algeria

Delegation also including MPs visit Sahrawi camps: 'Morocco blocks any possibility for dialogue'

The Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, stated on Tuesday that a unilateral declaration of independence in Catalonia in the event that pro-independence parties obtain an absolute majority in September’s Catalan elections would be “a frontal attack on the law”, “which has no precedent in democratic and civilised countries”. The day after the pro-independence unitary list presented its road map for the months after the Catalan elections, which are to be transformed into a ‘de facto’ plebiscite on independence, Rajoy repeated that he is “ready” to face “any problem” and insisted that he “will not allow” a unilateral declaration of independence to happen. He asked for “calm” and insisted that the next Catalan elections “are only about electing an Autonomous Community parliament”. In the presence of Algeria’s Prime Minister, Abdelmalek Sellal, 2 of the 3 questions addressed to Rajoy by the press were about Catalonia’s independence.

The Barcelona-based car manufacturer Seat, which is part of the Volkswagen group, ended 2014 with a 10% growth in sales. During last year, Seat sold 390,500 vehicles worldwide, which are produced in its factory in Martorell (Greater Barcelona). This plant increased production by 13.5%, reaching its highest level for 12 years. The factory has now achieved 5 consecutive years of growth. The company’s shining light during 2014 was the León model, sales of which increased by 50%, reaching 154,100 units sold, breaking its sales record. This type of car has become “the brand’s second pillar” after the Seat Ibiza, stated the company’s President, Jürgen Stackmann. During the last 2 years, Seat global sales have grown by 21.7%, surpassing their 2007 pre-crisis levels.

Barcelona-based SEAT, which is part of the Volkswagen group, sold 355,000 vehicles last year, representing a 10.6% increase on 2012 figures. The Catalan brand has not sold so many cars since 2008. The SEAT Leon car model was the company’s strongest asset, with 102,000 cars purchased in 2013, which is a 44% sales increase on the previous year. SEAT’s President, Jürgen Stackmann, highlighted “the commercial impetus” that the company currently has, “especially in Europe, when in a market context of sales drop, SEAT is growing faster than its competitors”. In Western Europe, which is the brand’s main market, the Catalan company increased sales by 9.4%, selling 273,200, 23,500 more cars than in 2012.

Furthermore the Catalan multinational announced it was expanding its shares within the MedGaz pipeline to 14.9%, which is one of the five pipelines that transport Northern African gas to Europe. The natural gas company reported that its profit levels for the first half of this year have increased by 1.7% from 2012 to €780 million. The Catalan multinational company highlighted how this increase was the result of the international growth of the industry which counteracted the relative stagnation in the domestic market. Gas Natural Fenosa’s EBITDA was also up on last year and totalled €2.63 billion, representing an increase of 2.9% compared to the same period last year.

The initiative targets 10,000 young women, studying at university and wanting to start their own business, from Morocco, Palestine, Jordan and Spain. The 'Young Women as Job Creators' project aims to create 400 new businesses. It is an initiative by the Union for the Mediterranean – whose headquarters are based in Barcelona – and the Association of Organisations of Mediterranean Businesswomen (AFAEMME). The project will run from May to November 2013 and it will be based on workshops and courses taught in universities from the four countries involved. The initiative has a budget of €300,000, paid by the Government of Norway, the Catalan multinational Gas Natural Fenosa, the Union for the Mediterranean and the European Investment Bank.

Leading Catalan electric and natural gas company Gas Natural Fenosa has bought 10% of Medgaz, a submarine gas pipeline between Algeria and Europe that provides natural gas to the south of Europe. The pipeline has a capacity of transporting eight billion cubic meters per year and the acquisition has cost the Catalan company €61.9 million. Gas Natural Fenosa will use 10% of the transport capacity of the gas pipeline. The contract will last for 18 years.

Barcelona-based Gas Natural Fenosa enlarges its capital with 515 million euros invested by the multinational North-African company, Société Nationale (Sonatrach).