Spanish business leaders are worried about the impact that corruption and Catalonia's quest for sovereignty will have on the Spanish economy. Juan Rosell, President of the Spanish Confederation of Employers' Organizations) made a clear point in an interview published today by elEconomista.
"Corruption has dominated the world's opinion of the Spanish economy for two weeks," he said. Rosell also pointed out that companies are struggling each day to restore Spain's reputation internationally. They, like the rest of the country, are calling for swift and fair action to be taken for cases that can typically take years to conclude. For example, Madoff went to jail a full six months after his scandal broke. That said, Rosell is prudent to avoid hasty judgments, which is the same that is asked when problems arise at his institution. These is the reason that he has spoken little and respected Arturo Fernandez's request to take time to make a decision after being accused of paying his unemployed under the table and not registering these salaries with the government.
Rosell has made much ado about his prudence, but a man in his position ought to move as quickly as possible to clear up a corruption scandal. As leader of the SCEO, his priority is to defend companies and business owners, and that task requires setting a good example and making smart decisions about challenging scenarios. His abilities in this arena will empower him to act decisively when he asks politicians to think about the damage that corruption will cause, the social unrest that a Catalonian split will bring or the ongoing search for a solution to Spain's unemployment problem. Business owners hope that 2013 will be the last year of recession provided that more corruption scandals do not undermine their desire to move forward.
