Search: null

More than 40,000 people filled Avinguda Lluís Companys in Barcelona this Monday in support of former Catalan President, Artur Mas, on his way to the Barcelona’s High Court. Mas faces trial for allowing the 9-N symbolic vote on independence to take place in 2014. Mas could face a 10-year ban from public office for putting out the ballot boxes and he is accused, together with former Catalan Ministers Irene Rigau and Joana Ortega, of “disobedience” and “breach of trust” as the Public Prosecutor believes that Mas, Ortega and Rigau “were fully aware” that by preparing the non-binding consultation “they were breaking the mandatory rulings of the Spanish Constitutional Court”.

Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, gave an institutional speech this Monday before former Catalan President, Artur Mas, former vice-president, Joana Ortega and former Catalan Minister for Education, Irene Rigau faced trial for allowing the 9-N symbolic vote on independence in 2014. “Many of us feel on trial today and thus we will show our outrage”, said Puigdemont and added that he considered the 9-N non-binding consultation “one of the many messages which Catalonia has sent” to the Spanish state and described it as “a joyful day with a strong democratic component, and which was full of hope”. “A country which is able to hold a consultation such as the 9-N has a healthier democracy than that of a country which puts on trial those who made it possible”, he stated. Hundreds of people expressed their support for those whom have been summonsed before Catalan Government headquarters, at Barcelona’s Plaça Sant Jaume.

Former Catalan President, Artur Mas, will have to testify before Barcelona’s High Court on Monday along with former vice-president Joana Ortega and former education minister Irene Rigau for allowing the 9-N symbolic vote on independence in 2014. In several appearances before the press this past Sunday, Mas insisted that he has “nothing to apologise for” and that the three whom have been summonsed face the trial “calmly and in good spirit” but also “moved and grateful for the people’s support”. “They wanted us on our knees, but they will find us standing”, he said. “It is a shameful trial, it is absolutely against democracy”, he said and pointed out that the “success of the 9-N and its high turnout” is what drove the case to the court. Mas, Ortega and Rigau are accused of criminal disobedience and breach of trust for holding the non-binding referendum and could receive a 10-year ban on holding public office if convicted.

The main pro-independence civil society organisations in Catalonia, the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), Òmnium Cultural, the Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI) and the Catalan Association of Municipalities (ACM) have called for mobilisation once again. Under the motto ‘Love Democracy’ the associations aim to show the citizens’ support for former Catalan President, Artur Mas, who faces trial next Monday for allowing the 9-N symbolic vote on independence in 2014, together with former Catalan Ministers Joana Ortega and Irene Rigau. So far, nearly 30,000 people have joined the initiative and are expected to fill Barcelona’s Lluís Companys Avenue, where Catalonia’s Supreme Court is located and where the summonsed will have to testify for alleged disobedience and perversion of justice. 

Tourists from outside of Spain spent 17,328 MEUR in Catalonia in 2016, which represents 3.7% more than in 2015. According to the Tourist Expenditure Poll (Egatur), published by the Spanish Statistics Institute, Catalonia achieved its best result in the historic series and became, once again, the region which takes in the highest amount of tourist expenditure in the whole of Spain. Indeed, Catalonia was the focus of 22% of tourists’ total expenditure in Spain, followed by the Canary and the Balearic Islands. Those tourists who spent the most were the British, followed by Germans and the French, according to figures corresponding to the whole of Spain.  

The Catalan Department for Foreign Affairs, International Relations and Transparency will promote a seminar to share the main experiences of participative democracy worldwide. The initiative will start on the 9^th of March at Barcelona’s Centre of Contemporary Culture (CCCB) and will consist of eight sessions focused on the constitutive process which took place in Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile. According to the Department, the aim of these sessions is to share recent experiences which took place in different countries in Europe and Latin America where citizen participation was not only innovative but key in the elaboration of new constitutions. The seminar will include the presence of international professors and experts in this field.

The number of people unemployed and registered as such with the Catalan Public Employment Service (SOC) at the end of January increased by 278 people compared to December’s figures, a slight growth of 0.06%, according to data released this Thursday by the Spanish Ministry of Employment. Thus, the number of unemployed in Catalonia totalled 453,923. Despite this increase, the unemployment rates in annual terms has declined for 43 consecutive months and there are 64,157 fewer unemployed now than at the end of January 2016, which represents a 12.38% decrease. In Spain as a whole, unemployment has also grown and stood at 3,760,231 people at the end of January. This means that registered unemployment increased by 57,257 people in Spain, representing a 1.55% rise in comparison to last December.

The Spanish Guardia Civil searched this Thursday the headquarters of three Catalan companies, the Barcelona Port Authority, Infrastructures.cat and Barcelona Infrastructures (BIMSA) as part of ‘Operation Pika’ which is investigating alleged irregular funding of former CDC, now renamed as the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT). Barcelona Port president, Sixte Cambra, was arrested together with former CDC treasurer, Andreu Viloca, who was arrested in 2015 as part of the same investigation, two former representatives from CDC, Antoni Vives and Francesc Sánchez and 14 other businessmen. The operation, which carried out more than 20 searches throughout Catalonia, is part of an ongoing investigation into alleged irregular financing of the party, to find out whether companies paid a 3% commission to the CDC foundation in exchange for public contracts.

Catalan company ‘Vallfirest’ has designed and exported worldwide a self-protection kit for firefighters which increases their safety. The equipment “exponentially increases firefighters’ chances of survival” when trapped in a fire, according to ‘Vallfirest’ chairman, Javier Baena. The kit, which has been exported for the last two years, was presented to the public during the 14^th International Wildland Fire Safety Summit, organised by the International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF) from the USA, which took place this past Tuesday in Barcelona. The summit gathered together more than 300 experts and members of the global wildland fire community to discuss best practices in safety and training operations and to explore new approaches.

Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, officially announced the referendum to the consuls in Barcelona. Before 60 international representatives based in the Catalan capital, Puigdemont emphasised this Wednesday the Government’s “determination” to hold the referendum and assured that “the threats” of the Spanish State won’t change its will. According to Puigdemont, the referendum will take place “in September at the latest” and it will have all the “democratic and legal guarantees”. Joined by the Catalan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Raül Romeva, and the chairwoman of the consular corps in Barcelona, Peru’s consul Franca Lorella, Puigdemont insisted that the Government “will always bid for reaching an agreement with the Spanish State” to hold the referendum and emphasised its will for “permanent dialogue”. 

The International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF) from the USA recognised on Tuesday Coimbra University professor Domingo Xavier Viegas’ contribution to wildland firefighter safety and granted him the Wildland Fire Safety Award. Viegas, who is considered one of the most outstanding experts in this field, studied more than 400 wildland fires which had severe consequences for the firefighters involved and has focused on how to identify the causes and improve the safety measures for these professionals. The ceremony closed the 14^th International Wildland Fire Safety Summit which took place this past Tuesday in Barcelona and gathered together more than 300 experts and members of the global wildland fire community to discuss best practices in safety and training operations and to explore new approaches.

The Catalan Government does not exclude the possibility of organising an independence referendum before September 2017, the date initially signalled by President Carles Puigdemont, if “circumstances” make this option the most “convenient”. That is according to the Presidency Minister and Spokeswoman of the Government, Neus Munté, who nonetheless stressed that the date of the vote should allow enough time to organise it properly. Munté did not specify, however, under which circumstances the Catalan Government would try to move forward the referendum. The Spanish Vice President, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría said that the date of the vote does not matter as a referendum will “always be against the Constitution”.

The port of Barcelona closed last year with unprecedented figures. The transport of shipping containers rose by 14.5% with a record figure of 2.2 TEU containers handled. This according to the data presented on Tuesday by the Port President, Sixte Cambra, who said that exports rose by 3.8% while imports increased by 8.7%. The Asian-Oceania market now represents 77% of imports and 43% of exports from the port. In fact, China alone accounts for 43% of the import containers, with a 13% increase during 2016. It is also to China that most of the exporting containers go. The American market represents 25% of exports and 9% of imports from the Port of Barcelona. Catalan exports being handled from the Port of Barcelona are mainly food, equipment and chemicals. Imports are basically textiles, equipment and other manufactured products.

French designer Pierre Cardin’s musical show ‘Dorian Gray, beauty knows no mercy’ opened on Monday the 19th edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion, which will run until the 3rd of February. This year the Catalan fashion fair has chosen the National Theatre of Catalonia (TNC) as its special location in an attempt to boost the synergies between fashion and theatre. Cardin’s exceptional musical was one of the main events of the opening day, during which the French designer, an exceptional patron of 080 Barcelona Fashion, was awarded a special prize by Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont. The first to open the catwalk were childrenswear brands such as Boboli and CND by Cóndor, which were followed by last year’s winners Blame and Miquel Suay, and by TCN.

The Home Affairs Minister, Jordi Jané, praised on Tuesday the hard work of the brave men and women of the firefighter corps in Catalonia. In his speech at the opening of the 14th edition of the International Wildland Fire Safety Summit, organised for the first time in Barcelona, Jané also promised “more resources and more investment” to fight wildfires. The International Wildland Fire Safety Summit gathers together more than 300 experts and members of the global wildland fire community to discuss best practices in safety and training operations and to explore new approaches. Amongst them, leading members of the emergency services of the United States, Israel, Australia, Portugal, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Italy, Denmark and Spain. The event is organised by the Fundació Pau Costa and the International Association of Wildland Fire from the USA, in close collaboration with the Catalan Government and the University of Barcelona.