IV National Congress of Sociedad Civil: some keys for Spain to continue to occupy a leading position in the world

Around 60 speakers, including the main exponents of Spanish and Andalusian Sociedad Civil, debated during a day's work on ‘The Spain that leads’ at the 4th National Congress of Sociedad Civil held in Seville under the honorary presidency of H.M. King Felipe VI. 

From the debates, various conclusions and key points can be drawn about the challenges and opportunities facing the country. 

The Congress was structured into six round tables comprising three sessions that addressed very relevant issues in which Spain occupies a predominant position in the world: ‘Leadership in quality of life’, ‘Sustainable and humanist leadership’ and ‘Competitive and efficient leadership’.

In addition, the meeting had an inaugural plenary session on ‘The Spanish way of life and Spain's competitive position’, and a closing session on ‘The great challenges and opportunities for Spain’ that are opening up in the current global context. 

As Aldo Olcese, President of the Asociación Nacional Sociedad Civil Ahora (SOCIA) and President of the 4th Congress of Sociedad Civil, pointed out at the closing session, which was attended by Juanma Moreno, President of the Community of Andalusia, ‘we feel proud to have made a small contribution to the improvement of our country, from altruism, from collaboration, from the concept that inspires our work, which is none other than that of positive addition’. 

These are some of the main conclusions of the 4th National Congress of Sociedad Civil held under the slogan ‘The Spain that leads’: 

• Spain is the fourth power in Europe. It leads the world in sustainability, infrastructures, tourism, sport, culture, gastronomy, finance, etc. It is no longer a passive subject of the great changes in the world, but one of the active subjects, it is a protagonist of this process. It is necessary to talk about Spain in a positive way. 
• Among all Spaniards we have to build a society that must be supportive, plural and united. 
• One of Spain's main problems today is polarisation, which generates fear, prevents dialogue and growth, and weakens the social fabric. Spanish society has to build alliances that are the driving force of change for collective well-being. 
• Spain has to promote the attraction of foreign investment, and for this to happen, security and simplicity must be favoured from a legal and economic perspective, with a legal system that accompanies and promotes change, avoiding over-regulation. 
• Gender equality is a pending issue in our country. Traditional social roles have not been overcome; it is necessary to continue working on the visibility of women. 
• Spain has an ideal environment for entrepreneurship and will become a leading country in digital nomads in the medium term, but it needs an accompanying fiscal policy. 
• Tax policies should also be implemented to encourage companies to hire older people and take advantage of senior talent, as life expectancy in Spain is longer than in other countries. 
• Spain needs to continue to invest in infrastructure in order, among other reasons, to take advantage of the enormous tourist potential that many places throughout the country have and to seek new destinations other than sun and sand. 
• Spain needs to approve an Industrialisation Plan for the country, what industries do we want in Spain, which, among other factors, will allow us to employ young people and retain talent. 
• Spanish banking is a leader in Europe because it is solid: low default, efficient and solvent. However, the sector faces some challenges, such as increasing digitalisation and sustainability, and a greater effort in financial inclusion so that banking services reach all geographical areas. 
• Andalusia is one of the autonomous regions that leads Spain with its example, with its progress, with its way of life, which has undergone a very positive transformation in recent years: now it is progress, it is entrepreneurship, it is technology.