Eduardo González
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the newly appointed President of Argentina, Javier Milei, met yesterday for the first time at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland), in which both leaders clearly marked their great differences regarding “socialism.” impoverishing” and the “old neoliberal postulates”. During his speech, Sánchez asked companies to “get involved” to “raise the purchasing power of workers, stop the climate emergency, vindicate international standards, defend democracy and fight against the reactionary wave sweeping the world.”
Javier Milei, who took office last December (with the attendance of King Felipe VI and the absence of representatives of the Spanish Government), spoke before Sánchez before the international leaders present at Congress Hall in Davos. In his speech, and within his usual line, the Argentine president made a fiery defense of the free market against any form of State intervention, whether through regulations or monetary policies, and warned that “the West is in danger” because, “After the fall of the (Berlin) wall,” we continue to “fight” against an “impoverishing socialism” that undermines “the foundations of the system that has given us the greatest expansion of wealth in our history.” “Far from being the cause of our problems, capitalism is the only tool to end poverty, hunger and destitution throughout the planet.”
Pedro Sánchez began his speech with an -indirect- reply to Milei. “The Spanish know that neoliberal policies do not work, that the option of reducing the size of the public sector and leaving citizens and small businesses alone when problems arise does not make sense and that, when we collaborate and are together, we are stronger “said the head of the Executive.
According to Sánchez, the rise of the extreme right and “autocratic regimes” is due, among other factors, to “the erosion of the middle and working classes,” especially the large increase in the cost of living, which represents “a betrayal.” to those who built this system with their hard work and sacrifice and to whom we owe everything: democracy, social justice, freedom.” For this reason, he continued, it is necessary to “stop this erosion without turning our backs on our values.”
Message to companies
Likewise, the President of the Government encouraged the leaders gathered in Davos to “define a new paradigm of prosperity” that knows how to “combine economic growth with sustainability” and, in this sense, he gave the Spanish economy as an example that “it is possible to create wealth and improve the conditions of workers at the same time.” “Economic competitiveness and people’s prosperity are not incompatible,” he continued. “We have learned from our experience that there is a virtuous circle between growth and distribution of growth,” he added.
With this message, Sánchez directed part of his speech to companies, because, he warned, “this new model of prosperity needs to increase the participation of the private sector.” “Companies are essential for the growth and well-being of a country, they create employment, innovation and opportunities that make us better,” but “they are also a product of democracy, of welfare states that support the middle and working classes, that guarantee peace and ensure adequate levels of human capital and prosperity,” he said. “Without these pillars, their business models would collapse like a house of cards,” he continued.
“That’s why I ask you to get involved,” he declared. “Help us to increase the purchasing power of workers, to stop the climate emergency, to vindicate international standards and to defend democracy and fight against the involution represented by the reactionary wave that is sweeping the world,” Pedro Sánchez continued. “Let’s take advantage of knowledge and new tools such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) to unite economic growth, environmental sustainability and prosperity,” he added.
“In short, help us give people a better life,” he proclaimed. “Let’s not swallow the old neoliberal postulates that present the State as a purely extractive entity that does not generate value or that affirm that the only responsibility of companies is to increase the profits of their shareholders,” he said. “You know that companies need governments to innovate and grow and that, if companies do not work together, if they do not align their interests with those of society as a whole, we will not be able to overcome the great challenges of our time, and this It will have an impact on their companies,” he added.
On the other hand, Pedro Sánchez called for a more robust “global governance” of digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI). “Those of us who have learned not to believe in the invisible hand of the markets cannot express a blind belief in AI,” he said. “The majority of citizens think that artificial intelligence is going to destroy jobs and increase the distance between rich and poor” and, therefore, “we must pay more attention to the concerns of our workers and young people,” he warned.
Ukraine and Gaza
Regarding the global geopolitical situation, the President of the Government warned that “the future stability of the world will be decided in Ukraine and Gaza” and, in this sense, he expressed his support for Ukraine and reiterated that Israel has the “legitimate right to defend oneself from a “vile and monstrous terrorist attack” within respect for International Law.
Likewise, he called for “an immediate ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip and “a future peace conference” in the region and insisted that the best solution to stop the escalation of violence in the Middle East is the coexistence of two States, Palestine. and Israel, to live together “in peace and security.” “This human drama must be put to an end because the current course of events will not help either the Palestinian or the Israeli people,” he warned.
Meetings with companies
Pedro Sánchez lived an intense day of work yesterday that included numerous meetings with business leaders present in Davos (with the assistance of the Minister of Economy, Commerce and Business, Carlos Body), such as the CEO of Siemens Energy, Christian Bruch; Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson; the co-chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates; Google President of Global Affairs, Kent Walker; the CEO of Fujitsu, Takahito Tokita; and representatives of the large Spanish companies of the Ibex 35.
Likewise, he attended a luncheon-discussion on the challenges of Artificial Intelligence organized by Google, spoke at a meeting on Security and Stability in the Middle East and was interviewed on the CNBC program Squawk Box, and on the Bloomberg’s program The Pulse with Francine Lacqua.
