The Círculo Ecuestre held its first exclusive members-only event in Madrid this Tuesday, a meeting that marks a milestone in the institution's history and reflects its desire to strengthen its presence and influence in the Spanish capital. The event took place in CaixaBank's iconic "All in One" space and brought together nearly one hundred members and prominent figures from the business and institutional world.

The event was chaired by Enrique Lacalle, President of the Círculo Ecuestre, who emphasized the significance of this step in the Club's national expansion strategy, an institution with almost 170 years of history as a benchmark for Catalan civil and business society:

"I have always believed in the importance of the relationship between Madrid and Barcelona. If the two cities collaborate, Spain will be much better off. Today we begin a new and special relationship with Madrid, so well presided over by Mayor Almeida."

Among those attending were Joaquín Güell, President of the Círculo Ecuestre Advisory Board in Madrid; Ignacio Marull, Vice President of Economics; Antonio Gámiz, Vice President of the Social Area; Isabel Estany, Vice President of the Culture Area; and Juan María Nin, member of the Advisory Council in Madrid and President of the Círculo de Empresarios. Also participating were leading business leaders such as Demetrio Carceller (Damm), Cristina Valls-Taberner (The Brickinvest), Jordi Morral (Europastry), Álvaro Echevarría (Telefónica), and Jordi García Tabernero (Naturgy), as well as institutional representatives from CaixaBank, such as Maria Lluisa Martínez Gistau, María Alsina, and Xicu Costa.

One of the key moments of the event was the special address by the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, who participated in an interesting discussion with Francisco Marhuenda, director of the newspaper La Razón and also a member of the club. In a relaxed but content-rich format, current political, economic, and social issues were addressed, both nationally and internationally.




During his speech, the mayor emphasized the need to maintain an open and constant dialogue between Madrid and Barcelona, which he defined as two fundamental drivers of the common project that is Spain:

“I am extremely happy if Barcelona does well, because then Spain will do well and Madrid will do well. Jaume Collboni and I agree on many things despite having different ideologies. We differ, yes, but we share common challenges and also similar solutions.”

Martínez-Almeida emphasized the symbolic and strategic connection between the two cities, highlighting their institutional, economic, and physical complementarity:

“We are connected by high-speed train in two and a half hours. We know that there are those who go to Barcelona and then come to Madrid, and vice versa. Barcelona is our capital in the Mediterranean, and Madrid is the capital of Latin America in Europe.”




The mayor also addressed one of the major challenges facing European cities: the need for a more competitive regulatory and fiscal framework to address increasingly demanding global environments:

"Madrid and Barcelona have tools such as the Capital City Law and the Municipal Charter, but we need them to evolve. If we want to compete with cities like London, we need frameworks adapted to that reality."




In addition to these issues, other key topics were addressed during the discussion, such as access to housing, the review of the European governance model, the international geopolitical situation, Europe's role as a guarantor of stability, and the importance of strengthening investment, simplifying regulations, and guaranteeing freedom as the cornerstone of coexistence in the major capitals of the future.

With this event, the Círculo Ecuestre reaffirms its role as a leading platform for institutional and business dialogue, consolidating its presence in Madrid and building strategic bridges between the country's two largest cities.