This is how the 34th edition of the Pirineu Business Trobada was named, which we have just experienced in La Seu d'Urgell and which has become an unmissable event for businessmen from Catalonia and Andorra. The plurality of voices and views —Spanish, Catalan and Lleida— on economic and business news that the Trobada has managed to bring together for more than three decades and the thousands of businessmen who have attended and participated in the sessions represent the most solid foundation of a undisputed success.
The objective of the business meeting has remained unchanged, both in times of prosperity and crisis: dialogue, sharing experiences, concerns and ideas that help open minds to different realities so that they can be applied to improve business management.
This business meeting in La Seu d'Urgell would not be understood without the active participation of the Principality of Andorra at all levels. It is a palpable reality that, today, numerous projects and businesses have been generated thanks to the Trobades, which have managed to connect territories, companies and people not only because of the geographical link that unites us, but because they have managed to strengthen the relationship between countries. Along the same lines, the collaboration between La Trobada and Creand Crèdit Andorrà was consolidated in 2006, when the bank became one of its main sponsors.
Andorra has experienced, in recent years, a clear process of economic opening. Thanks to a huge collective effort, our country now has an economy open to the world, essential for a small country that had historically been based on trade, tourism and financial services. Now, to all these unique attractions is added an economy based on the competitiveness of its companies and, in a special way, on the digital economy and the fields of sports and health, and that is where Andorra must also take center stage. The Business Meeting in the Pirineu is an example of this.
Andorra today looks at Europe and the world with the desire to find a new fit that preserves its differential character, its specificity. It has already succeeded in many aspects and I am convinced that the association agreement with the European Union, which has been being negotiated for some time, will seal a pact that will give the Principality more economic and financial stability —prosperity, in short. — and that will allow you to enter a global market of more than 500 million inhabitants without complexes or prejudices.
La Trobada has succeeded in the focus of each edition, and this year as well. Aware that the future will no longer resemble the past, installed in a permanent and accelerated change and that forces us to adapt to numerous variables, the business meeting has managed to address each moment at the hands of the best experts.
Today, the great challenge is decision making. It is true that it always has been, but never like now, since companies are forced to go down a path where there are more unknowns than certainties. The environment, forms, methods, habits, practices, markets have changed... That is where decisions become more complex and difficult.
For all these reasons, and now more than ever, any organization, whether private or public, must have strong leadership. That is where we play a good part of the future. Leadership with talent and courage as essential requirements. In this year's Trobada we have seen some very eloquent examples. Let's take note.
