The Diplomat
The presidents of the Portuguese Business Confederation-CIP, António Saraiva, and CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, have called for a common strategy for Europe and Ibero-America in which both organizations have a relevant role.
Saraiva and Garamendi spoke last Thursday at a meeting with businessmen from both countries, organized by the Spanish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the CIP and CEOE, at the headquarters of the Business Confederation in Madrid.
During the event, CEOE and CIP warned of the need for the interconnection of the Iberian Peninsula with Central Europe through the Pyrenees to meet the environmental objectives set out both in the European Ecological Pact and in the new legislative initiatives proposed by the European Commission and, in this regard, Garamendi and Saraiva appealed to a final understanding between the parties, Portugal, Spain and France, so that this joint action can be implemented as soon as possible. The issue of interconnections, an old workhorse of Spain vis-à-vis the EU, has taken on a new dimension following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the consequent proposals to reduce European energy dependence on Russia.
In addition, as a follow-up to the joint declaration made by CEOE and CIP a few months ago on the occasion of the Spanish-Portuguese Summit in Trujillo, both business leaders reiterated the importance of the automotive sector, as it is a strategic element to achieve the objectives of sustainable mobility within the framework of the economic recovery and transformation of Spain and Portugal. They also advocated fostering cross-border cooperation, involving the participation of the business associations of these regions.
Finally, and in line with this joint declaration, they considered it essential to have an efficient freight transport network, linking the ports of the Iberian Peninsula with the center of Europe, integrated into the trans-European networks and complemented by a network of logistics infrastructures framed in an Iberian vision.
Afterwards, Antonio Saraiva and Carla Sequeira held a meeting with the general director of CEOE International and permanent secretary of CEIB, Narciso Casado, in which they highlighted the importance of the Ibero-American Summits as the best tool for regional integration and analyzed the preliminary work being carried out for the XIV Ibero-American Business Meeting, to be held within the framework of the next Summit in the Dominican Republic. The Permanent Secretary of CEIB also stressed the importance of having “greater coordination among Ibero-American organizations in the Ibero-American space, in order to foster greater unity and cohesion among our members”.
