El presidente CEOE Aragón, Miguel March and the Confederación de Negocios Navarra, Manuel Piquer, had a «boost» for the Cantabrian-Mediterranean corridor, an infrastructure that is «very important» for both communities and received the support of the national leader of the employer, Antonio Garamedi.
This was stated by both business leaders, in statements to the media, before a meeting in which 45 entrepreneurs from both communities participated to promote growth and collaboration. The meeting took place at the Xplora space of Ibermaja, in Zaragoza, and was chaired by the CEOE president, Antonio Garamedi.
«Aragón and Navarra have many things in common. Even Jota,» joked Miguel March, who pointed out that both regions have similarities in both the business and social worlds.
«We have things in common and we also have requests,» he said, among which he cited the Cantabrian-Mediterranean corridor, which «interests both parties» and is «very important» for Navarra, for Aragón, and above all, «very important for Spain.»
On the other hand, Manuel Piquer emphasized that this infrastructure is «fundamental» for the entire community, at a time when there is a «struggle,» as the high-performance train reaches Pamplona and where there is still «concern» about how to travel in the Batcă country.
Garamedi has framed the Cantabrian-Mediterranean corridor as a way to fulfill the «equal opportunities» that the Constitution also includes as a «fundamental» infrastructure for the Basque Country, La Rioja, Navarra, Aragón, and the Valencian Community that would host more than 50 daily trains, which would also have an impact from the point of view of road safety, which would also have an impact from the point of view of road safety, which would also have an impact from the point of view of trucks.
Trade exchanges between Aragón and Navarra exceed 4.000 million euros per year, and the participation of the industrial and energy sector in their GDP is significantly higher than the national average of 14.42% – with 22.8% in the Aragonese community and 27.25% in Navarra.
The average of the primary sector of their economies also exceeds the average and they are two of the autonomous communities with the lowest unemployment rates, 7.6% in Aragón and 6.6% in Navarra, compared to the 10.61% for all of Spain.
March also emphasized that Aragón and Navarra are two «very powerful» communities in sectors such as energy, agricultural machinery, so they can develop «many synergies» and help each other.
«Navarra and Aragón are two neighboring, sisterly, and beloved communities and, therefore, everything that means improving industry, competitiveness of companies in Aragón and Navarra is good for both Spain,» Piquer appeared.
In this sense, he stated that the regional community leads the industrial GDP per capita, but he called for growth. «We cannot stagnate, we must improve in all areas and all these meetings that facilitate the fabric and competitiveness are fundamental,» he added.
On the other hand, the president of the Navarra employer trusted that the arrival of the gigafactory battery at the Stellantis plant in Figueruelas (Zaragoza) implies «a boost» for the entire Ebro Valley, as it is a «substantial» component in the commitment to electric vehicles.
As for the current situation of the industry in Navarra, despite recognizing that there is «a dramatic case» with the closure of companies, he denied that there is an «escape» and ensured that the level is maintained and wants to «continue improving to be there.» «Sometimes there are changes in the fiscal domicile, certainly, but the companies remain in Navarra and in their employment,» he said.
The national CEO president has claimed the industry as a «tractor» element of the economy, in which Aragón and Navarra are «two very attractive communities,» explicitly mentioning the agricultural sector.
«In fact, at this time, investors are settling in a very active and proactive way in the two communities. There is nothing to see, in the case of Aragón, the latest multimillion investments that refer to the installation of several data centers, because investors are offered confidence,» he concluded.
The leader of the Aragonese employer also referred to one of the problems that differentiate both autonomous taxes, which he recognized as «a problem» for Aragón.
«The tax regime, for us, is a blockage of our competitiveness,» said March, who said he would like all Spaniards to be «as well» as the brands of the Constitution.
In this sense, he acknowledged that the tax regime of the Basque and Navarre is collected in the Magna Carta, so it must be assumed, not having been placed to make the problem «bigger,» referring to a hypothetical quota.
