FHB Interview with MIRIAM GONZÁLEZ DURÁNTEZ
Lawyer specialising in International Commerce and European Regulation. Currently working at law firm Cohen and Gresser. President and Founder of Inspiring Girls International
No matter how many years she has been abroad, she is still “connected” to Spain, without losing her roots. With more than 25 years of professional experience in the area of international trade and European regulation, her life has passed between Brussels, the United Kingdom and now the United States where she resides with her family in Silicon Valley. Regular columnist in the Spanish and British press, speaker and participant in international forums, author of the books ‘Devuélveme el Poder’ and ‘Made in Spain’ and multiple articles, Miriam González Durántez talks about international trade, politics, technology, social commitment, culture, always with an eye to the future and where she declares to feel admiration for the new generations.
EUGENIA GUTIÉRREZ
Madrid, April 2021
The United Kingdom and the European Union announced a trade agreement in December last year. The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson referred to the agreement as a “good deal” and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen though it “fair and balanced”. As an expert in international trade, what is your view on the deal as a whole?
The UK-EU Trade Agreement is a basic and relatively traditional deal which is extremely similar to others the EU has finalised with third countries, such as Japan or Vietnam. The difference is that both are on the other side of the world and are therefore not as integrated with the EU in the economic or regulatory spheres. The only innovative element is the chapter covering the “level playing field” – the EU’s main defensive mechanism.
It certainly isn’t understandable that a wider deal covering regulation and the services sector couldn’t have been reached. Neither is the lack of a much more ambitious deal between two partners which share such close commercial, regulatory and geopolitical ties.
Either way, as a European, what concerns me the most is the effect of the UK’s exit from Europe. The EU’s recent protectionist drive, led by France (especially with regards to data sovereignty, foreign investment or even export bans), would have been largely mitigated had the UK still been a member of the Union.
For now, at least, there doesn’t seem to be a clear line on financial services. Can you predict the impact this will have on the City and the main European capitals?
It’s almost hard to believe that the United Kingdom has agreed to open up its goods market to the EU (including for agricultural products) whilst not demanding a comprehensive deal to cover its strategically important financial services sector in exchange. I trust, however, that at the regulatory level, a series of partial agreements amongst regulators may be with time be reached. Among other things because the British financial regulator is always ahead of its European counterparts.
A small part of the City’s trade has moved to Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Luxembourg and Ireland, but in the long run New York will be the true “winner” of Brexit.
The new Biden Administration has been mostly welcomed by the EU. How do you see the EU-US commercial relationship developing in the short and mid-term?
The change in the US is enormous. There will be no more taking unilateral measures without informing other countries, as Trump so often did. Neither will there be any more blocking the WTO. But I don’t think that the bilateral commercial ties will change any time soon: Biden knows he must focus on vaccination efforts and the economic recovery. Only once these priorities have been settled will we start to see any changes in international commerce.
The EU has made a strange and in my opinion somewhat erroneous move by announcing an in-principle investment agreement with China just ahead of Biden’s inauguration. From the US’s perspective, Europe doesn’t seem to be one hundred per cent behind Biden, thus paving the way for Boris Johnson to position the United Kingdom as a natural ally vis-à-vis China.
In your Book ‘Devuélveme el poder’ you stand for a liberal reform of the political sphere here in Spain, in response to the excessive influence you feel politicians have on Spanish citizens’ daily lives. What is the reasoning behind this and what changes do you propose?
It’s difficult to summarise a whole book in a single paragraph, but basically I believe that the Spanish political system concentrates too much power in the hands of politicians and political parties to the detriment of its own citizens. It’s outdated and is in need of a change. The idea of such a closed and impermeable system with power concentrated in the hands of a few made sense throughout the Spanish Transition when we had to ensure our transition into a fully-fledged democracy went unhindered. However, with time, circumstances have changed and said concentration of political power has become a burden. I propose a series of wide reforms of variable difficulty. Ranging from adding a section on checks and balances to our constitution or restoring the judiciary’s autonomy; to relatively simple measures such as the introduction of regular public legislative consultations, the normalisation and extension of ‘super-regulators’, safeguards and legal protection for whistle-blowers or compulsory weekly surgeries for MPs in their constituencies. Many of my proposals have already been implemented in other countries for years.
You recently stated that technology disperses and distributes power. Why is that? Do you think that this levelling of political power is a direct consequence of the so-called ‘digital revolution’?
The most talked about direct consequence is the concentration of economic power. For example, here in Silicon Valley (where I am currently based) the concentration of economic power has been such that if California was to be a country of its own it would be the 5th wealthiest country in the world.
But beyond said convergence in wealth – a phenomenon which can be easily regulated – the clearest and most permanent effect of the technological revolution is the sudden empowerment of the individual. Many elements which in the past were dependant on one’s social or economic position are now at practically everyone’s reach. In this respect: we are but a click away from all the available knowledge in the world; we can learn languages without having to spend a lot of money; we can access all sorts of university-level classes and lessons; there are platforms which allow practically anyone to become an entrepreneur; we have the choice of expressing ourselves across a variety of platforms without ever depending on newspaper editors or TV directors; and we can even advertise our very own products…All the limitations and bottle necks which existed before are slowly disintegrating and directly empowering individuals. It is now each person’s individual qualities (his talent, work ethic and propensity to risk) which are most important, rendering their social class and background increasingly irrelevant.
You founded Inspiring Girls in 2013, a foundation dedicated to building up younger girls’ confidence and ambition. Starting in the United Kingdom, the programme is now operational across 18 countries. What motivated you to kick-start this ambitious project?
I’ve experienced sexism on several occasions throughout my life. It’s a topic we speak about a lot but do relatively little about. For example, as a girl growing up in the 1970s, I saw how my mother was regularly questioned for working as a teacher at my local school rather than staying at home. Forty years later and already settled in the UK, I was questioned and judged for continuing my work as a lawyer whilst my husband was Deputy Prime Minister.
I launched Inspiring Girls in 2013 precisely to channel the media attention I received whilst my husband was in government to advancing a good cause. Over 55 per cent of girls under 21 say that they have a lack of female success stories to look up to, but actually the world is full of women who might not appear in magazines or on TV but which would make excellent role models! The problem isn’t necessarily finding female mentors, but increasing their visibility and connecting them with younger girls.
That’s where Inspiring Girls steps in. We show our girls what women of all ages and from all walks of life are already achieving and we encourage them to choose their career path freely without the burden of gender stereotypes. Once they’ve decided the objectives they wish to pursue, we push them to aim as high as possible.
I set up the project in 2013 in the UK and in 2016 we went international. We’re currently working in 20 countries and are about to start in a further three. The programme has proved to be extremely popular because after all it’s a simple but effective idea which avoids the tedious and often sterile academic or political debates on feminism. It’s a practical project which directly helps future generations.
What do you make of the past few years and what are the most imminent challenges we will have to face?
We’re in a long and unstable transition period in which the major political, economic and international actors are having to change and adapt at a fast pace. Much like during the industrial revolution, everything is suddenly quicker and it’s much easier to be left behind.
Personally, I am concerned about the extreme fragility of the EU. We’re continually playing catch-up and have so far been unable to ride the entrepreneurial wave which has surged in the wake of the digital revolution – largely because we haven’t concentrated our efforts on making the Single Market a truly unified and homogenous economy in neither the traditional nor digital senses. The economic burden of the EU also falls on increasingly fewer countries; a model which is simply unsustainable in the mid-term.
With regards to Spain, I am worried about the general ease with which we have made ourselves dependant on such a vulnerable European project. We no longer implement reforms according to any coherent, long-term plan, only doing so when the EU has asked us to (and even then, sparingly and often too late). Spain has been stagnant (with occasional periods in which we have even gone backwards) for the past 15 years (ever since the terrorist attacks of the 11th March).
It’s something we mostly prefer not to hear – because the Spanish elite is too busy pretending that all is well on the international arena. But until we accept where we are and take responsibility for our own part in all this, we won’t be able to leave behind this sluggish period. One of our greatest challenges is to stop depending on the financial support coming from Europe. For a country with such strength and potential such as Spain, Europe should be a bonus: a financial and economic outlet to channel our influence. It should be a place where we can promote our own talent and values, not just a financial safeguard.
You’ve taken part in an array of forums and events promoting Spanish and Latin American culture in the UK. Why are such initiatives important?
There isn’t much knowledge of Latin America in the United Kingdom. In my two years at the British Foreign Office, one of my biggest surprises was seeing maps which sometimes didn’t even include South America. Effort such as those of Lord Tristan Garel-Jones in promoting ties between the UK, Spain and Latin America were invaluable in this respect. They provided support for cultural and business-related projects which laid the foundations for a much closer relationship politically speaking, but there’s still a long way to go.
There’s also a lot to be done bilaterally between the UK and Spain. There have been some Foreign Affairs Ministers which thought of the UK and could only think of Gibraltar, when in reality we have many shared interests. The British network of financial services, for example, supports many Spanish companies’ financial needs.
There is a common Spanish proverb “uno es de donde vive y se hace, no de donde nace” which means that what truly shapes who you are is not where you’re from but who you become. Having lived in Brussels, London and now in the US, how true do you think this is? What have you taken away from each phase?
I’ve always tried to learn and understand what went on in all the countries where I’ve lived, without forgetting my Spanish roots and without totally disconnecting from Spain. I’ve been told many times both in person and in the press that I’m very “Spanish” and quite frankly that’s something I’m very proud of. But having strong Spanish roots has nothing to do with becoming obsessed with our past or rallying around a flag. It’s about adding something extra – an “added value”. How can I contribute to ensuring that the next generations will be better than our own? That’s the question a patriot should be asking himself, regardless of where one lives.
In light of the following years, have you got any advice for the coming generations?
My piece of advice for all younger people (including my own three children) is that they should get involved in politics and not limit themselves to complaining on social media. Any real and substantial change will necessarily be political. Each of us has a different way in which to get involved politically but the most important thing is that you get stuck in. Making compromises is in the very nature of politics: there will never be the perfect political party, leader or moment.
A generalised apathy and indifference towards politics has been one of my generation’s main errors and I trust that the next generation realises this and doesn’t make the same mistake. At Inspiring Girls I have had the chance to work with many young adults from all over the world and I have seen their social commitment, their global perspective and the realism with which they seek to push for change. If our own generation manages not to thwart our youngsters any further, I think their’s will be an excellent generation.
