Jordi Hereu (Barcelona, 1965) has gone from watching the launch of a rocket with Elon Musk, as president of Hispasat at the beginning of the year, to being in the Council of Ministers, leading the Industry and Tourism portfolio this November. The former mayor of Barcelona from 2006 to 2011 returns to the front line of politics after eleven years of professional activity to preside over a ministry with a strong Catalan tradition.
You left politics after losing the municipal elections in 2011. What has made you return to the front line?
When the president calls you to join a political project and a progressive coalition government to advance the productive sectors, he is asking me to help promote essential economic sectors, which I have personally experienced in the last eleven years, and also as mayor and councilor of Barcelona.
It is the only Catalan quota of the new Government. Do you think that the PSC deserved more representation after the results obtained in Catalonia?
There is a very fluid relationship between first secretary Salvador Illa and Pedro Sánchez. The PSC has weight due to its presence in the Council of Ministers and also in many management and policy-making areas, as well as its presence in strategic companies. Industry and Tourism means the ministry of two of the country's great economic engines, because they are 30% of the GDP. A Ministry of Industry and Tourism can help a lot in the idea of industrialization. We could even say reindustrialization, which is one of the strategies we have.
But could this reduction in Catalan ministers have to do with demonstrating that the new Government after the amnesty agreement does not have to rely on Catalonia?
The reunion agenda is one of the most important axes of the Government. We are and have to be builders of coexistence between different people. From the territorial, social, generational point of view. It is the epicenter of our project because it is the cause and consequence of the well-being of citizens. That is not only good for a government, for a party, it is good for the country. And those who now criticize it will also be the beneficiaries of a new stage where we can generate more prosperity. Coexistences are easy to break and difficult to rebuild. We are aware that we have agendas where we see discrepancies and we will have to address differences, but we want to overcome them.
Do you think that once the amnesty is approved, what happened in 2017 can be repeated?
The pacts that we have signed say what they say and express a philosophy, which is that we are for sincere dialogue and to overcome confrontations. We may have disagreements, but we will manage them with a different spirit than that experienced six or seven years ago. Today's Catalonia is in a process of recovering this spirit of harmony. It is different from 2017 and in political terms it is curious that this raises so much dust from political forces when it was with them that referendums were held that broke the rules of the game.
And with such different partners will stability be given to the legislature?
There is a party that has a democratic majority that has not been seen for a long time. The period of large homogeneous blocks is over. The key is in diversity management. And that is as applicable to Europe and Spain as it is to Catalonia. Good governance now relies on diversity leadership. We will have to dedicate a lot to dialogue to build a legislature of stability with budgets that are approved. With Junts and ERC and with the BNG and the PNV, we can reach agreements to build a legislature. The noise that exists will not be able to cover up either the capacity for dialogue or a government action that will be forceful in the reality that it will transform.
Talk about noise, how do you see the opposition that PP and Vox have with the whole amnesty issue?
It has no long-term strength. When the PP admits the democratic reality and that it is facing a Government that is the result of the dialogue that the majority has in Parliament, we will be able to enter into a normalized opposition dynamic. This noise comes from a non-acceptance of democratic reality and is a discourse only for its people or the loudest nuclei, but it does not generate an opposition and alternative project. In the face of noise, what we will do is work. Our project is under pressure. The PSC has endured periods where our convictions have been tested. And here we are.
In the PSOE-Junts political agreement there is talk of promoting the return to Catalonia of the companies that left in 2017. Is this return possible and will any measures be taken in this regard?
The great initiative is to gain normality and coexistence. When we all realize that what we have to do we will do it through predictable rules of the game, then that can happen, and I am sure that it will happen. I am optimistic. We will generate conditions so that those companies that we consider have to return or that left due to certain circumstances can return.
In his inauguration speech he spoke of dialogue with the business sectors. Is a good relationship with the CEOE possible?
I assure you that it will not be for me, and I believe that the CEOE and the unions have been an example of great agreements, on labor reform and other issues. Social agents come from a world, that of business and work, with great rationality when it comes to facing issues, where there are divergences, but also the ability to reach agreements.
What is your plan to stop the deindustrialization of the country?
The pandemic and geopolitical tensions have made us in Europe aware that part of the production process must be recovered. That does not mean denying globalization. I believe a lot in international trade, I started working at the Port of Barcelona and I believe that many benefits are derived. But in Europe there is a reflection of strategic autonomy. Based on that, in Spain we have land and energy. We have a depopulated Spain where reindustrialization can generate activity and attract population. And we are one of the countries with the cheapest energy. We are attractive, and this is demonstrated by the fact that last year Spain attracted 34 billion euros of direct investment, 42% in industry. And to this reality we add a more active industrial policy than ever thanks to the Recovery Plan. The ministry has increased its investment in active policies by 336% since 2018, up to 7 billion. We transport it through the Perte and one of the most important is the automobile.
The first car Perte received criticism, it did not reach the potential that was expected. Now with the second, some company, like Stellantis, has complained that it does not receive enough aid and could reconsider investments...
The first Perte generated 800 million, a fairly important figure. The second, the Perte VEC II, is 520 million that have been put out to tender and almost 100% has been awarded. Now there is a second line that is also being prepared and about to be awarded in the coming weeks. There will be a Perte VEC III. They are open and dynamic processes on which there will be new opportunities.
Nissan's reindustrialization process is delayed, the figures are below what was expected. Can it be redirected?
Yes, I think it will be redirected. Sometimes the deadlines and the implementation of projects can be delayed a little, but the will of the ministry, the Consorci de la Zona Franca, the Generalitat, of all those who were part of the industrial pact is that it is a strategic project for Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain.
There is another large industrial company in crisis in Catalonia, Celsa. On Friday, the entry of creditor funds into the capital became effective. Do you still have the commitment to look for a Spanish partner?
It is a requirement of the Government. I want to remember that the case is derived from a judicial decision. And the Government, I think very correctly, uses its ability to approve or not the entry of funds to set the rules of the game, which are the presence of a local partner in the management bodies, and the maintenance of jobs. and investments. We will not let what we know Celsa represents for Catalonia and other places be dismantled.
Tourism has recovered, but to the point that there is a certain oversaturation in destinations like Barcelona.
I have been mayor of Barcelona and I know perfectly well the challenges that tourism poses. But it must be emphasized that the sector contributes 13% of GDP, with very significant growth this year, more than 66 million tourists and spending of 84,000 million until September. It is also a great generator of employment, and with much less temporary employment thanks to the labor reform. We have to work to offset the negative effects. It is necessary to deseasonalize and redistribute the territory, to make tourists discover other places taking advantage of a railway network that is among the best in the world. And we have to work for social sustainability. For example, setting taxes to be able to reinvest in improving destinations. We are also now working on a European regulation so that large non-hotel tourist rental companies are responsible for ensuring that their offer is legal.
