association

Move comes after council decides to ask Parliament to charge visitors up to €4 per day

Some of the 19 municipalities involved consider filing suits for perjury in response to “made up” testimonies

"Not even" right to effective legal protection respected, argue Catalan Association of Civil Rights group for their family members

‘Europe, make a move’ aims to send letters to heads of Germany, France, Ireland, Portugal, and Finland asking for help regarding leaders in jail or abroad

Some Barcelona Bar Association members walked out when Roger Torrent denounced the existence of “political prisoners”

Association of Judges for Democracy calls executive’s attempts to influence court decisions “unacceptable”

Organization that defends Franco regime received 5,000-euro subsidy and free use of army premises  

A manifesto claims that Hamza Yalçin, journalist and Erdogan dissident, was detained under 'false' terrorist charges

A report shows that the economic recovery and the arrival of tenants with a higher income have an influence on the market

Representatives from several pro-independence civil society organisations joined Parliament President, Carme Forcadell, on her way to the Court. Forcadell testified this Friday for having allowed a democratic debate on Catalonia’s independence in the Catalan Chamber on the 27th of July. Pro-independence grass-roots organisations the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), Òmnium Cultural, the Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI) and the Catalan Association of Municipalities (ACM) highlighted the wide support for the representative. Indeed, the President of AMI, Neus Lloveras, said that the backing for Forcadell was a “demonstration of the unity and strength” of the pro-independence movement in Catalonia. The president of the ANC, Jordi Sànchez, deemed Forcadell’s prosecution “absolutely unjustified” and the president of Òmnium, Jordi Cuixart, said Catalonia is facing “a critical hour” and has to show “unity and firmness”.

The Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI) wants to internationalise the pro-independence process in Catalonia from the local sphere. It has therefore launched a campaign to explain the pro-independence process, the roadmap to achieve independence and the Catalan Government’s will to hold a referendum in September 2017. In an interview with the Catalan public radio station, Catalunya Ràdio, the president of the organisation, Neus Lloveras, detailed that the intention of the initiative is to report on the pro-independence process, avoiding the filters of Spanish diplomacy and amplifying the message of the Catalan local sphere worldwide. AMI started to send letters to the mayors of all the state capitals and the 100 largest cities in the world on Monday. In total, the organisation predicts that 548 mayors from five continents will receive a letter explaining the Catalan reality “without interference from Spain”.

The Catalan Secretary of Universities and Research, Arcadi Navarro, and the President of the European Association for International Education (EAIE), Laura Howard, have a meeting next Friday September the 16^th to discuss the candidacy of Barcelona as the venue for EAIE 2020. This annual event is the largest higher education conference in Europe and its 28^th edition is currently taking place in Liverpool. Indeed, the meeting is going to be held within the framework of EAIE 2016. A Catalan delegation has set up a pavilion at the fair to improve the visibility of the Catalan higher education offer, from primary degrees to Master’s degrees and doctorates. 

The location and identity of 4,700 disappeared during Spanish Civil War remains unknown, 80 years after the conflict broke out. In order to recover historic memory and prevent these facts and its consequences from being forgotten or neglected, many organisations have claimed to reopen mass graves and cancel the martial courts applied to many citizens who were against Franco's dictatorship. "Spain continues to be the second country in the world, after Cambodia, with the higher number of people who underwent enforced disappearance and whose mortal remains have never been recovered nor identified", stated ‘Judges for Democracy' spokeswoman, Begoña López. 

 The quality of Catalan beaches and ports has increased. This year the International Jury awarded Catalonia 9 more flags than last year and the area now has 98 distinctions for beaches and 24 for ports. The province with the most awards is Tarragona with over 40 flags, followed by Girona with 30 and Barcelona with 28. Barcelona has recorded the biggest increase and has won 8 more flags for its beaches than last year. The President of the Environmental Education Association (ADEAC), José Ramón Sánchez, praised the increase of Blue Flags, assuring that in Catalonia there is "an excellent situation regarding education and environmental information". Indeed, Spain is at the forefront of the world rankings with eight more blue flags than in 2015.

Barcelona Hotel Terrace Week begins this Friday, inviting Barcelona residents to the signature opening weeks of summer. In this week-long event, a record-breaking 66 roof terraces will open their doors for free, offering a total of 234 activities from the 3^rd until the 12^th of June. Some of the variety of activities that each hotel has to offer include culture, entertainment, music, family fun and leisure. A newcomer to this list of activities is gastronomy, celebrating Barcelona’s place as European Region of Gastronomy 2016. Specifically, some of the things one can see while visiting the myriad of terraces are wine and cheese tastings, magic shows, mojitos and tapas tastings, Cuban dancing, various concerts of almost every type of music imaginable, and even the classic synchronised swimming display.