Business

Catalonia has experienced the 8th month in a row of continuous increases in housing sales in relation to the same month of last year. This data confirms the slow recovery of the sector. However, in comparison to July 2010, housing sales dropped 6%.

700 workers from the Martorell factory next to Barcelona will temporarily lose their jobs. They will return to work in June of 2011. The company still has to negotiate the conditions with unions.

The EU Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) will be reformed. Catalonia wants to have a say in the future of the CAP. To do so, it is lobbying together with other European regions that lead fruit and vegetable production. A joint declaration with 10 ways to improve the sector has been agreed on.

The new subsidiary company of Gas Natural Fenosa, Gas Natural Fenosa Renovables, has been created for the development of renewable energies. The new company puts together all the green energy assets of the group. It will jointly compete with Alstom Wind in the Aeolian Competition of Catalonia.

A study presented today by the Catalan Government states that the industrial added value could grow 1.9% each year in a good economic context.

The Spanish Government is investing 2,000 million euros less than what it should according to current binding legislation, stated the President of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce. The investment in Catalonia stands at 16.8% of the investment for the whole of Spain. 18.6% is the minimum investment fixed in the Catalan Statute of Autonomy, which has also been approved by the Spanish Parliament and is thus a binding law.

Activity reports for the Institut Català de Finances (ICF), the Catalan public financial institution delivering official credit, were released on Tuesday. The number of credit requests rose by 34.1% in 2009 while activity grew by 2.5%.

Juan María Nin lectured at the London School of Economics about the current economical situation in Spain. He argued that Spain will recover if the markets continue to trust in the country’s capacity to meet its debt.

The Governor of the Bank of Spain, Miguel Angel Fernández Ordoñez, warned about the need to limit the capacity of local and autonomous communities’ administrations to increase their public debt. He wants legal limits. He also alerted that a plan B is needed if the economy worsens.

An increase in consumer spending and exportations means the Catalan economy grew by 0.2% in the second quarter of the year, growing quicker than expected.

The current line that links the city with Barcelona and functions like a metro will have 4.4 new kilometres. It will improve the mobility within Barcelona metropolitan area. The 400 million euro operation will also include the construction of 4 new train stations.

The 28th edition of the Liber International Book Fair ends tomorrow in Barcelona. This year’s 3-day fair focuses on new technologies such as the Ipad, book tablets and other electronic reading material.

The highway management company Acesa has already begun construction works on highway rest stops in Montseny and next to Barcelona. The new services for lorries and their drivers will have a fee of 10 to 20 euros. They include 24h surveillance, showers, laundry, resting facilities and entertainment zones.

Vueling will offer flights to the Lleida-Alguaire airport from 14 cities around Europe via Barcelona. The airline company Pyrenair will offer ski vacation flights from Madrid, Vigo and Lisbon.

The future intermodal centre in South-West of Barcelona will span across 177 hectares of land.