The president of Freixenet, a producer of cava, Catalan sparkling wine, Josep Lluís Bonet, has announced that he will propose a change of registered head office to the company's board if the 21st December election sees a result that is "inconvenient" for the company's interests. He was speaking in an appearance in Barcelona's Llotja de Mar organised by the Chamber of Commerce under the title "Fira de Barcelona [Barcelona Trade Fair], economic engine of the country with global reach".
Bonet said that the company will choose to remain in Catalonia "if there is hope that everything is heading in a good direction". Freixenet's president admitted that it would be "very difficult" for him to leave Catalonia and asked for everyone to "reflect and vote freely". "If the strategy is normality, legal security and stability, perfect. If not, I will put the change of registered head office back on the agenda," he said.
Barcelona city hall pact broken
Moreover, Bonest, as president of the board of directors of Barcelona Trade Fair, regretted the "breaking" of the city government pact between Barcelona en Comú (Barcelona in Common) and PSC (Socialists' Party of Catalonia) in the Catalan capital and called for "stability".
Bonet expressed his regret that the Catalan political situation has put the Barcelona brand "in danger". "Not going together always has a cost. The Barcelona model works, let's not break it. When politicians change course looking for other things, we're not doing well", said the businessperson. He claimed that the "confidence" abroad towards Barcelona has been lost. "Without stability, normality and legal security we won't have anything," he concluded.