Expert in script turns, the president of the government, Pedro Sánchez, managed to surprise yesterday all the parties involved in the BBVA-Sabadell OPA. At the opening of the Annual Meeting of Calle d’acusia, Sánchez announced that today it will open a public consultation so that the Government can decide “with all the guarantees” if the “hostile OPA” of the BBVA on the BAN Sabadell rises to the Council of Ministers, which could then assess it taking into account the criterion of general interest. The Executive, who has a period of 15 business days to analyze the OPA after the positive report of the CNMC, can thus “gather the opinion of organizations, citizens and associations,” said Sánchez.
Present both in the auditorium, nor the president of the BBVA, Carlos Torres, nor that of Banc Sabadell, Josep Oliu, had previously been informed, they admitted. At the end of his speech, Sánchez got out of the stage and went directly to Torres, sitting in the first rows, to personally explain the measure. “It will be short,” he tried to reassure him. Torres then defended that “the Union with Banc Sabadell is a growth project to create a stronger and better prepared bank for the future” and expressed its respect for the government’s decision. From the Sabadell, with OLIU and the CEO, César González-Bueno, present at the Cercle meeting, there were no valuations, although sources close to the entity admitted their satisfaction with a measure that can benefit them.
Eduardo Magallón
The consultation announced by the President of the Government is launched today. The Ministry of Economy will publish on its website a series of questions about the OPA so that citizens, clients of the banks, employers and associations contribute their views. In addition to answering the issues raised, those interested can send observations or comments on the impact of the operation to the Government. It will, then, allow black on white the rejection of the operation expressed from political parties, employers, unions or minority shareholders. Some of them have strongly criticized that the CNMC did not allow them to present allegations. UGT and Foment have even filed a lawsuit in this regard to the National Court that is admitted to processing.
The president asks the employers to “not close” to the reduction of the working day
Economy wanted to clarify yesterday that the consultation will focus on “the aspects that may affect the general interest”, and that the objective is “to obtain a more information layer, in this case with the focus on the general interest.” The contributions collected in the public consultation are secret and not binding, “but they will be useful in making decisions about the operation,” they said from the department. It is not clear at the moment for how long the form will be available, although some sources point out that it could be lengthened until next Monday. The procedure also clarified from the Ministry, “is in line with the regulations and is common in normative procedures, although in hostile opas processes it is the first time it is used.”
Entrepreneurs, academics and Catalan managers yesterday filled the Palau de Congresos de Catalunya, headquarters for the second consecutive year of the annual meeting of Cercle d’acomia, to listen to the president of the Government, accompanied by the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, the Minister of Industry, Jordi Hereu, and the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, among other authorities. After the introduction of the president of CERCLE, Jaume Guardiola, the president of the Government took advantage of his intervention to claim the parliamentary groups to support the validation of the plan to respond to the tariff crisis, which will be discussed in Congress this Thursday.
Sanchez also referred to the reduction of the working day, which he approves today in the Council of Ministers. He urged the Spanish and Catalan employers, who have clearly positioned themselves against, to “not close” to this initiative. It is a “social demand that will contribute to improving the productivity and stability of the working force and, therefore, that our companies are better,” defended the president, for whom the European economy must “maintain its global weight betting on human capital and innovation, not for low prices and strenuous days.”
Claims to the parties their support for the validation of the tariff response plan
A week after the blackout that left all of Spain and Portugal in the dark for hours, Sánchez reiterated the will of the government to “clarify the causes of the incident as soon as possible, but with all the necessary prudence and rigor.” “We will reach the end,” he said, in addition to reaffirming his commitment to continue advancing in the energy transition. He also wanted to thank citizens with their “example of civism and solidarity” during the incident.
The president also advanced the granting of 53 million euros in aid for the development of advanced technological systems and semiconductors within the framework of the second call of the pert chip, which is expected to mobilize more than 100 million public-private investment. Of those 53 million, almost a third part, 16 million euros, correspond to Catalonia.
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