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Spain may also impugn the legality of the new Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs

January 15, 2016 04:06 PM | ACN

One day after the new Catalan executive was constituted, the Spanish government has announced that the State Attorney will analyse the competences of the new Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs, as it may violate some of the Spanish government’s functions. “We will not allow any action which could be contrary to the Constitution or to the laws, whatever it may be” warned current Spanish Government Vice President Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría. This warning comes after the Spanish Government confirmed that a report will be written analysing the taking office ceremony of new Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, during which Puigdemont didn’t mention Spain’s King nor the Spanish Constitution.

Barcelona to host first Amazon express delivery centre in Europe

January 15, 2016 03:40 PM | ACN

The Catalan capital will host the first Amazon express delivery centre in Europe. Similar to New York’s recently opened Amazon ‘Prime Now’ delivery centre, Barcelona will have a centre to attend to customers’ demands quickerand deliver products on the same day. Amazon will establish this centre at 89 Rosselló Street, in Barcelona city. The building was previously the headquarters of the Editorial Gustavo Gili publishing house and its huge basement makes it an appropriate choice considering Amazon’s activities. This operation is to complement the creation of Amazon’s biggest logistics centre in the South of Europe, which will be built in El Prat de Llobregat, close to Barcelona El Prat Airport. 

Juncker urges Spain to form "stable government" amid Catalan independence crisis

January 15, 2016 02:54 PM | ACN

The European Commission’s President, Jean-Claude Juncker, urged Spain to form a “stable government” and do it “as quick as possible, as it belongs to the Eurozone”. Juncker refused to “give an opinion on the movements in some regions and provinces”, referring to Catalonia’s push for independence, but called for “Spain to rise to” the circumstances. In a similar vein, the Euro Parliament’s President, Martin Schulz, assured that the Catalan case would have to be “dealt with within the framework of the Constitution”. The Vice President of Flemish Nationalist party N-VA, Sander Loones, commented that the EC “missed a great opportunity” by not taking up a role as mediator and noted that “saying that it is a Spanish issue only is a way of making sure that nothing will move”.

New Catalan Government set to work

January 14, 2016 05:49 PM | ACN / Sara Prim

The members of the new Catalan executive took office this Thursday, more than three months after the 27th of September Catalan Elections resulted in the victory of pro-independence forces. Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, called them to be “aware” of the citizens’ assignment “without renouncing anything”. ERC’s leader Oriol Junqueras has been designed to assume the Vice presidency and led the Department of Economy and Tax Office, one of the key areas of the new executive. Another novelty is the creation of the department for Foreign Affairs, which will be led by former MEP and ‘Junts Pel Sí’s top member, Raül Romeva.

The Spanish Government may impugn Puigdemont’s taking office

January 13, 2016 05:08 PM | ACN

Current Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy insisted that the Spanish Government’s legal services will “write a report” to evaluate the procedure used in new Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont’s, take office. During the ceremony, Puigdemont didn’t mention Spain’s King nor the Spanish Constitution. “According to this report we will make the appropriate decisions, following the current legislation and the general interests of all the Spanish citizens” he warned. Despite petitions from he other groups in Spanish Parliament, Rajoy admitted that “so far” he “doesn’t intend” to meet with Puigdemont. 

El Prat Airport registers a record 39.7 million passengers for 2015

January 13, 2016 12:26 PM | ACN

39.7 million passengers used Barcelona’s El Prat Airport facilities this 2015, 5.7% more than last year. This figure sets a new record for El Prat, which is the second busiest airport in Spain, only beaten by Madrid Barajas. December was also a historic month, with 2,604,772 passengers whom passed through El Prat. The highest figure was registered in August 2015, were nearly 4.4 million passengers used El Prat Airport’s facilities. The passenger group which grew the most was international travellers, especially the Latin American market, which registered a 21.7% increase in comparison to last year. Regarding the number of operations registered, there were 288.878 take-offs and landings in 2015, which represents 1.8% more than in 2014. 

New Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont takes office

January 12, 2016 08:51 PM | ACN / Sara Prim

Carles Puigdemont took office this Tuesday and became Catalan President number 130. “We will respond to the people’s hopes” stated Puigdemont during his speech and added that it is “not possible to guarantee” a better life for all citizens “with the skills we currently have, with the skills we have been left”. The Parliament’s President, Carme Forcadell, representatives from all the groups in the Catalan chamber and personalities from civil society attended the ceremony. Current Spanish Minister for Home Affairs, Jorge Fernández Díaz, and the Spanish Government’s Delegate in Catalonia, María de los Llanos de Luna, were the only representatives from the Spanish government to attend the event.  

Lionel Messi wins fifth FIFA Ballon d’Or

January 12, 2016 12:33 PM | FC Barcelona

In 2012 Messi became the first and only player to ever take home the Ballon d'Or four times. Now he has extended his unrivaled feat to five. Messi, Neymar, Alves and Iniesta were named to FIFA FIFPro World XI for 2015. All four made the prestigious team, which was voted on by nearly 25,000 professional footballers from 70 countries. Luis Enrique has won the Coach of the Year award at the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala in the Kongresshaus, Zurich on Monday. It comes in recognition of an incredible 2015 in which he led FC Barcelona to five out of six titles. The Barça boss received 31.08% of the votes, ahead of Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola who received 22.97%.

Spain’s King refuses to receive Parliament’s President

January 11, 2016 06:39 PM | ACN

Philip VI refused Parliament President Carme Forcadell’s request for an audience to communicate to him the investiture of the new Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont. The Royal Household asked Forcadell to do so in writing and thus broke with the tradition according to which the presidents of the Catalan, Basque and Galician Parliaments travel to Madrid to communicate to the monarch the decision of their respective chambers. Philip VI’s secretary asked for the investiture to be communicated “complying with the procedures established by the Spanish Constitution and the Catalan Statute of Autonomy”.  

The stage is set for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or awards ceremony

January 11, 2016 04:59 PM | FC Barcelona

Messi is going for his fifth Ballon d'Or, a jaw-dropping feat considering the fact that in the history of the award, he is the only person to have won it more than three times. Four other players have won it exactly three times, Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Marco van Basten and Cristiano Ronaldo, while just five other players have ever won it twice. Messi won his unprecedented fourth straight Ballon d'Or in 2013 and is now looking to distance himself from the pack. Messi and Ronaldo have scooped up every Ballon d'Or for the last seven years. That number is almost certain to rise to eight this Monday.

Carles Puigdemont, the mayor who became Catalan President number 130

January 11, 2016 02:03 PM | ACN

Carles Puigdemont was invested as Catalan President number 130 with the absolute majority of the Catalan Parliament. A last-minute agreement between pro-independence forces cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ and radical left CUP allowed the new government to start working and finally unblock the deadlock over the investiture. Mas decided to step aside and named president of the Association of Municipalities for Independence and mayor of Girona, a city 100 km north of Barcelona, Carles Puigdemont as his successor. A member of former governing party liberal Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya, Puigdemont ran for cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ in Girona and has repeatedly expressed his commitment to Catalonia’s pro-independence roadmap. 

Carles Puigdemont instated as the new Catalan President

January 10, 2016 09:51 PM | ACN / Sara Prim

Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI) president and mayor of Girona city Carles Puigdemont has been instated as Catalan President number 130 by an absolute majority of the Parliament. Puigdemont, a member of cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ proposed by current Catalan President Artur Mas, obtained 70 votes in favour, 63 against and 2 abstentions. The investiture debate took place this Sunday after a last-minute agreement between pro-independence forces ‘Junts Pel Sí’ and CUP and just before all the legal deadlines were due to expire and new elections would have had to been called in Catalonia.

The investiture debate to elect a new President starts

January 10, 2016 05:52 PM | ACN / Sara Prim

The Spokesperson Bureau has convened this Sunday and the investiture debate to elect a new President has been scheduled straight away, just before all the legal deadlines are due to expire and new elections would have had to been called in Catalonia. According to the pro-independence forces’ last-minute agreement, Artur Mas’ candidate, Carles Puigdemont, will get the support of 68 MPs from the 135 in the Parliament, so that he can be instated in the first round. Puigdemont’s investiture would allow the government to start working on the roadmap towards independence.

Pro-independence forces reach an agreement and Artur Mas won’t be president

January 9, 2016 05:48 PM | ACN / Sara Prim

Just when calling for new elections seemed to be unavoidable, cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ and radical left CUP have finally reached an agreement to resolve the presidency of the new Catalan government and launch the independence roadmap. Current Catalan President and ‘Junts Pel Sí’s number four, Artur Mas has decided to step aside and president of the Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI) and mayor of Girona city, Carles Pugidemont, has been appointed as the candidate of consensus. In exchange, some of CUP’s MPs will resign in order to guarantee the stability of the new government. The investiture debate will take place on Sunday and a new President would have to be elected before midnight.

ERC calls on parties to negotiate “until the very last minute”

January 5, 2016 07:08 PM | ACN

Left wing ERC leader and ‘Junts Pel Sí’ number five, Oriol Junqueras, considers it “irresponsible” to talk about elections and urged current governing party liberal CDC and radical left CUP “to be loyal to the country” and “try to find an agreement”. Junqueras noted the “sacrifices” that ERC has made in order to reach the present situation and urged the other pro-independence forces to “use up all the deadlines” as agreement “is still possible”. “Very complicated negotiations have been solved in a few days, even in a few minutes” he stated. According to ERC’s leader, an agreement is better than “a scenario full of uncertainties” which would be elections in March.