catalan way

By the end of the year, Catalonia must meet a 1.5% deficit target. According to the Spanish Finance Minister, Cristóbal Montoro, the Autonomous Community governments are heading “in the right direction” to honour the deficit objective for 2012. The Catalan Government had a 0.38% deficit at the end of July, according to its own sources. This represents a €767 million deficit, while at the end of July 2011 it had a 2.09 billion deficit, which represents a 63% deficit reduction.

At a conference in Madrid, the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, warned Spain about the “great mistake” of downplaying the massive demonstration for independence. No members of the Spanish Government or leaders of the Socialist Party (PSOE) attended the event, which is unusual. In front of a crowded audience with many foreign press, Catalan MPs and businesspeople, Mas explained that Catalonia “has been trying for decades to reform Spain to make it our state”. However, Catalans are now “tired” from “the lack of respect” and the “disloyalty”. “If Spain denies the fact of Catalonia being a nation”, “many issues will not be solved”. Then “it is logical for a people to solve their future “peacefully, democratically and in a strictly European way”.

The Mayor of Barcelona welcomed the company’s investments and commitment to efficiency at the Port of Barcelona. The Catalan harbour is significantly increasing its container traffic in the last few years. Barcelona’s Port aims to become the main logistical hub in Southern Europe, using the international standard rail gauge to directly connect to Central Europe and new freight terminals. The Catalan company TCB is expanding its freight railway station and its power substation, as well as enlarging the ship docking space. The improvements will increase the maximum number of shipping containers transported by TCB from 0.9 million to 2.3 million by the end of 2013.

“Listen, and listen carefully. Do not get angry if you don’t like what you see. And put solutions on the table, if you have them”, the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas told Spain the day after the 1.5 million strong demonstration for Catalonia’s independence. He also stated he will work to create “state structures”. The Spanish Government refused to comment directly on the event, stating it should be analysed “coldly”. However, it said Spain and Catalonia should have other priorities.

150 million bottles of Catalan Cava were exported last year. It is a historic record for Cava producers with Germany and the United Kingdom being the main importers. The Catalan sparkling wine has the perception of being inexpensive in these countries, which has worked to the Cava producers’ advantage at a time of economic crisis as demand for alternatives increases. Wine connoisseurs put high quality Cava on the same level as Champagne, yet many consumers still associate the Catalan drink with a cheap product. High quality Cava is starting to be discovered and has strong potential to grow in these markets.

In the largest demonstration Barcelona has ever seen, 1.5 million citizens according to the Catalan Police marched in Catalonia’s capital after the banner “Catalonia, Europe’s new state”. The Spanish Government reported a reduced number of 600,000 participants while organisers talked of 2 million participants. The Catalan President did not attend it because of his institutional position, but gave his support at a personal level. Most of the Catalan Government was present. Members from most of the Catalan political parties were also present, including the Socialists (PSC) but at a personal level. The only absentees were representatives from the People’s Party (PP) and anti-Catalan nationalism ‘Ciutadans’ (C’s). Many families gathered for the demonstration which ended with the petition to start the secession process.

However, the Commission also clarified Barroso’s words from late August. A Commission Spokesman said hours before the kick off of the independence demonstration that in the case of secession from Spain, Catalonia would no longer be part of the EU. A negotiation process to join the EU would be required. However, other EU sources stated that the hypothetical new state may have the same benefits of a “transitional” member. They also added that the accession process would be “faster and easier”. Catalan citizens have been net contributors to the EU for decades and are currently considered European Citizens, but this is “additional”, according to Barroso.

The President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, leader of the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition (CiU), sent a warning message to the rest of Spain and in particular to the Spanish Government. “If there is not an agreement on the economic bases”, “Catalonia’s way to freedom is open”. The Spanish Prime Minister and leader of the People’s Party (PP), Mariano Rajoy, stated on Tuesday morning that Spain and Catalonia should have other priorities. The Spanish Government and most of the rest of Spain are against a new fiscal agreement between Catalonia and Spain, reducing the Catalan solidarity contribution, which represents some €17 billion per year. Furthermore, the Catalan PP has stated it will stop giving its parliamentary support to CiU.

Catalan nationalism has changed over the years. Most Catalan nationalists have now concluded that Spain will never accept a plurinational state, will not fully respect Catalan language and culture, will continue threatening Catalonia’s self-government, and will not accept a reduction in Catalonia’s fiscal contribution to the rest of Spain, which annually represents between 6.4% and 8.7% of the Catalan GDP. Catalan nationalists are now tired of negotiating these issues and have come to the conclusion that Spain will never accept a comfortable place for Catalonia within the Spanish state. Now, 51% of Catalans citizens would vote for the independence in a hypothetical referendum.

The second film by the Catalan director Juan Antonio Bayona stars Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival with the two stars in attendance. The main character Ewan McGregor faces the tsunami that devastated the Asian coast in 2004. The film will be released in Spain on October 11th.

September 11th is the National Day of Catalonia. It remembers the day Barcelona was defeated by the Bourbon army in 1714 and Catalonia lost its self-governmental institutions and a new political system was imposed. The institutional festivities include the traditional offer of flowers to Rafael Casanova’s statue, who was leading the Catalan army during the 14-month Siege of Barcelona (1713-1714). The main institutional event takes place in the Ciutadella Park of the Catalan capital. At 18.00, the main demonstration organised by civil society organisations supporting Catalonia’s independence will kick off.

Catalonia’s main airport had 3,874,131 passengers in August which is the highest monthly figure the airport has ever achieved. In the first 8 months of the year, there have been over 24 million passengers travelling through Barcelona El Prat Airport, 4.4% more than during the same period in 2011. Girona Costa Brava Airport also had success this August with 14.5% more passengers and 15% more flights compared to the same month last year. However, the number of passengers at the small Reus Airport fell by 28.5%, due to Ryanair’s reduction of flights.

‘Barcelona World’, located next to Salou’s beaches and PortaAventura, will have 6 new theme parks, as well as 12,000 hotel rooms, casinos, convention centres, golf courses and other amusement facilities. 10 million people are expected to visit the mega-resort funded by Veremonte each year, which will create 40,000 jobs. ‘Barcelona World’, located next to Tarragona in the Costa Daurada, will be Europe’s largest amusement resort and among the world’s largest, targeting family and business tourism. Construction may be complete by late 2016. The project has been announced after the expiration of the offer made to Las Vegas Sands to build its casinos next to Barcelona. This American company has not announced if it will finally build ‘Eurovegas’ in Madrid yet, but the Barcelona option seems to be ruled out.

The owner of one of the world’s largest art collections, unveiled the exhibition named ‘Rusiñol, Monet, Gauguin, Sunyer. Landscapes in Carmen Thyssen’s Collection’ at Girona’s CaixaForum. The exhibition shows 51 paintings by these masters as well as Joan Miró, Joaquim Mir, Antoni Tàpies, Modest Cuixart, Théodore Rousseau, Georges Braque and Henri Matisse. The exhibition aims to set a “dialogue”, and show the evolution of the Catalan and European landscape paintings. Carmen Thyssen stated her relationship with Catalonia’s National Museum of Art (MNAC) is “excellent” and “it would be a dream” to have her collection in Barcelona, although “it is still early” to make an official announcement.

The German Chancellor is “impressed” with Spain’s reforms. According to Angela Merkel, the reforms are headed “in the right direction”, they need to be pursued “at all government levels” and they will need “time to show their results”, “as it happened in Germany ten years ago” with their structural reforms. Angela Merkel met with the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Madrid, the day the European Central Bank announced it was buying sovereign bonds. Merkel stated that reforms have to continue “at all government levels”. The Chancellor also defended the European Union as a project guaranteeing peace and prosperity, and the Euro as “our common currency”.