2023-06-23 09:56:44
The main disputes to govern the Chambers of Commerce are already beginning to be glimpsed with the official publication of the lists of candidates for the elections in September. In the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce there are, in total, 112 candidate companies to occupy the 52 positions, which shows that there are companies that have presented themselves individually, without being linked to the list of Tools of País – One Step More, nor Josep Santacreu’s. Since the candidates are companies and not natural persons, in some cases it is complicated to know who will be the representative of each one, but they already allow us to know where the major electoral battles will be.
Tools, Pimec and Agbar
The first heading, which represents the non-metallic extractive industry, petroleum, energy and water, has three candidates for one chair. Catgas Energia SA, from the Eines de País candidacy, will compete with the giant Agbar and also with Factor Energia, led by Emili Rousaud. Agbar already occupied a chair in the plenary session of the Chamber because he had one of the so-called silver chairs, the ones with the most financial contribution, in this case represented by Ricard Frigola. This time, due to the reduction in the number of paid chairs approved by the current chamber government, the company chaired by Àngel Simón opts for the chair from the suffrage. The presence of Factor Energia, on the other hand, shows the participation of Pimec, since Emili Rousaud is vice-president of the employers’ association of SMEs and was one of the first names that sounded to head the alternative candidacy on the sovereignist list.
A cooperative against Banco Sabadell
The section dedicated to financial and banking services will have two seats in the plenary session of the Chamber to choose from among four candidate companies. On the one hand, Banco Sabadell, which already occupied a silver chair, will fight with the Catalan Cooperativa de Serveis Financialers presented by Eines de País. On the other hand, the insurance brokerage Ferrer & Ojeda will contest the vote with Mútua Manresana. On this occasion, the banker Carles Tusquets (Mediolanum), one of the main opponents of the list linked to the ANC, has not presented himself despite the legal battle he has led against the Department of Business of the Generalitat for disagreement with the 2019 elections.
Colonial, Roca, Fitó and a businessman close to Junqueras
It is one of the groups that will have the longest queue, and also the one with the most chairs to decide (12). It is where one of the most well-known faces of the pro-independence candidacy and current vice-president of the Chamber, Toni Fitó, with the company Pere Quart SL, and also the current third vice-president, Roser Xalabarder, with Nubur XXI SL, will compete directly with the Colonial society, which is already in plenary, represented by its CEO, Pere Viñolas. Also playing in this category is Vicenç Pedret – very close to ERC and Oriol Junqueras -, representing the company ADEVIPE SA In the same group, but in another category, Isardsat SL, the company of the current president, is presented of the Chamber, Mònica Roca.
Joel Joan against Focus and fishmongers against butchers
Beyond the current members of the executive committee, there are curiosities that emerge from these lists. In the heading of other services, the company Arriska SL, producer of the actor Joel Joan, which has publicly supported the pro-independence list, is presented. Ariska faces the company Services de l’Espectacle Focus, of which it is a supplier. Pimec is once again seen in the Commerce group, which includes the president of PimeComerç and the Fishermen’s Guild, Àlex Goñi. Goñi will face, precisely, the president of the Butchers Guild and of Barcelona Commerce, Prosper Puig, as well as the company presented by Eines, Clickame Networks, of Esteve Blanc. Also competing in the field of trade are Casa Ametller and Bon Preu, who will not compete for the chair because they are in different categories, and neither of them is on the ANC list. In the field of metallurgy, La Farga Yourcoppersolutions SL, of Oriol Guixà, close to FemCat and of the Santacreu list, will battle against Recam Láser, of Pere Barrios, until now the second vice-president of the current plenum.
The Santacreu enigma
Although Josep Santacreu is, in principle, the visible face of the alternative list to that of the current governance, it is not clear under which heading his seat is disputed. The records consulted by this newspaper do not show that the former director of DKV has any position in any of the companies presented. From their candidacy they assure that they will make public statements “in a few weeks”.
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