Feijóo's business dialogue Election and policy plans

Oct 5

In Europa Press's compacted release of his dialogue with Ignacio Rivera at the XXIX National Family Business Congress in Madrid, Feijóo attributes Sánchez's election call to personal interest and fear of further information emerging from judicial investigations. He says Spain will decide on November 29, seeks renewed confidence and criticizes polarization. Rivera asks about national agreements and long-term governing. In the released response, Feijóo claims that little European recovery funding reached businesses and 75% went to the public sector. He cites child poverty, a claimed 2% fall in net wages and €3,800 more annual tax per person than in 2018, alongside his election record and preference for practical proposals. On housing, he describes a one-million-home shortage and argues that building 200,000–250,000 homes annually could create 500,000–600,000 jobs. He proposes using public land for homes priced 30% lower, anti-squatting and land-law changes, cutting planning time from ten years to four, public permit waiting lists and approval by administrative silence after 90 days. Renovations would use declarations of responsibility except for structural or protected historic-building work. In a proposal framed around under-35s living at home, he advocates transfer tax and VAT at 4%, comparing regional transfer-tax changes. He says 'segunda vivienda' in that comparison; this release does not fully define eligibility. He then objects to fragmented regional business regulation. He calls absenteeism unreasonable, comparing daily absences of 450,000 in 2018 and 1.2 million in 2025, and costs of €13 billion and €31 billion. He explicitly declines to adopt ABC's €36 billion figure because he has not verified it. He questions Monday/Friday sick leave and contrasts the self-employed. He proposes more INSS medical assessors, coordination with mutual insurers and shared medical information. A company bonus model is still being developed: below an unspecified absence threshold, good care, staff motivation and workplace conditions might justify reduced obligations. He gives no settled threshold or enacted benefit. On foreign policy, he distinguishes disagreement with the US president from relations with the United States, advocates a pro-Western and pro-European policy linking Europe with Spanish America, rejects domestic political use of diplomacy, expresses concern about Hamas/Hezbollah applause and criticizes the rupture with Argentina. He favors cordial relations, stronger European industrial and energy competitiveness and reduced dependence, and approves the Mercosur agreement. In Rivera's closing question he describes restoring confidence in Spain and its people as his purpose. The account retains his claims, forecasts and proposals as attributed statements; the release is compacted footage, not an unedited full appearance.

In the October 5 Madrid IEF dialogue, Feijóo advocates pro-Western and pro-European foreign policy that connects the EU with Spanish America. He says disagreements with the US president must be distinguished from relations with the United States and opposes using diplomacy for domestic political purposes. He expresses concern about approval by Hamas and Hezbollah, criticizes the rupture with Argentina and promises to defend Spain's interests while pursuing cordial relations. He welcomes European discussion of industrialization, energy, competitiveness and dependence and supports the Mercosur agreement. These are connected public policy positions, not a newly signed agreement, a new diplomatic rupture or an established finding about a war.