catalan way

The Franco-Japanese company has chosen the Catalan car component manufacturer Ficosa as their only automatic gearbox supplier for all the new cars targeting a middle-class market segment. The agreement is for the European, North-American, South-American and Asian markets. It will represent a sales volume of 45 million euros for Ficosa. The news reinforces Greater Barcelona as a base for the automotive industry.

The photography exhibition shows the pictures that were found in the so-called ‘Mexican suitcase’, in which original films by Capa, Taro and Seymour had been kept for decades. The exhibition displays not only pictures from the Spanish Civil War, but also the negatives and the manner in which photographers worked. Since the suitcase kept the original films, the contact sheets can be displayed and thus the photos are shown in the order they were taken.

The Catalan President, Artur Mas, announced that he along with ministers, deputy ministers, and directors-general would not receive the Christmas bonus this year. The measure affects all the Catalan Government’s higher-ranked staff and is meant to send a message of austerity. 350 people will see their salary reduced, saving 1.8 million euros of public money. It is an answer to doctor and nursing unions, who had asked politicians to reduce their salaries. Last year, higher-ranked officials experienced a 15% salary cut.

The Catalan low cost airline, which is based in Barcelona, has announced new destinations from Barcelona, as well as an increase in frequency on other routes. Vueling’s President, Josep Piqué, presented the airline's latest news for next season. He also said that a low cost airline like Vueling is the only airline capable of stopping Ryanair’s expansion in Barcelona, in a clear reference to Spanair.

September has been a bad month for employment over the last number of years, but this past September is the worst in the last 11 years. The Spanish Government has blamed the budget cuts undergone by the Autonomous Communities for the unemployment increase. The Spokesperson for the Catalan Government considers Madrid’s statements as “offensive” and “pitiful”, and he stressed that the Spanish Government had asked them to double their public spending cuts. He also added that the Spanish Government has not paid the money that it owes.

The Catalan Government is obliged to reduce the public deficit and the public healthcare system is also subsequently affected by the budget cuts. Doctor and nursing unions are mobilised, while salary reduction and temporary lay offs are being discussed. Waiting lists have increased due to some hospital services being partially and temporarily closed, especially during the summer months. Many citizens have been protesting, in different demonstrations. The Catalan Health Ministry announced new maximum waiting times for severe interventions. In addition, some hospitals are reopening some operating rooms.

Catalan GDP grew by 0.7% during the second quarter of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010. However, in the first quarter it grew by 1.1%. The export sector continues being the Catalan economy’s engine, while internal demand fell. Catalan GDP grew by 0.2% from the first to the second quarter this year, the same rate than for the rest of the European Union. At the end of 2010, Catalan GDP represented 209.7 billion euros, more than Finland’s, Portugal’s or Venezuela’s.

The Debate on the State of the Nation ended at the Catalan Parliament with the approval of several resolutions. After three days of debate, the resolutions were voted on Friday. One of them condemns the way in which the Spanish Constitution amendment was negotiated and passed, as it did not take into account parties that participated in the Constitution drafting and approval, and it also interferes with the financial autonomy of Catalonia. Another motion demands the Catalan Government to present the budget for 2012 before October 10th next.

After not having found the needed private investors to meet the required levels of core capital, the Bank of Spain’s Governor announced that the Spanish State would intervene in four savings banks, including two from Catalonia. The State will control 100% of Unnim and 90% of CatalunyaCaixa. Once the banks are streamlined, private investors will be offered shares. The European Commission has authorised the operation. Now, all Spain’s banks and savings banks have at least 8% core capital. Considering the global banking sector restructuring in Spain, the Spanish State has spent 19,000 million euros from the public finances.

Barcelona-based CaixaBank, the private bank of ‘La Caixa’, will pay 16 million euros for the purchase of both businesses. Bankpime is a bank for small and medium-sized companies. CaixaBank will control a total volume of 1,200 million euros. CaixaBank will buy Bankpime’s credit investment portfolio -which is worth 363 million euros-, the fund management business –with some 400 million euros traded, the 19 branches of the bank, and client deposits worth some 436 million euros.

The Catalan airline wants to consolidate its hub at Barcelona Airport. Spanair, partially owned by the Catalan Government, plans to transform Barcelona El Prat into an international hub in its own right.

In an historical decision, the Catalan Academy of Cinema chose a movie entirely in Catalan to represent Spain at the Oscars awards. ‘Pa negre’ (‘Black bread’) was the absolute winner of the last awards of the Spanish Academy awards, surprising everyone. However, the fact of it being in Catalan and that the movie competed with Almodóvar’s ‘The Skin I Live In’ made it difficult to predict if the movie was to finally represent Spain at the world’s top awards.

The Catalan Government has approved the new Law of Budget Stability, which foresees a gradual and significant reduction of the deficit in the following years. The law permanently fixes an allowed deficit limit of 0.14% of Catalonia’s GDP from 2018, two years earlier than the deadline required by the Spanish Constitution’s modification. According to the Catalan Finance Minister, Andreu Mas-Colell, the law demonstrates Catalonia’s “strong commitment to budget stability”. In addition, the law creates a fund to return public debt, which will be filled with any additional revenues or budget surplus.

An agreement among the Hollywood majors, the movie theatres and the Catalan Government will increase the presence of American movies dubbed into Catalan. In 2011, only five Hollywood films were dubbed into Catalan. In 2012, 25 movies will be available in the language. The reason for this agreement is to promote the presence of the Catalan language in movie theatres, as currently Spanish almost monopolises the market.

Barcelona hosted its last bullfight on Sunday. As of January 1st 2012, bullfighting will be banned in Catalonia. The Catalan Parliament decided to forbid this activity in July 2010, with a law that generated a substantial amount of controversy. Bullfighting is associated with Spanish nationalism, and the ban has been interpreted by many as a political stance, in addition to defending animal rights. In Catalonia, over the last decades, bullfighting has lost most of its popular support and only one arena has remained open.