted that reactions such as those of Pedro Sánchez to the Ferrovial march represent a “very bad in Spain and to foreign investors”.

At the moment, he affirms that he is not aware that there are other companies trying to imitate Ferrovial, but he has asked for “respect” from the company and “even more respect” from the company’s businessmen: “I wish there were more Rafaeles del Pino in Spain , father and son”, he underlined.

“Imagine a Juan Roig or an Amancio Ortega in each province of Spain, it would be wonderful,” added Garamendi, who warned that the daily messages of “punishment” to companies by a minister generate a message “of very great lack of confidence”.

“At the moment, Spanish companies are looking at the market
North America as a market for the future because it gives them more confidence”, pointed out the CEOE leader, who believes that Spain should have the business world “between cottons”. “It seems that when a Spanish company becomes a multinational it has become an ogre “, criticizes Garamendi.

Asked if the companies have done “very well” with the Executive of Pedro Sánchez, as the First Vice President of the Government, Nadia Calviño, assured yesterday, Garamendi has responded that what the businessmen want is a government “that generates legal certainty, regulatory stability, standard quality and confidence”. “I would ask for a return to calm and measure,” she said.

Garamendi has shown his respect for Ferrovial’s decision “as part of its international expansion strategy, for legal certainty, regulatory stability and standard quality.” “Many times the word is trust”, has proclaimed the business leader, who has emphasized that the company is moving to a European country that “is not a tax haven”.

The CEOE leader recalled that Ferrovial is a multinational that generates 5,500 jobs in Spain and contributes more than 280 million euros in taxes. “The Del Pino family are great businessmen and great creators of wealth in Spain,” he pointed out.

Garamendi has remarked that “Ferrovial does not owe anything to anyone” and that when it has obtained a work it is because it has won a competition and has told the Government that if it wants Spain to be an attractive country, “it is important to encourage these companies to feel comfortable in this country.” “Smear campaigns are not the best thing to do,” he added.