The deep economic crisis that we are enduring on both sides of the Atlantic has demonstrated the importance of the transatlantic economy in the global context and has shown just how integrated European and American economies are, adding to the relevance of this relationship for our societies.

FAES Foundation already proposed an Atlantic Prosperity Area in 2006. This second edition expands and specifies the overall growth strategy, reinforcing everything that joins us together, at a time when it is more necessary than ever to work so that the 21st century does not diminish our collective ability to influence before the rise of new powers or coalitions. The Transatlantic Free Trade Area (TAFTA) is a historic opportunity to build the largest economic prosperity area in the world.

At its meeting held on June 18, and following a proposal made by its President, José María Aznar, FAES Foundation's Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to grant to Mario Vargas Llosa the "2012 FAES Freedom Award" for his civic virtue and stimulating intellectual career in defence of freedom, individual rights, democracy and the Rule of Law. This publication gathers the different conferences pronounced in the Award Ceremony celebrated in Madrid on October 24.

In 2009, on its twentieth anniversary, FAES Foundation instituted the "FAES Freedom Award" as an annual and international prize to recognize the merits of the award-winning personalities in the cause of freedom.

El objetivo de FAES con este informe es aportar razones alternativas al debate sobre el pretendido maltrato fiscal de Cataluña, motivo que el nacionalismo catalán esgrime para intentar forzar un cambio en el sistema de financiación, el denominado “Pacto Fiscal”, y para pretender avanzar unilateralmente por la senda del soberanismo.

Desgraciadamente, este falso “Mito Fiscal” ha calado e impregna el imaginario colectivo de una parte de la población catalana, posiblemente ante la incomparecencia de argumentos como los que este libro ahora presenta.

Por ello, FAES quiere agradecer a Gabriel Elorriaga, Ángel de la Fuente, Juan José Rubio, Santiago Álvarez y Pascual Fernández, autores de los distintos trabajos, sus competentes aportaciones a este trascendental debate. El resultado se recoge en estas 91 páginas que ponen a disposición pública y desde distintos ángulos –histórico, político, económico, metodológico e internacional– las sólidas razones que contradicen y cuestionan el rigor, el fundamento y, en definitiva, las tesis y propuestas del actual Gobierno de la Generalitat.