The Secretary General has urged the need for public-private collaboration as a means to continue fostering the Catalan economy and effectively tackle future challenges. He stated, “It is not just a matter of having more resources, but of combining efforts to do things in the best possible way.”
During his remarks, Fernández positively assessed the latest macroeconomic outlook published by the Department of Economy and Finance, which forecasts a 2.6% growth in GDP for 2026. However, he expressed concern that this progress “does not seem to reach everyone.”
He emphasised that, alongside maintaining economic growth, “we have the challenge of ensuring quality public services.” Fernández identified key challenges facing Catalonia, including energy transition, digital transformation, housing, and productivity improvement, acknowledging that “the public sector cannot address these challenges alone.”
He reiterated the necessity of combining public and private efforts, stating, “This way, the results are multiplied.” He added, “We must work together and create the conditions for this public-private collaboration to develop effectively.”
Fernández also participated in the III Business Forum of Peralada, where he advocated for a “humanist and progressive” capitalism—one that is based on markets, social welfare, and democracy—as a solution to many of the issues facing the global economy and politics. “Democracy may have its flaws, but I am convinced that we all agree it is the best model we can have to guarantee freedoms,” he remarked.
At the same time, he defended the notion that economic growth “cannot be separated from social cohesion,” warning that “those who do not understand that the goal of growth must be to ensure a better quality of life for people are contributing to creating a much more unbalanced society.”
