They transferred it to Palma (Balearic Islands) on October 7, 2017 for the «Process»
The board of the Caixa d’Estalvis I Pensions de Barcelona has unanimously agreed to return to Barcelona, the registered office of the La Caixa Foundation and CriteriaCaixa, as reported on Wednesday in a statement.
The new fiscal domicile will be located in Tower II of the entity’s headquarters, between numbers 621 and 629 of Avinguda Diagonal in Barcelona.
The Foundation and Criteria transferred their headquarters to Palma (Balearic Islands) on October 7, 2017, to «preserve their business and social interests, as well as their normal operation,» after the referendum on October 1 of that year, as explained at that time.
The agreement is made «in light of the fact that the circumstances that led to the temporary transfer of these locations to the city of Palma in 2017 no longer exist.»
The entity has ensured that the change does not imply the movement of people, spaces, or corporate services, as the majority of employees and workplaces have «always been located in Barcelona.»
«Roots»
The Foundation has stated that it has «a firm commitment to its roots» and recalled that it was founded in 1904 by the Barcelona lawyer Francesc Moragas, with the support of various entities of Catalan civil society.
The entity also wanted to express that its commitment to the Balearic Islands and the city of Palma remains unchanged, with the development of programs to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable people.
It also highlighted the activities of Caixaforum Palma, where the foundation’s board will «continue to hold the same meetings as before.»
Caixabank
Sources from Caixabank have declined to comment on a possible return of the bank’s headquarters to Barcelona, where it also left on October 7, 2017, if applicable, to relocate to Valencia.
The CEO of the entity, Gonzalo Gortázar, stated at a press conference on January 30 that Caixabank will maintain its headquarters in Valencia and is there with an «indefinite» character.
Gortázar said that «there is no news» and that, textually, it is not foreseeable that the situation of Caixabank’s headquarters will change.
«We reaffirm our will that, in this regard, we will not change or move the headquarters,» he said.
Asked about the conditions that could lead to the return of the headquarters to Barcelona, Gortázar said that there is no list of conditions to be met and explained that Barcelona is where the «majority» of their time is spent and where the board of directors usually meets.
However, he added that this does not mean they cannot do the same in Valencia, Madrid, Palma, or any other Spanish city, emphasizing the «roots» of the entity in Valencia.
The return of Banco Sabadell
The return of the La Caixa Foundation and CriteriaCaixa comes after the return, at the end of January, of Banco Sabadell, which was the first company listed on the IBEX35 to move its headquarters in 2017 and has since decided to return it to Catalonia.
Asked by Europa Press this Wednesday, the major companies that also left Catalonia in 2017 such as Caixabank or CellNex, have declined to comment on a possible shift.
On December 3, Cementos Molins also approved the return of its headquarters to Catalonia, after relocating it to Madrid in 2017.
Other companies that have decided to return their registered office to Catalonia have been the Societat General d’Aigües de Barcelona (SGAB) in September 2018, Puntos Rojos in June 2023, and Laboratorios Ordesa in October 2023.
Reactions
Sources from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Business have welcomed the return of the headquarters: «It is very good news and another sign of the positive impact of the normalization of the political and economic situation in Catalonia.»
On the other hand, the president of Foment del Treball, Josep Sánchez Llibre, said it is «great news for the economy and the future of the country.»
Sánchez Llibre expressed his «congratulations and gratitude» to the president of the foundation and Criteria, Isidro Fainé, for the decision to return the headquarters to Catalonia.
.
FONT