AVE businessmen give politicians a failing grade and 70% fear Trump's tariffs

The Valencian Association of Businessmen (AVE) continues to strengthen its weight as one of the great voices of the Valencian economic fabric and its annual assembly held this Wednesday in Valencia has reflected this. In addition to increasing the number of businessmen who form part of this select club to 200 , the meeting served to reflect the opinion of the businessmen of the Valencian Community and their main demands.

At an event attended by Felipe González , the president of AVE, Vicente Boluda, wanted to share the main messages shared by the businessmen of the entity, in a meeting attended by Juan Roig, president of Mercadona; his brother Fernando Roig, president of Pamesa; Héctor Colonques and his daughter Ana, from Porcelanosa; or Antonio Arias, from Vectalia, among many others.

Business leaders are protesting against what Boluda described as "an unbearable climate of political confrontation and polarisation that affects us as a whole." According to Boluda, "noise sells and we can only build the collective project that is Spain, together, and divisions take away our opportunities."

In fact, the survey that AVE carries out every year among its members revealed that polarisation is what most worries Valencian companies in the political sphere. In addition, businessmen give a failing grade to the political situation both in the Valencian Community (the event was closed by Carlos Mazón himself) and in Spain .

His other important message has to do with the global geostrategic situation: "The blocks, as we have traditionally experienced them since the end of the Second World War, are changing and so are the interests. Europe, the European Union in particular, must react and the different fronts that we have open in our country do not help us to be a cohesive and strong country."

In this balance, the issue of the economic environment that most worries AVE partners is the rise in production costs , such as raw materials, energy or labor costs , followed by the reactivation and continuity of businesses and companies in the areas devastated by the DANA in the province of Valencia.

80% of AVE member companies have been affected by the DANA that flooded part of Valencia, either because they are located in affected areas or because their clients or suppliers are established in those areas.

Regarding the economic situation of the Valencian Community and Spain, nearly 80% think that 2025 will be the same or better than 2024 in economic terms. In addition, 95% say that they will maintain or increase employment in 2025 and 85% will increase their investment in Spain . The majority will allocate their profits to reinvestment and debt reduction.

However, there are also shadows, such as the arrival of Trump to the White House. Nearly 70% of the associated businessmen expect to be affected by the increase in tariffs announced by the United States , "directly or indirectly."

Business owners are also concerned about absenteeism, as 50% estimate it to be above 5% in their respective companies and 90% of partners believe that AI has and/or will have a significant impact on their sector, and that AI can help their company, mainly by improving efficiency and productivity.