HM King Felipe VI highlighted the value of digitization in economic progress during his speech prior to the Mobile World Congress (MWC) opening dinner in Barcelona this Sunday. His Majesty the King, who has recorded how in the previous edition Russia had just invaded Ukraine, has shown his support for the Ukrainian people in defending his territory. He also highlighted the positive impact that the mobile phone congress has in Spain, making our country for a few days the world center of technology. In this sense, he recalled how critical communications are, not only for companies, but also for society, recalling at this point the recent earthquake in Turkey.
“It allows us to connect with each other even in disaster areas,” he signed, recalling that 5G technology reaches 17% of the world’s population. The King has expressed his satisfaction that this edition of the MWC – number 17 – can recover normality after the pandemic, although he has noted that we are in a context of uncertainties, among which the energy crisis has stood out.
Felipe VI, likewise, has insisted on the value of public-private collaboration as a catalyst for economic growth, although he has stressed the importance of transparency and promoting progress centered on values.
Prior to his speech, the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, had reviewed all the economic measures promoted by Spain in the last year as a result of the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine and recorded that 45 initiatives had been approved. for 0 million euros, many of them focused on reinforcing the social shield.
He also reminded attendees that Spain will grow more than average this year, with lower inflation than other European countries. As the King will later highlight, for the President of the Government one of the most relevant values of technology is its ability to “unite people”, he said.
A close relationship with the city
It is estimated that this edition, the first of the post-Covid era, the fair during technology will leave some 350 million euros in the city of Barcelona, in addition to creating 7,400 temporary jobs. Although before the pandemic it was questioned from the city council that leads this Sunday.
GSMA CEO John Hoffman
Pere Aragonés, the president of the Catalan Generalitat, has also insisted on this aspect during his statements prior to the opening dinner of the congress. Specifically, Aragonés has insisted that Barcelona is one of the world’s technological capitals; taking the gauntlet of the statements made a few hours before by Hoffman.
