The Spanish

business think tank

of reference

July 2014

Index

1. WHO WE ARE

2. GOVERNANCE MODEL

3. STAFF

4. PARTNERS

5. PRESENCE

5.1. ON LINE CONTENT

5.2. MEDIA

5.3. EVENTS ORGANIZATION

5.4. INTERNATIONAL FORUMS

10

6. OUTPUTS

11

6.1. POLICY PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

11

6.2. PROGRAMS

14

6.3. MEETINGS AND FORUMS

16

6.4. PUBLICATIONS

18

7. IMPACT

19

1. Who we are
Crculo de Empresarios (CdE) was created in 1977 as a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting
entrepreneurship, private initiative and a market economy.
CdE acts as an independent think tank in Spanish society by expressing ideas, carrying out studies and issuing
opinions to help improve economic and social development.
CdE also serves as a center for discussion and debate by bringing together personalities from different sectors
(government business, academia, media, civil society) and promoting a constructive dialogue about matters of
general interest, particularly those involving the private business sector.
CdE is action-focused: it operates a series of programs and activities that help promote cooperation and the transfer
of knowledge between the business world and other sectors of society, and help increase general awareness about
domestic economic issues.

Main areas of action

CdEs areas of action include:
Domestic Economic Policy
Collaboration with Private and Public institutions
Networking
Education Policy

Funding model
CdE is an independent, nonpartisan organization.
Its activities are financed exclusively by members contributions.
Its annual budget ensures stability and has reached amounts of between 1.5m and 1.8m in the last five years.
The annual budget amounts to 1.65m in 2014.

Members
At the end of 2013, CdE had 196 members, representing some of the most important private companies operating
in Spain such as Acciona, Alstom, Banco Popular, Banco Sabadell, BBVA, Caixa Bank, Carrefour, CLH,
Deloitte, DKV Seguros, Enagas, Endesa, Ericsson, E&Y, Ferrovial, Fujitsu, Google, Grupo Calidad
Pascual, Grupo Quirn, Hispasat, Iberdrola, IBM, Inditex, Indra, KPMG, McKinsey, Mercadona,
Prosegur, PwC, Repsol, Santander, Siemens, Tcnicas Reunidas,Telefnica or Vodafone, just to name a few.

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

2. Governance model
CdE is an association of businessmen and top managers of some of the most important private companies
operating in Spain but it has an autonomous management and governance structure.

Organigram
Board
of Directors

Committees
and
Programs
Managers

Advisory
Council

Executive
Committee

Staff

The top management

is highly committed to
Crculo de Empresarios
mission

The Board of Directors, composed of 27 members elected for three-year terms and currently chaired by
Mnica de Oriol, ensures that financial and human resources are properly mobilized to fulfill CdEs mission.
The Advisory Council is composed of former government officials and academics, currently comprised by:
Jess Fernndez-Villaverde, Professor of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Javier Gmez-Navarro, former Minister of Commerce and Tourism.
Jaime Requeijo, Professor Emmeritus of Applied Economics and former Counsellor of the Central
Bank of Spain.
Eduardo Serra, former Minister of Defense.
The Advisory Council ensures independence and quality of CdE.
It also ensures that its activities and output achieve the maximum impact.
An Executive Committee was created in 2013 to increase agility in decision-making and improve the day-to-day
management of the association.
In order to efficiently and effectively manage the wide range of programs and initiatives, CdE has appointed
managers for the main areas of action, namely:
Jose Mara Alonso, Justice
Mara Benjumea, Entrepreneurship
Josu Jon Imaz, Energy
Manuel Prez-Sala, National Budget
Elena Pisonero, Spanish Medium-Sized Companies Project
Matas Rodrguez-Inciarte, Social Collaboration Programs
Iigo Sagardoy, Labor Reform
Alberto Terol, Tax Reform
Javier Vega de Seoane, Barometer of the Crculos
CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

3. Staff
CdEs internal team consists of highly skilled and experienced professionals who are specialized in the areas of:
Economics
Public Policy
Administration
Fiscal Affairs
Labor Legislation
International Relations
Education
Communication

A highly skilled staff helps

Crculo de Empresarios
accomplish its goals

CdE has the ability to recruit elite scholars and analysts. To give just a few examples:
Juan Cacicedo, former lecturer at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad Pontificia de
Salamanca and Universidad Internacional Menndez Pelayo de Santander
Alicia Coronil, PhD, Director of the Department of Economics, Coordinator of the Academic Area and
Lecturer at the ESIC Business and Marketing School
Yolanda Fernndez, lecturer at the Fundacin Estudios Financieros
Jess Fernndez-Villaverde, PhD in Economics, University of Minnesota and Professor of Economics
at the University of Pennsylvania
Emilio Gonzlez, PhD, Lecturer at the Universidad Autnoma, Madrid.
Petra Mateos, PhD, Professor at CUNEF
Jaime Requeijo, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Applied Economics at UNED and IEB
Jess Sainz, former Lecturer in International Economics at ICADE. Business School, distinguised with
New York University Presidential Medal

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

4. Partners

Crculo de Empresarios counts

on the support of a wide network
of partners and think tanks

National partners:

International partners

Asociacin para el Progreso de la Direccin

(www.apd.es)
Asociacin Valenciana de Empresarios
(www.ave.org)
BBVA Research
(www.bbvaresearch.com)
Crculo de Economa
(www.circuloeconomia.com)
Crculo de Empresarios de Galicia
(www.clubfinacierovigo.com)
Crculo de Economa de Mallorca
(www.cerclemallorca.com)
Crculo de Empresarios Vascos
(www.circuloempresariosvascos.org)
Deusto Business School
(www.dbs.deusto.es)
Fundacin Create
(www.fundacioncreate.org)
Fundacin de Estudios Financieros
FEF (www.fef.es)
Fundacin para la Innovacin Bankinter
(www.fundacionbankinter.org)
Fundacin Rafael del Pino
(www.frdel pino.es)
ICEX Espaa Exportacin e Inversiones
(www.icex.es)
IE Business School
(www.ie.edu)
IESE Business School
(www.iese.edu)
Institucin Futuro
(www.ifuturo.org)
Observatorio Econmico de Andaluca
(www.oeandalucia.com)
Universidad de Alcal
(www.uah.es)
Universidad Autnoma de Madrid
(www.uam.es)
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
(www.ucm.es)
Universidad Pontificia Comillas-ICADE
(www.upcomillas.es)

Business Administration Forum

(Portugal) www.faeonline.pt
Business Council of Latin America
(CEAL) www.ceal.co
Business Leadership South Africa
(NBI) www.businessleadership.org.za
Center for Finnish Business and Policy Studies
(EVA; Finland) www.eva.fi
CES-Ifo
(Germany) www.cesifo-group.de
China Institute for Reform and Development
(CIRD) www.chinareform.org/
Committee for Economic Development of Australia
(CEDA) www.ceda.com.au
Institut de lEntreprise
(France) www.institut-entreprise.fr
Japan Association of Corporate Executives
(Kezai Doyukai) www.doyukai.or.jp
Society and Enterprise Foundation
(SMO, Netherlands) www.smo.nl
The U.S. Committee for Economic Development
(CED) www.ced.org

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

5. Presence
5.1. Online content
CdE has an active Internet presence based on a dynamic website and an increasing participation in social networks,
including Twitter and Linkedin.
CdEs Squaring the circle, (Cuadrando el crculo) blog (http://circulodeempresarios.org/blog) allows members to post
their opinions and comments. CdE uses new media tools such as YouTube, Flickr, SlideShare and Scribb to share
knowledge and broaden the reach of its outputs.
Its website (http://Crculodeempresarios.org/) offers general information about the Association, programs, agenda with
upcoming events and the latest news on its activities or on general matters that might be of interest for its members.
Since CdE is a think tank that seeks to transfer knowledge, users of its website can access and download any of its
publications, including market overviews, research reports, yearbooks, policy recommendations, etc.
During the first semester of 2014, CdEs website received 25,905 visits and its most recent publication The
Barometer (El Barmetro de los Crculos) recorded more than 18,000 downloads during the first month.
Videos:

CdEs website offers over 70 videos with speeches, press conferences, events, awards and interviews of business
personalities. Just to name a few examples of the most recent speakers:
Luis Mara Linde, Governor of the Bank of Spain.
URL: Luis Mara Linde, Gobernador del Banco de Espaa en el Foro Crculo
Guntram Wolff, Director of Bruegel.
URL: Foro Crculo con Guntram Wolff, director de Bruegel
Alan D. Solomont, former United States Ambassador to Spain.
URL: Desayuno con Alan D. Solomont, Embajador de Estados Unidos
Satoru Satoh, Japan Ambassador to Spain.
URL: Desayuno Crculo con el Embajador de Japn, Satoru Satoh
Giles Paxman, former UK Ambassador to Spain.
URL: Desayuno Crculo con Giles Paxman, Embajador del Reino Unido en Espaa
Jrme Bonafont, French Ambassador to Spain.
URL: Foro Crculo con Jrme Bonnafont, Embajador de la Repblica Francesa
Reinhard Silberberg, German Ambassador to Spain.
URL: Reinhard Silberberg, Embajador de Alemania en Espaa
Eduardo Torres-Dulce, Attorney General of Spain.
URL: Eduardo Torres-Dulce, Fiscal General del Estado, en el Crculo de Empresarios

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

5.2. Media
CdE website is very active in printed media, including newspapers and specialized magazines.
During 2013 and the first semester of 2014, CdE published more than 20 articles and granted several interviews in
some of the most widely read national newspapers such as ABC, El Mundo, El Pais, Expansin, Cinco Das,
La Razn, La Vanguardia and El Correo; and magazines such as Actualidad Econmica, Tiempo, Inversin
and Capital.
CdE gets public visibility through television and radio appearances. During 2013 and the first semester of
2014, CdE appeared in 27 television programs in Antena 3 TV, TVE, Telemadrid and Intereconoma,
among others, and issued 67 radio statements and interviews in RTVE, Cadena SER, Onda Cero, Cope,
Intereconoma radio, esRadio, etc. Additionally, CdE was referred to 1,110 times.
Participation of Alicia Coronil, CdE Director of Economics, in a public debate broadcasted in Espejo
Pblico, Antena 3TV.
URL: Alicia Coronil en la tertulia de Espejo Pblico de Antena3TV
Interview to Mnica de Oriol in La Noche en 24 horas, RTVE (Spanish Radio and Television
Corporation).
URL: Entrevista a Mnica de Oriol en La noche en 24 horas de RTVE
Interview to Alicia Coronil in Hoy por Hoy Cadena SER.
URL: Alicia Coronil en Hoy por Hoy de la Cadena SER
Participation of Jess Sainz, CdE Secretary General, in a public debate on Labour Reform in Km. 0,
Telemadrid. (Madrid regional TV channel).

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

5.3. Events organization

CdE organizes events not only for its members but also for government officials, civil society, academia and media.
During 2013 and the first semester of 2014, CdE organized nine of such public events:
The law of entrepreneurs that Spain needs. Debate with the participation of CdEs President,
Mnica de Oriol; Javier Ulecia, Vice President of the Spanish Association of Venture Capital (ASCRI);
Catalina Hoffman, founder of Vitalia; Maria Benjumea, President of Startup Spain; and Manuel Valle,
Director General of Industry and SMEs.
Financial support to business internationalization. Conference jointly organized with ICEX in
Seville. The event was closed by CdEs President, Mnica de Oriol; the Andalusian Minister of Economy,
Innovation, Science and Employment, Antonio vila; and the Secretary of State for Commerce, Jaime
Garca-Legaz.
35 years of contribution to the Spanish society. Presentation of the book commemorating the
35th anniversary of the Crculo de Empresarios, with the participation of Luis de Guindos, Minister of
Economy and Competitiveness.
Pensions: a core reform. Book published together with the Foundation for Financial Studies and
presented by the Presidents of both institutions, Mnica de Oriol and Juan Carlos Ureta, together with
the Minister of Employment and Social Security, Ftima Bez; the Director of the research team, Jos
Antonio Herce; and the Chief Economist of BBVA Research, Rafael Domenech.
Pensions: a core reform. Presentation in Barcelona with the participation of Jordi Oliva, Director of
Financial Policy, Treasury and Insurance of the Government of Catalonia.
The Entrepreneur as the driving force for growth. Debate jointly organized with Rafael del Pino
Foundation. With the participation of CdEs President Mnica de Oriol, Antonio Fernndez Ecker,
Deputy Director of SMEs; Elsa Gonzlez, President of the Federation of Press Associations of Spain;
and Julio Martnez, President of Universidad Pontificia de Comillas ICAI-ICADE.
Cre100do.es. Presentation of this project promoted together with the Bankinter Innovation Foundation
and ICEX. Participating in the presentation were the Chairman of Bankinter, Pedro Guerrero; the
President and Vicepresident of Bankinter Innovation Foundation, Jos Mara Fernndez-Sousa and
Carlos Mira; the General Director for Business Internationalization of ICEX, Isaac D. Martn-Barbero,
and CdEs Secretary General, Jess Sainz.
The Kingdom of Spain Award for Entrepreneurial Achievement. Award presented by King Juan
Carlos I to Enrique de Sendagorta, Honorary President of SENER. This event was also attended by
the Minister of Economy and Competitiveness Luis de Guindos.
The change that Spain needs: Lessons from the Barometer. Conference by Jess FernndezVillaverde, Professor of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Advisory
Board of CdE, during the presentation of the report published together with Crculo de Economa (Barcelona)
and Crculo de Empresarios Vascos.

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

5.4. International forums

CdE is considered a point of reference, as demonstrated by the numerous invitations that it receives to participate
in international events. During 2013 and the first semester of 2014, president Mnica de Oriol has participated
in several international meetings as a speaker:
Forum Expresso XXI in Vidago, Portugal, organized by the Banco Espirito Santo: State and challenges
of the Spanish economy. May 16 and 17, 2014.
Spain Economic Forum 2014 in New York, organized by the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce. May
7 and 8, 2014.
LSE on Spain in the Global Economy; the Outlook for 2014 conference in the Ramn Areces
Foundation in Madrid. Organised by LSE in Spain. November 25, 2013.
IX Latin American Business Conference in Panama. October 16-18, 2013.
International Meeting of Opposing Parties in Paris, organized by the Institut de LEntreprise, in the
panel discussion The Changing Companies. June 18, 2013.
Spain Summit Strategies for Global Growth in Madrid, organized by The Economist Panel.
February 12, 2013.

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

10

6. Outputs
6.1. Policy proposal and recommendations
Over these four decades since its inception, CdE has been making valuable and diverse contributions to the
political debate.
One of its main concerns is the creation of conditions that permit good performance of the market economy,
where entrepreneurship and private initiative can flourish. With this aim, CdE has been issuing recommendations
and proposals on subjects such as State regulation, political and economic freedom, improvement of
infrastructures, modernization of Public Administration, and reform of the tax system and labor market. Many
of those recommendations and proposals have been taken on board by different Spanish governments or by the
political parties in their programs.

Role of the State

Although the values of pluralism and individual freedom have been achieved and are now part of todays Spanish
society, the private sector has not yet reached its full potential, in part due to excessive State intervention and size
of the public sector.
CdE therefore proposes that:
The role of the State is to create the conditions that help foster private initiative and promote pluralism
and individual freedom.
The State should fundamentally act in three areas: justice, security and protection of the underprivileged
and marginalized groups.

Economic freedom
CdE believes that private initiative is an essential element in a democratic society
and plays an irreplaceable role in economic, technological and social progress.
CdE has always defended the liberalization and deregulation of the economy
even when mainstream political thinking advocated increased State intervention.
CdE has been striving to improve the regulatory framework and to achieve
greater coordination between the different levels of Administration. Regional
Autonomous Communities should refrain from creating local/regional regulations
merely for the sake of political differentiation.
CdE also advocate that regulatory bodies should be independent and not be
influenced by politicians.

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

11

Modernization of infrastructures
Although the values of pluralism and individual freedom have been achieved and are now part of todays Spanish
society, the private sector has not yet reached its full potential, in part due to excessive State intervention and size
of the public sector.
CdE therefore proposes that:
In order to avoid the lack of adequate infrastructures that can hinder competitiveness and economic growth:
CdE advocates to keep investing in infrastructures, regardless of the macroeconomic situation.
CdE calls for the reduction of public expenditure in certain areas so that resources can be reallocated
to other areas without increasing the tax burden or the public debt.
CdE calls for an effiicient management of infrastructures.
CdE advocates the privatization of main infrastructures.

Modernization of the Public Administration

CdE defends that the Public Administration should adopt management criteria and incentive systems that are
common practice in the private sector.
CdE recommends a new service philosophy based on the concept of client and clients expectations.
It advocates externalization in areas which are not considered pure public services.
In order to avoid overlapping, CdE calls for a clear distribution of powers, between the Nations goverment and
the Regional and Local Administrations.

Reform of the tax system

Over the years CdE has proposed the modernization of the tax system, including:
Reduction of the tax burden
Tax consolidation
Replacement of direct taxation by indirect taxation
Elimination of the property tax
Simplification of the personal income tax system
Improvement of the efficiency of public expenditure
Introduction of one single and reduced corporate tax rate

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

12

Efficient Labor market

One of the main structural problems affecting Spains economy is the high level of unemployment. In order to
achieve an efficient labor market CdE advocates:
Salary increases tied to increased productivity rather than to the rate of inflation
Reduction of employers contributions to the Social Security
Reform of employment policies
Specific measures to improve youth employment
Parity of dismissal costs of permanent contracts and temporary contracts to eliminate labor market duality
Reduction to three types of labor contracts and reinforcement of part-time employment

Promote competitiveness
Some of CdE proposals include:
Eliminate tax, labor and bureaucratic barriers that hinder business growth
Educate young people in the values of entrepreneurship
Promote business innovation and internationalization
Improve the economic environment
Promote reindustrialization

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

13

6.2. Programs
CdEs commitment to Spanish society goes well beyond proposing ideas and recommendations to promote
economic growth and social welfare. CdE is also action-oriented and manages various collaborative programs to
strengthen ties between the business sector and the rest of the Spanish society, specifically the political sector.
Programs for politicians and high officials

Business and Parliament Scheme (Programa Empresas Parlamentarios)

Under this program, deputies, senators and members of the European Parliament participate in a series of
visits to CdE member-companies.
This program has a double aim: on the one hand, it offers legislators an in-depth view of the business
world; on the other, it provides business managers a view of parliamentary processes at national and
European levels.
Executive Management Program for Members of Parliament
(Programa Ejecutivo de Gestin para Parlamentarios).
A joint project of CdE and IE Business School, it was launched in 2001 and targeted at deputies, senators
and other politicians interested in obtaining training on business management. As part of the program,
trainees visit CdE member-companies.
Judges Magistrates Business Program (Programa Empresas Magistrados Jueces)
This program offers judges and magistrates an inside view of the business world. Simultaneously, it seeks
to provide business managers with a better knowledge on the administration of justice.
Diplomatic Career Business Program (Programa Empresas Carrera Diplomtica)
Under this program, members of the Diplomatic carrier, participate in training programs that are promoted
by CdE member-companies.
Defense Business Program (Programa Empresas Defensa)
Under this program, students at the Centro Superior de Estudios de la Defensa Nacional (Center for
Studies of National Defense) visit CdE member-companies.
Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness Business Program
(Programa Empresas-Funcionarios del Ministerio de Economa y Competitividad)
Workshops in CdE member-companies targeted to high officials of the Ministry of Economy and
Competitiveness.
Public Leadership in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program
(Programa de Liderazgo pblico en emprendimiento e innovacin)
This joint project of CdE and Deusto Business School trains senior officials of the Administration so as
to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in their departments.

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

14

Educational Programs

Educational Cooperation Programs

(Programas de Cooperacin Educativa)
CdE contributes to the training of university students at the Autonomous University of Madrid (Faculty
of Business and Economics Science and Faculty of Psychology) and Comillas Pontifical University
ICADE. Students have access to traineeship programs in CdE member-companies.
Creating our Project Program
(Programa Creamos nuestro proyecto)
CdE participates in this program developed by Create Foundation to promote entrepreneurship values and
attitudes in primary and secondary schools.
European Business Program
An international training program, created in 1986, and managed by Antonio de Nebrija University, with
CdE providing its support and expertise.
Programs for Entrepreneurs

Business Managers Parliament Program

(Programa Directivos Parlamento)
This program offers business managers an in-depth view
of how the Parliament works.
Spanish Seniors for Technical Cooperation
(Seniors Espaoles para la Cooperacin Tcnica, SECOT)
SECOT is a non-profit organization, created by the CdE
and comprised by former business managers who offer their experience and know-how to society.
SECOTs services are highly requested by small and medium-sized companies and by public and
private institutions.

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

15

6.3. Meetings and forums

During 2013 and the first semester of 2014, CdE organized 29 events for its members with prestigious opinion
leaders and renowned politicians.

Topic

Guest

Position

Date

State of Justice in Spain

Eduardo
Torres - Dulce

Attorney General of Spain

June 2014

Spanish social and economic situation

Antn Costas

President of the
Crculo de Economa

May 2014

Current economic outlook in Spain

Elvira Rodrguez

President of CNMV, the

regulatory body of the
Spanish Stock Market

April 2014

Current political, economic

and media affairs

Miguel ngel
Noceda

Economics Correspondent April 2014

in the newspaper El Pais

Current political and economic affairs

in Spain

Felipe Gonzlez

Former Prime Minister

March 2014

Spanish crisis and economic recovery

Cristbal Montoro

Minister of Finance
and Public Administration

March 2014

Social networks in our society

Carolyn Everson

Vice-President of Global
Marketing Solutions
at Facebook

February
2014

Telecommunications in the world

and in Europe

Jos Mara
lvarez-Pallete

CEO of Telefnica

February
2014

Current economic outlook in Spain

Luis Mara Linde

Governor of the
Bank of Spain

February
2014

Collaboration between Spain and France:

fighting terrorism and overcoming
the economic crisis

Jrme Bonnafont

French Ambassador
to Spain

January 2014

Arcano Report 2013: The case for Spain II,

Spain 2014 = Germany 2004

Ignacio de la Torre

Partner at Arcano

December
2013

Media in Spain

Fernando
Gonzlez Urbaneja

Opinion leader and

contributor to
the journal ABC

December
2013

Energy Forum

Eduardo Montes

President of UNESA

November
2013

Presentation of the book

There is life after the crisis

Jos Carlos Dez

Professor of Economics
at the University
Comillas-Icade

October 2013

Public Administration Reform

Jaime
Prez Renovales

Undersecretary of State
for the Prime Ministers
Office

October 2013

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

16

Topic

Guest

Position

Date

Pensions and competitiveness

John Mller

Deputy Director
of El Mundo

September
2013

Competitiveness in the Euro area.

Spain and Italy

Guntram Wolff

Director of Bruegel

September
2013

Current political, economic and media affairs

Jos Antonio
Zarzalejos

Renowned journalist and

contributor to the digital
journal El Confidencial

July 2013

Media view

Mariano Guindal

Journalist, writer and

contributor in the
newspaper La Vanguardia

June 2013

Pension System:
Proposals for a necessary reform

Carmelo Mesa Lago

Professor of Social Policy

June 2013
and Social Security in Latin
America

Spain and the United States in the economic

and financial crisis

Alan D. Solomont

U.S. Ambassador to Spain

June 2013

Spain and the UK in the economic

and financial crisis

Giles Paxman

British Ambassador
to Spain

May 2013

Financial and economic crisis

Satoru Satoh

Japanese Ambassador
to Spain

May 2013

Current political affairs

and media landscape analysis

Miguel ngel Aguilar Secretary General of the

European Journalists
Association

May 2013

Presentation of the book We, the Markets.

What they are, how they work and why they
are essential

Daniel Lacalle

Columnist in the journal

El Confidencial

April 2013

Labor reform

Engracia Hidalgo

Secretary of State
for Employment

April 2013

Crisis and recovery of the Spanish economy

Juan Mara Nin

CEO of la Caixa

April 2013

Econimic outlook in Spain, Europe

and the US

Reinhard Silberberg

German Ambassador
to Spain

March 2013

Industry, energy and tourism in Spain

Jos Manuel Soria

Minister of Industry,
Energy and Tourism

January 2013

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

17

6.4. Publications
During 2013 and the first semester of 2014, CdE published the following reports:

Title

Description

Date

Medium-sized Spanish companies.

Annual Report
(La empresa mediana espaola)

Overview of the Spanish business sector based

on Eurostat data and research by CdE.

June 2014

The Barometer
(El Barmetro de los Crculos)

The Barometer seeks to analyze the state of

our economic environment and to define the
changes needed to increase competitiveness

June 2014

Top 50 Spanish medium-sized companies.

Selected success stories
(Top 50 de la empresa mediana espaola Seleccin de casos de xito)

This study falls within CdEs medium-sized

Companies Project.

April 2014

Survey on entrepreneurs perception

(Encuesta sobre la imagen del Empresario)

Survey to learn the opinion of the Spanish society about entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship.

January 2014

Pensions. A core reform

(Pensiones. Una reforma medular)

An in-depth analysis on the reform

of the pension system

January 2014

35 years of contribution to the Spanish society Commemorative book on CdEs history since
(Crculo de Empresarios. 35 aos de conits inception in 1977.
tribucin a la sociedad espaola)

January 2014

State Budget for 2014: By slowing down the

reformist impulse, recovery can be delayed
(PGE-2014: La prdida de impulso reformista
podra retrasar la recuperacin)

Critical analysis of the State Budget for 2014.

October 2013

The medium-sized Spanish companies

(La empresa mediana espaola)

Research on medium-sized
Spanish companies.

October 2013

Economic growth from the perspective of

Spanish companies
(Crecimiento econmico desde la perspectiva
de la empresa espaola)

Insight of Spanish privates companies on the

economic outlook.

February 2013

CRCULO DE EMPRESARIOS

18

7. Impact
Throughout its four decades of history CdE has been
a dynamic voice in the political debate in Spain. It has
proposed ideas that, although initially considered avantgarde, ended up being implemented in the legislation by
different governments.

Crculo de Empresarios
has contributed to the
recognition of free market
economy and increasing
business freedom

From the moment it was founded in 1977, the CdE

advocated that Spain should develop a system of free
market economy. Its ideas contributed to the Spanish
Constitution of 1978, which recognized the market economy as the way of organizing the economic life of
the country.
For CdE, business freedom is a key element of a democratic society and plays an irreplaceable role in its economic,
technological and social progress. CdE requests the State to simply create a framework and rules that facilitate their
development. It also emphasizes the importance of regulatory quality and the existence of a rule of law guaranteed
by the judiciary system. All these objectives have been achieved in different levels since the approval of the
Constitution and its subsequent development through new legislation.

Crculo de Empresarios
has contributed to good
corporate governance

CdE has also contributed to bringing to Spain ideas

about corporate governance. Encouraged by CdE, the
government created a special committee, in which CdE
participated actively, to develop a Corporate Governance
code.

CdE has always advocated the need to privatize public companies so that business and economic criteria would
prevail over political criteria. CdE has also championed the importance of privatizing infrastructure management in
order to boost Spanish economic competitiveness. The privatization of public companies began in 1990 and
today very few companies remain under State ownership.
CdE has been discussing the importance of promoting competition in the Spanish economy:
Either by increasing the number of competitors in all sectors of economy, specially in those sectors which
were public monopolies or oligopolies, such as the energy sector and telecommunications:
Or by liberalizing and deregulating policies, such as the freedom of opening times of stores and shops or
home rentals.
Regarding the financial sector, CdE called for the reform of savings banks,
the end of the political control and the elimination of the asymmetry between
commercial and savings banks that distorted competition. This reform is
under way.

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19

Regarding taxation, CdE has always advocated the importance of reducing the tax burden on citizens and
companies. CdE has repeatedly stressed the need to restructure the taxation system because the current one
discourages savings and investment and encourages fraud. CdE has also asked for the suppression of the wealth tax.
All these proposals are being addressed through successive tax reforms.
Another CdE major concern is the public deficit. CdE proposed the establishment of a constitutional limit on the
States borrowing capacity. This proposal was adopted by means of a constitutional reform in August 2010.
Regarding public policies, CdE has endorsed two proposals:
First, the health reform, which began in 1998 and continues to receive proposals from the Crculo aimed at
applying private management practices and incentives in the provision of these services.
Secondly, the reform of the pension system. Improvements in this area have been limited.

Reforms of the banking, tax

and health systems, and of the
labor market, were encouraged
by Circulo de Empresarios

Many CdEs recommendations for the labor market

have been included in the labor market reforms
that began in the mid-nineties (e.g., the proposal
that salary negotiations be conducted at a company
level, not on a sectorial level, was adopted in 2012).
But much still needs to be done so as to achieve an
efficient labor market.

CdE also had an important role in defining the Entrepreneurs Act of 2013.
Some of the proposals that were adopted include:
Implementation of an entrepreneurial education at all levels
Creation of a public venture capital fund for innovative start-ups
Reduction in social security contributions for those who become self-employed
Tax reduction to start-ups and self-employed people.
Finally, CdEs efforts in improving the social perception about businessmen and entrepreneurs are beginning
to show results. A recent poll by the prestigious Metroscopia Institute indicates that Spanish society has increasing
confidence in employers and that the majority of Spaniards would want their children to be businessmen and
entrepreneurs, as opposed to the traditional preference for being an employee, preferably in the public administration.