The Pimec employers' association reinforces its presence in Madrid with the appointment of Ferran Bel as its permanent representative in this city. In this way, this association of Catalan SMEs seeks direct dialogue with state administrations and institutions based in Madrid, as well as with other interest groups. It is a matter of gaining visibility and reputation in Madrid, according to this employer's association. If a year ago, Pimec presented the Executive Commission of Pimec Jóvenes Madrid, focused on the youngest entrepreneurs, it is now expanding its presence with a permanent delegate in the capital.
The president of Pimec, Antonio Cañete, argues the need for this initiative to gain influence. “In the same way that we have a structure in Brussels, we must have it in Madrid to be able to defend the interests of SMEs where decisions that affect them are made, where economic and business measures are negotiated and approved,” says Cañete, who wants to ensure that the needs of small and medium-sized companies are taken into account in the transposition of European regulations.
The permanent representative is Ferran Bel (Tortosa, 1965), who was a deputy in Congress in three terms, and previously, senator for Tarragona. Between 2007 and 2018 he was mayor of Tortosa and has been an associate professor at the University of Barcelona and currently works as an associate professor at the Rovira i Virgili University.
Ferran Bel has expressed his desire to “strengthen dialogue and influence in the different institutions
", so that regulatory activity is much more favorable to the interests of small and medium-sized Catalan companies." Among its functions will be to strengthen Pimec's presence in Madrid, maintain institutional relations and increase the visibility of this association. It will be coordinated with the presidential office and the institutional area of Pimec, with the employers' delegation in Brussels and with other organizations with common objectives, such as Conpymes or the Multisector Platform against Late Payments.
