“We are concerned about the ‘electoral mode'”
The president of the Family Business Institute (IEF), Ignacio Riverahas said goodbye to the annual congress held in Burgos with special optimism about everything discussed throughout the days. His conclusion, after closing the event, is clear: Spain has in Work absenteeism and lack of talent two “dark clouds” on the horizon and “major agreements are needed to help boost the economy.” This is how he put it in a meeting with the media in which he regretted that Spain lives in a permanent ‘election mode’: “It worries us because we no longer know how long it lasts and it is getting longer and longer”.
The businessman, head of the company Hijos de Rivera, says goodbye to the congress with the peace of mind of having explained the main challenges they face. family businesses – owners of 70% of employment and 60% of Spanish gross domestic product (GDP) – and reaches out to the Government to find a solution. “We are happy to work with them to analyze the problem and see where we can help” He pointed out after defending that, if necessary, “the legislation must be adjusted” to dissipate these clouds.
Asked about measures that are on the Work table such as the tightening of time control or the extension of death permits, Rivera has opted for caution to emphasize that “the data must be analyzed well” to combine the “well-being of people with the future and competitiveness of companies so that the wheel does not stop turning.”
He has been more rigid with the talent problem suffered by companies associated with the institute. “I detect it a lot in family businesses that are more geographically dispersed. It is more difficult to find it in rural areas than in urban engines like Madrid and Barcelona,” he noted, putting the focus on education to resolve this inequality. “I am not a magician to give the solution, for that we have a political class that has to dedicate itself to these great issues and to look for great agreements that help boost the economy” he reiterated.
Finally, the president of the IEF, who has concluded his last congress at the head of the institute – given that he took office in May 2024 with a non-extendable two-year period – has urged businessmen to mobilize and face with optimism the challenges that lie ahead for Spain’s economic future. “We tend to have a bit of a complex about not saying what we do and I feel very honored to be a family businessman. It seems to me that we are people with a positive impact and we have to be less afraid to say it. We are part of the solution to the welfare society and the future of this country,” he stated.
The congress opts for Madrid as its headquarters for 2026
This concludes the congress that has brought together more than 600 family businessmen from all over Spain and included the participation of prominent personalities from the business, institutional and academic fields. As a final touch, it has been officially announced that The next edition in 2026 will be held in Madridthus marking the beginning of planning a new meeting.
