The Spanish Federation of Natural Stone has elected Manuel Sánchez Pérez as new president at the last General Assembly for the period 2009-201.

Manuel Sánchez Pérez is representative of the Association of Businessmen of Andalusia Marble (EEA), and is the substitute to José Marín Núñez from the Association of Marble and Stone of Murcia.

The new president was unanimously supported by the associations that make up the Federation, and in his presentation, Manuel Sanchez had posed to the Assembly the general lines of action of his presidency, had proposed the creation of working committees to establish guidelines to be followed in matters so important to the sector of natural stones such as funding the research, supported by the network of technology centers of this sector, industrial development, improving the commercial network, and a closer approximation to the public opinion through communication.

Manuel Sánchez also expressed the concern of the sector of natural stones by the insensitivity of the central government in recent months of serious crises that are facing businesses in the natural stone. He said that more work is needed to that policy does not set aside an area that in many areas is the only form of industry in supporting its economic development.

The new President thanked his predecessor, Jose Marin, the work they had done at the head of the Federation during his tenure, time and dedication he had given to this organization. Expressed the appreciation of the Assembly to their project and presented him with the insignia of the FDP and a plaque in memory of his tenure in the presidency of this organization.

The Assembly approved both the activity report of 2008, the project proposal for 2009 as their respective budgets. On this occasion, the secretary general of the FDP, Gerardo Burón submitted to the Assembly restrictive budgets in line with the current crisis. In his presentation elaborated on the need for the sector to support them in their associations and employers in its national and expressed the value of partnerships to find strategies to act before the Administration.

Counselor Salvador Marin Hernandez announced in his speech at the closing, his department would boost the establishment of a natural stone in coordination with the Technology Center of Marble Cehegín and in collaboration with companies in the Marble of Murcia . These and other initiatives would be aimed at reviving the development of natural stone, which for years was one of the economic engines of the region.

The mayor of Cehegín, meanwhile, urged the Administration to support a stronger industry Murcian marble because is also a very exporter and has generated jobs for a continuous period of years, but the current crisis and economic decline in construction activity is assuming a sharp slowdown in its expansion.