Empresaris de Catalunya

Empresaris de Catalunya (EC) is a Catalan business association founded on 5 November 2014 as a pressure group of economic sectors aimed at generating opposition to the independence process in Catalonia. It brings together around 400 businesspeople and describes itself as an organisation representing Catalan entrepreneurs and executives who favour institutional stability and respect for the existing legal framework. The association is headquartered in Barcelona and operates primarily in Catalonia and Spain. EC was founded by Mariano Ganduxer Floriach, who served as its first president until his death in February 2015. He was succeeded by Josep Bou Vila, a businessman from Vic, with Carles Rivadulla Oliva and Joaquim Maria Molins López-Rodo as vice presidents. The organisation offers two membership formulas: full members (socis) who can participate in meetings and decisions with voice and vote and are eligible for governing bodies, and supporters (simpatitzants) who receive information and can attend events free of charge. As a business lobby, EC focuses on economic policy issues affecting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), such as taxation, energy costs, and trade. It has publicly called for reductions in the Special Tax on Hydrocarbons and a two-point cut in VAT to align Spain with Germany, arguing that high energy costs are suffocating SMEs. The association also comments on export performance and sectors like hospitality. In 2024, following the appointment of Salvador Illa as President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, EC considered the government programme "harmful" to the Catalan economy. The organisation maintains an active press presence through its website, publishing statements and news items on current economic and political matters.

Empresaris de Catalunya (EC) was founded on 5 November 2014 as a Catalan business association and pressure group of economic sectors, created to generate opposition to the independence process in Catalonia. The organisation brought together around 400 businesspeople and positioned itself as a representative body for Catalan entrepreneurs and executives who favour institutional stability and respect for the existing legal framework. The founding president was Mariano Ganduxer Floriach, who led the association until his death in February 2015. He was succeeded by Josep Bou Vila, a businessman from Vic, who became president. Carles Rivadulla Oliva and Joaquim Maria Molins López-Rodo served as vice presidents. Under Bou's leadership, EC has been an active voice in Catalan and Spanish economic policy debates. The association operates as a lobby, focusing on issues affecting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), such as taxation, energy costs, and trade. It offers two membership categories: full members (socis) who can participate in meetings and decisions with voice and vote and are eligible for governing bodies, and supporters (simpatitzants) who receive information and can attend events free of charge. In 2024, following the appointment of Salvador Illa as President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, EC considered the government programme "harmful" to the Catalan economy. The organisation continues to publish statements and news on its website, addressing topics such as the Special Tax on Hydrocarbons, VAT rates, export performance, and support for the business community in Ceuta. Its public positions consistently emphasise institutional stability, legal certainty, and opposition to Catalan independence.

• Empresaris de Catalunya is founded as a Catalan business association and pressure group.

• Founding president Mariano Ganduxer Floriach dies; Josep Bou Vila succeeds him as president.

• EC considers the government programme of new Catalan President Salvador Illa "harmful" to the Catalan economy.

• EC calls for a reduction of the Special Tax on Hydrocarbons and a two-point cut in VAT.

Business association and pressure group representing Catalan entrepreneurs and executives opposed to Catalan independence, advocating institutional stability and legal certainty.

1. 1Empresaris de Catalunya official websiteempresarisdecatalunya.com
2. 2Empresaris de Catalunya pide una reducción del Impuesto Especial sobre Hidrocarburos para evitar el colapso de las PYMESempresarisdecatalunya.com
3. 3Wikidata: Empresaris de Catalunyawikidata.org
4. 4Viquipèdia: Empresaris de Catalunyaca.wikipedia.org